attaching brasses

macchips4

Well-known member
    When attaching brasses/handles to drawer fronts, the threaded posts usually are longer than the drawer front is thick. One method is to leave long, another is to cut off extra threaded post even with the attaching nut. and the last would be to "dig a hole" to lower the nut below the inside surface and cut off the extra post even with the nut. I've seen all three used. and have seen the same in museums....So....what would the "period correct" method be? What do you guys do?
 
All the above are period-correct. Nuts were recessed when the drawer fronts were thicker than the norm and/or the  pommels' (original) threads were too short.

Recessed nuts with shortened pommel threads may indicate the pommels (at least) originated elsewhere.
 
Thanks Jack, Would it have been appropriate to leave them long even in a chest of drawers?  today we would be concerned the posts would damage clothing.
Glade to see a post from you.
 
Long threads on the inside of a drawer front don't appear to have been much of an issue back in the day. I have seen 'country house condition' (untouched since the day of purchase) case furniture with surprisingly long exposed threads – albeit with their rounded cast ends.

Some brasses fitters were obviously more concerned by the projection of long pommels and either clipped or sawed their excess threads to around 5/16" long and filed the ends to a rounded point. Sometimes the threads were left in their trimmed state; the resulting rough and often sharp ends creating their own problems.
In both cases, the shortened ends subsequently age to a commensurate colour.
Be wary of any period pommels that have shortened threads with shiny ends!
 
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