Parker Shield

[Pat Dugan]

150440525170.jpgA Parker shield (Brass I think) sold for $43.89 on E Bay item 150440525170. My question is where do you get the nails for the brass one, or the ones for G and D Grade shields that look like German Silver. I bought a silver one that had three holes but no nails some time back.

PDD

[Richard Flanders]

Brass nails are easy. For silver I'd make them out of sterling or nickel silver wire if I needed some. The wire is available from any jewelers supply house. I'd predrill holes in the wood that made for a snug fit with the wire just barely proud of the shield then I'd very gingerly peen the silver wire heads with a smooth faced punch with the shield in place to where they looked like rivets. Once done they could be worked down with a fine file and eventually polished smooth and level with the shield. If you did it right and your wire matched the shield, you wouldn't even be able to see the nails when done.

Idea 2: If you want to produce silver nails for others. Take two small blocks of nicely polished steel, put them together and put them into a vise on the drill press with their tops absolutely flush to each other and drill a hole down the seam that is a couple of thousands smaller than your silver wire so that it will hold the wire tightly in the next operation. Don't drill through the blocks all the way so the wire bottoms out and can't slip past the bottom of the hole. You could drill and pin the blocks to ensure them being flush for repeated operations. Now take a drill bit a tad bigger than this and drill a bevel on this hole. Now you have a jig to hold wire. Put a piece of wire into the hole, making sure it goes to the bottom and leaving maybe .006" -.008" proud of the top of the steel and clamp the blocks in a regular vise and gently peen the wire end to fill the bevel with a polished face hammer or punch. You've now made a nice little flat and beveled head on the 'nail'. If you've used good hard steel you could at this point file the little head flush to the steel blocks and polish it. Predrill the wood and tap the 'nail' in and work it off level and polish as required. voila.... Clearly we are only limited by our imaginations on how to do this... This method would work well on brass wire also.

[Dave Fuller]

I have been wondering the same thing. Further, I am curious how the shields were inlet into the stock. They must have used a stamp or jig of some sort... Maybe one of the stock makers out there could share how they have done this.

[Richard Flanders]

Inletting something like a shield is not at all difficult. You trace the outline on the wood with a very fine needle point then start the edge cut with a fine Xacto knife point to prevent splintering then carefully remove wood with a very small chisel. I have inlaid some incredibly complex mother of pearl and silver inlays into musical instruments. It's easier on a flat surface of course. For that I use a dremel tool mounted in their little router table attachment and dental bits my dentist gives me. This method gives you a very uniform depth to the cut. Making some very small custom gouges for this kind of inlaying helps also.

[Dean Romig]

I guess them Alaskan nights be awful long, eh Rich?

[Richard Flanders]

Yup Dean... combine that with all the lead paint and the mind does funny things...

[Dave Fuller]

Shall we send up some inlay projects about mid October Rich?

[Richard Flanders]

Too early Dave.... I'll just be getting home from 'summer camp' at that point!

[Bruce Day]

I have been wondering the same thing. Further, I am curious how the shields were inlet into the stock. They must have used a stamp or jig of some sort... Maybe one of the stock makers out there could share how they have done this.

Answer: During the production years, a die was used to cut out the precise shape of the badge (V-G) or shield ( D and above) and was struck by a hammer to cut. The DelGregos' have the original old dies.

[Dave Fuller]

Thanks Bruce, I've always assumed there was such a device, it only makes sense. Nonetheless, one has to admire a man who can inlay mother of pearl into a clarinet by hand on a dark Alaska night... just kidding with you Rich!

[Richard Flanders]

Actually Dave I did most of it by lantern light in a 13' square remote cabin with no electricity or water, so you're not far off the mark....

[Dave Fuller]

My dad always told me a poor craftsman blames his tools... it sounds like you, Rich, meet his definition of a fine craftsman!