Hello, first time posting here, hope this is the right section.
I know zero about jewelry making … i’m a woodworker. On my forums i get a good laugh about some of the crazy questions … now i’m on the other side.
I collect old cordless tools. I clean them up, repair as necessary, and then put to use or hang on the wall. I recently acquired this one, i have not started on it yet so i don’t see a makers mark, but it appears to be a Fray & Pigg spofford brace from about 1890. What you say … that’s not a cordless drill? Of course it is, and it’s variable speed and reversible! (Smart alec)
So here’s my question. As you can see from this page from the 1911 catalog, and the picture from the article, the brace originally had pewter rings on the wrist handle. Mine has twisted copper wire, apparently the pewter fell off sometime in the last 150 years. I want to replace the pewter. I will be breaking down the brace completely, including removing the head (the top knob) so there won’t be anything large in the way to slip rings onto the frame. But is that the best way? How would i get pre-made rings onto the handle? Would it work better to wrap pewter wire into the groove?
The groove is 1/8” wide by about 1/8” deep. My thought was to make 2 or 3 wraps of wire, and hammer down to fill the groove, and maybe the hammering will cause the malleability of the pewter to hide the joint in the wire. But i have no idea if this would work. I don’t think i can solder or braze the wire because that would char the wood. Or not. I do stained glass work, i am semi-skilled with soldering.
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