How to attach Bronze to Wood?

[PeteM]

I've built a few of these and have been asked if I can make one with a bronze face rather than leather. My question is how to attach the bronze face. Any ideas???

pete

 

[Sealeveler]

Etch the brass then epoxy.???Tony

 

[nelsone]

Pete, I would suggest getting a post brazed to the bronze plate and epoxy the assembly into the face of the mallet.

Nice mallet btw!

 

[Glennbear]

Pete, I would suggest getting a post brazed to the bronze plate and epoxy the assembly into the face of the mallet.

Nice mallet btw!

Although I have not had experience with this kind of disimilar material joinery, I would think that flat surface to flat surface gluing would be problematic since the bronze would tend to compress the wood surface in use causing adhesive failure. Methinks that the post might be a better method. The leather faces cushion the glue joint from shock but the bronze would not, ergo the post transferring energy to the interior of the mallet might be better. :wsmile:

 

[erasmussen]

bore it and use a round tenon

 

[mkepke]

Bronze wood screws in slightly elongate countersinks.

-Mark

 

[cpw]

You have three basic options:
1) A mechanical fastener such as screws or brads
2) Epoxy
3) Both

Assuming that these are for use and not just for show I would go with a solid mechanical fastener.

If the bronze faces will be thick enough to allow you to countersink the screw heads I would go with Mark's idea of using the bronze wood screws. Not too close to the edge, and I would drill the pilot holes extra deep and file the tips off the screws so they don't act as wedges under the pounding and split the mallet head. Done right the screw heads could be a nice decorative accent.

If you don't want the screw heads to show and the bronze plate is thick enough you could drill and tap the place from the back and sink some threaded rod, then epoxy the rod into hold in the mallet face, basically using the threaded rod as a dowel pin.

Epoxy will work short term but dissimilar movement in the wood and the metal will cause it to fail regardless. If the mallets are for use, then you'd be lucky to get much work out of them at all before they fail for the very reason Glenn cites.

 

[PeteM]

Thanks everyone.

After thinking about it I've decided to pass on this idea.
I don't feel comfortable enough with it staying together.
I'd rather not sell it to someone and have it come apart in a year or two.

Thanks again
pete

 

[walnutjerry]

I've built a few of these and have been asked if I can make one with a bronze face rather than leather. My question is how to attach the bronze face. Any ideas???

pete

Pete---------Have you given 100% silicone a thought? It is what was used to hold counter tops down in our kitchen and to adhere granite surround at our fireplace.

Adhesion is really strong----unlike epoxy, it has elasticity to it which would absorb some of the shock in use. May be worth trying on a mallet you use regularly to test it out before marketing.

Jerry

 

[nelsone]

Thanks everyone.

After thinking about it I've decided to pass on this idea.
I don't feel comfortable enough with it staying together.
I'd rather not sell it to someone and have it come apart in a year or two.

Thanks again
pete

If you were to braze a post on the back of the plate and then peen a cross dowel of bronze through the sides of the mallet and through the post, I doubt it would come apart very soon.

 

[PeteM]

If you were to braze a post on the back of the plate and then peen a cross dowel of bronze through the sides of the mallet and through the post, I doubt it would come apart very soon.

That's probably true but by the time I got the bronze, formed it, brazed it, etc. I'd have to price it like Hotley prices his planes :wsmile: - http://www.holteyplanes.com/prices.html

"Each component in my planes requires many processes to complete and this adds up to many hundreds for the finished tool. A plane may take in excess of two hundred hours of labour to complete and this time is reflected in the prices I ask. Although I no longer publish a price list, prices for the low angle planes start at around £2500 pounds and rise to around £7000 for the large panel planes."

I'm going to pass but if you want to give it a try I'll give you the guys email address.
I might give it a try someday but I have to many other little projects to mess with it right now.

pete