Expert: Jamie Yocono - 7/2/2008

Question
I have a panel of wood underneath my oven (the type that's normally held on by a plinth clip), which fell off the other day when the oven door fell open too quickly. I had thought that it would have been held on by a plinth clip, but instead it was held on by a strange toothed prong which was attached to the panel itself pointing inwards, which slotted into a toothed ridge (like a drawer mechanism which has teeth rather than being smooth) and clips in to hold the panel in place.

I've been looking everywhere to try and buy a new clip (as the prongs have broken off on one side) but can't find any and have no idea what they're called! Any ideas?

Answer
Rachel,

There are 3 places I would recommend looking at for obscure hardware. I  believe all three have websites, although I think a phone call to them would be better than simply looking at their online catalog. I've been able to call and find something that wasn't shown in their website, just last week, in fact.

The first place is Van Dyke's Restoration, (http://www.vandykes.com). The have some very odd stuff, perfect for restoring antiques with old hardware.

The second place is Spokane Hardware, (http://www.spokane-hardware.com). I recently found some hinge hardware that I had literally been looking all over the country for - and they had a huge selection of it, too. Like I said, their online catalog isn't their full line, so you may have to call and describe what you're looking for.

Last is San Diego Hardware, (http://www.sandiegohardware.com/) which used to be an amazing old hardware store in a funky, exciting part of the Gaslamp district. They've since moved to a new location, and I haven't visited it, but they had rows upon rows of hard to find stuff. I was on vacation when I found them, and bought boxes and boxes of an obscure screw that I use a lot, but have a hard time finding. Imagine trying to explain THAT to the airline inspectors! They had a hard time believing someone would buy 5000 screws on vacation. Oh well - at least they let me fly home.

Last thing - if none of these three places have what you're looking for, you'll probably have to devise some sort of a clip yourself, bypassing the system that's currently used. Maybe some angle brackets attached from below?

Good luck, write back if you need more help,

Jamie Yocono
Wood It Is! Custom cabinetry
Las Vegas, NV
www.wooditis.blogspot.com