Shrapnel

Shrapnel is one of the many residents of Rivet City. Together with his partner Flak, he runs the Flak 'n Shrapnel weapons store in the Marketplace. He can sell you ordinance and repair your weapons.

Flak and Shrapnel share their store's inventory, so buying or selling from either one of them will update both of their stocks. This means that if Flak is enslaved by the player for Paradise Falls, The Flak 'n Shrapnel weapons store in the Marketplace will still be open. They consistently have a larger amount of caps than the other shops in Rivet City, making them prime sources of cash in exchange for unneeded loot.

Shrapnel can sometimes be seen wandering around Paradise Falls after you enslave his partner. He will even sell items.

Shrapnel can be seen other places outside Rivet City, he has appeared near Flooded Metro (southwest of DC) being attacked by raiders. He will also sell items. It appears that in this "unmoored" state, Shrapnel is still considered by the game to be an essential character, and will be rendered unconscious instead of dying in battle.

If Flak is enslaved, Shrapnel will wander the Wasteland. It will be possible for him to be as far west as Five Axles Rest Stop. He will be invincible, still talk about Rivet City, and still sell items. If you free Flak from Paradise Falls, Shrapnel will return to Rivet City once again.

After Flak is enslaved, Shrapnel can sometimes be found at the final battle for no apparent reason and he will still sell things from his shop. Shrapnel can't be killed so he can be repeatedly knocked out at the battle with no worries.

Bugs
Shrapnel can't die, he just becomes unconscious. This is strange since he's not even involved in any quests. However it is worthy of note that this could be due to Flak being able to be enslaved, with Shrapnel being "essential" there should always be some gun merchant in rivet city.

Appearances
Shrapnel appears in Fallout 3.