1."You'll poke your "I" out!
Let's start out with a button and a very ugly button at that. But a button nevertheless. One found by a digger in a trench line. I think that is enough reason to consider fixing it. The owner of this Script I believed that the face was restorable. It was not. Looking through my scope only confirmed what my eyes already knew. There ain't nothin there to restore. See for yourself.
But since the back and rim were intact why not fix it anyway? How? Re-create the front using another script I. Sort of cloning in a way. Take an impression, throw in the right coloring, transfer the new "I" to the patient, and out comes a repaired Script I. Lasic surgery on an Isaac Campbell.
The digging trip that yielded the only Script I the digger every dug is represented in his display case instead of in his junk box. Nice button for poking around in a trench.but be careful with that shovel you might poke your "I" out.
2. Martingale repair or "How do you mend a broken heart?"
This is the 4th or 5th martingale I have had the opportunity to repair. I've dug four of them myself. These devices were worn on the chest of the horse and attached to leather straps by means of iron loops or wires similar to those found on eagle or cartridge box plates. One that I recovered had thin brass tabs but most, like this one have iron loops or wires. Some are solder filled brass and some militia versions are fabricated from sheet brass only.
This martingale came from a hut site in the Petersburg area. I was given a verbal, sight unseen description of its damaged state and was expecting a simple repair. What I received in the mail was something quite different than I had expected and much more of a challenge.
This martingale was not only severely cupped but cracked extensively. The brass appeared to be very brittle as well. Was it possible to flatten the piece at all without risking major solder loss and irreparable cracking? If I flattened it would I be able to join and touch up the cracked sections so that the owner would have a relic fit for display?
Forging ahead, I slowly bent the left side out. It was curled up like a hand holding a baseball. (The picture doesn't show the severity of this curl). As I did so the cracks became worse (as you would expect) but I determined that I would be able to pull the separate pie-shaped pieces together when it came to that step. Also, at the top of the heart an overlap existed which was also pulled apart and straightened. Remarkably, the solder held fairly well (probably because I coated it with a bonding agent). Even so, some of the solder gave way. I salvaged anything that flaked off to use in the repair. As most relic hunters know it is not easy matching the color of oxidized solder or lead. Try it and see. It really requires the application of layers. You think it's white or grey but it ain't. The subtleties of the hues and shades that 135 years in the ground creates cannot be reproduced in 5 minutes and I don’t like compromising by covering the entire surface just because I don’t get the perfect match right off the bat. I call that method painting not restoration.
Once the martingale was flattened to a reasonable point (not perfect but presentable) I made sure the sections created by the cracks merged well. In other words I performed some "plate" tectonics to make the parts come together as seamlessly as possible. In the final repaired product one can see these camouflaged scars but they are acceptable when one considers the original condition. To finalize the relic I added some artistic touches of ground action/oxidation mixed with a faux earthen coating similar to that found on woods-recovered plates giving it the mottled look of the original and unrepaired section (upper right half). Now there's a martingale to get any digger’s heart a thumpin'.
3. South Carolina Hat Pin: no roots
Here's a beautiful little tree that's been chopped down to size. Being only half a tree and unfit to put down roots in the owner's display case it came to me for some tree surgery.
Using the picture in Stanley Phillip's relic book as a guide, I attempted to create and graft the missing piece into this rare hat piece. The stamped brass is slightly silvered and the back (not shown) was solder filled with one brass attachment wire still present. The basic shape of the missing trunk was formed with a mixture of brass and epoxy. The back was hollowed out to receive a "solder fill" to match and the front carved and colored to create the scaly look of the palmetto tree that adorns many of the buttons, plates, and hat pieces of the South Carolina Civil War soldier. This was a relatively easy repair on a very tight relic.
4. Palmetto Plate
While we are talking Palmetto trees we might as well look at a major project that required tree surgery and more. Here's a super plate. This reminds me of the eagle panel plate in my first article but the degree of difficulty is much higher, as you can see.
Oh yes, one must look beyond appearances and consider the potential. Would you think that anything good could come from this South Carolina? Doesn’t it make you wonder how it got this way? Your guess is as good as mine.
Interestingly, the plate did not come from a fire pit as the owner believed. Fire never touched this plate and under that dark patina is a bit of silver .
The plate was straightened and flattened. The dimensions of the left side of the plate changed by about 1/16+ In the process of bending each section out (not including gaps) so that the bottom and top left side pieces would not align with their respective rims. I had to cut the plate from the back perpendicular to the palmetto trunk in order to bring the top and bottom into alignment. This step was discussed with the owner and with his approval the cut was made. Nothing, however, could be done with the section of the plate directly above and to the right of the tree as detail in the fronds would have been lost as a result of any bending or cutting. I replaced the two missing corner sections by taking impressions of the only good existing one (lower left). A mix of epoxy and silver filings was used to fill voids and give the plate stability . Existing silver plating was hi-lighted on the palmetto tree and in other areas unaffected by the cracks and bends by cleaning away crud and oxidation. A woods-brown dusting was added to camouflage the major repairs, highlight the design relief, and unify the look of the plate. Front and back images below show plate before exposing the silver plating and the bottom plate is the final product.
As rough as it is, I still wouldn't mind this one in my collection. How bout you?
I hope you've enjoyed this second article on restoring relics. If you have a relic you would like to have repaired you may email me, Roland Frodigh, at
rfrodi@cox.net. Please include a picture of your relic (front and back) and I will attempt to provide you with a quote and a realistic idea of what can be expected.Thanks for viewing.