Screw help needed!

[TrimTheKing]

Morning all

I am struggling with a finishing touch for my first project and need some inspiration.

I have built a small pirate style treasure chest for my mates daughter and got some great strap hinges from Veritas which look great See here, strap 'D'. Currently I have these attached in place with some 3/8" pan head screws which because of the rusted finish on the hinges look rubbish in contrast.

I bought some great hand forged rose head nails like these but shorter, which are perfect in terms of 'authentic look' but am concerned that because the thickness of the stock used on the box is only 16mm that they won't hold for very long once the hinge gets bashed around a bit by an 8 year old.

What I am trying to do is create some kind of similar effect over the top of the pan head screws to make them look like the hammered nail tops, so I bought some liquid metal and had a practice with whacking a big blob on the top of a practice screw. My aim is to then file this to shape once it's gone off, but after 14 hours it is still quite rubbery so I am not sure that it will ever 'go off' in the same way as an epoxy would.

I don't have access to any welding gear so that options out, would building up a big head of solder work (or epoxy), then file that down? Or can anybody think of a far easier way to achieve what I'm trying to do?

Cheers in advance

Mark

 

[Racers]

Hi,

Nail them right through and bend the end over, you should be able to turn the point os it goes back into the wood and cinch it in tight, it's how they used to do it.


Peye

 

[TrimTheKing]

Nail them right through and bend the end over, you should be able to turn the point os it goes back into the wood and cinch it in tight, it's how they used to do it.

Cheers Pete

Yeah, I thought about that but wanted the inside to look nice and not sure that nailing through wouldn't spoil the inside. Although it's a chest I have finished it quite well so it isn't all beaten up.

Mark

 

[ijam]

Since you've bought the nails already, why not try hacksawing off the heads and then epoxying them over the screw heads?

When you mix up the epoxy you can add a bit of soot to colour it so that any of the glue that shows won't look out of place.

cheers

Ian

 

[skipdiver]

2 part car body filler.Dries quick,easy to shape,takes paint well so you could shape it and paint it black.

 

[TrimTheKing]

2 part car body filler.Dries quick,easy to shape,takes paint well so you could shape it and paint it black.

Oooooh, sounds good too, cheers skip. Any particular product name you know of or reccommend?

Cheers

Mark

 

[skipdiver]

Plastic padding make one called elastic.Used it on several bits & bobs.

 

[9fingers]

Depending on the size of the nail heads, you could fit csk screws, fill the slot/pozi head flat and then using a pilot hole as close as possible to the edge of the head, drive in the nail to cover most/all of the screw.

Bob

 

[TrimTheKing]

Depending on the size of the nail heads, you could fit csk screws, fill the slot/pozi head flat and then using a pilot hole as close as possible to the edge of the head, drive in the nail to cover most/all of the screw.

Bob

Cheers Bob, that's a great idea. The ones I have are a bit small for that, but I have found some with slightly bigger heads that will do the job spot on.

Cheers again

Mark

 

[9fingers]

Glad you liked that one Mark. The plastic padding variants are all very well but after a bit of use/abuse they are bound to get chipped and give away the secret.
I hope you will post a picture of the finished article.

Bob

 

[TrimTheKing]

I hope you will post a picture of the finished article.
Bob

Yep, definitely. Just want to get the screw heads sorted and fit the lock when it arrives from Hafele and I will post what WIP pics I have.

Cheers

Mark