Picked up a pair of (I thought) greenheart tips, one 47", one 26". Looking at them more carefully, I discovered that the first 19" of the tips
were greenheart, scarfed to a 19" stretch of lancewood:
- which, in turn, was scarfed to a 9" segment of very small diameter 6-strip cane (unrounded):
The short nickel-silver ferrules are, of course, rolled and soldered - and open-ended, necked down slightly over the last 3/16", and through-pinned:
There was a puzzling slot cut into the wood at the open end of the ferrule:
The puzzle was solved after I got the ferrule off the short tip: a 1/4" deep slit had been cut into the end-grain, and the ferrule forced into place (using some sort of white-leadish glue, I think, according to the dust. I seem to remember Henry Wells recommending a gap-filling ferrule cement based on white lead. Sort of a glue-based paint.). The necked-down section of the ferrule compressed the slitted wood, the through pin was driven, and voila!
I've never seen anything like this before. I suppose it could be English, though the use of Nickel Silver argues against that somewhat. I'm guessing American, made by XXXX in1860 or so. Anybody have any firmer ideas on date and/or maker or nationality?
TIA
Dave
- which, in turn, was scarfed to a 9" segment of very small diameter 6-strip cane (unrounded):
The short nickel-silver ferrules are, of course, rolled and soldered - and open-ended, necked down slightly over the last 3/16", and through-pinned:
There was a puzzling slot cut into the wood at the open end of the ferrule:
The puzzle was solved after I got the ferrule off the short tip: a 1/4" deep slit had been cut into the end-grain, and the ferrule forced into place (using some sort of white-leadish glue, I think, according to the dust. I seem to remember Henry Wells recommending a gap-filling ferrule cement based on white lead. Sort of a glue-based paint.). The necked-down section of the ferrule compressed the slitted wood, the through pin was driven, and voila!
I've never seen anything like this before. I suppose it could be English, though the use of Nickel Silver argues against that somewhat. I'm guessing American, made by XXXX in1860 or so. Anybody have any firmer ideas on date and/or maker or nationality?
TIA
Dave
