In desperate need of roves for clinker-building!

Hello there,

I'm a member of a danish viking ship guild currently in the process of building a 70.5 foot (21.5 meters) repllica of the Ladby ship. I'm asking for your help because we've run out of the little metal discs - I believe they're called roves? - which is used with iron nails to hold the planks together when using the clinker-building technique of the old norsemen. We've contacted a number of different maritime supply compagnies in our search without much luck. The roves we've been using so far are about 0.8" (2 centimeters) wide and (0.08)" (2 millimeters) thick. They're made of galvanized iron and has a little square hole in the center. If you know someone who has these on stock, please contact me!

Cheers,
Michael Nissen
http://tonderskibslag.dk

 

Didn't the original builders make their roves with a strip of iron, a punch, and a cold chisel? They were sort of diamond shaped weren't they? Where did you find the roves you have been using? Not many manufacturers making steel roves today but the North West Maritime Center in Port Townsend WA sells copper roves of many sizes.

 

Like suggested use a hand punch and make them of copper !!!
Go find a tool maker and show him what you want and get a hand punch made for yourself . outside shape with a square hole !! Could get all safisticated and make a small hand lever press to do the same thing !! :idea:

 

Originals were punched in a strip, then cut with cold chisel to score deeply, then broken off as needed.