Thimbles and Ribs ?

[ironwolf]

  OK ya'll.  I need to know, and may even need a picture, of the method to prep an under rib for soldering on the pipes.
  I've heard some say to flatten the bottom of the pipe, but this seems inadequate.  I'm wanting to flush out the inside of the pipe with the belly of the rib.
  Thanks in advance, Kevin.

 p.s.,  My first halfstock, as you may have guessed.   

[Longknife]

Kevin, You need to flatten the rib and the pipe, I'll see if I can find a picture...Ed

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

File the concave surface of the rib flat, until all the concave is gone.  Then file the thimble flat, until you almost break through the cylinder.  Tin both.  Wire the thimble into place - I use stove pipe black iron wire.  Heat the rib and thimble together until the solder flows. You may want to add a little additional solder.  When the solder flows, the thimble will suck down into the flat of the rib.  Remove the heat and let it cool.  Le voila!!  The curved inside of the thimble will replace the part on the rib that you filed away, and you should have a continuous smooth rib right through the thimbles.

[Dale Halterman]

I file a flat on the thimble the same width as the bottom of the rib where it will be attached. Then I use my vernier caliper to measure the thickness of the thimble where I filed it.

Then, I file a notch in the rib to accept the thimble, using the extension bar  thingy on the small end of the vernier caliper as a depth gauge.

This way, the depth of the notch in the rib is the same as the thickness of the thimble at the flat, and the hole in the thimble will line up with the groove in the rib.

Then solder. I usually tin first, but it probably isn't necessary.

Dale H

[P.W.Berkuta]

I just did this yesterday as a matter of fact -- I do not flatten my thimbles but I do cut a recess into the rib so that when the ramrod is inserted it lies into the groove of the rib - the pictures will explain. I silver braze the thimbles on to the rib and soft solder the rib to the barrel. A bit messy as compaired to using rivets but I don't like to drill holes into the barrel with a chance of breaking through into the bore - I have a milling machine and I still don't like to drill holes into the barrel. I have recessed the thimbles into the rib using a dremmel tool and chisels but now I just use a 7/16" ball end mill and cut her in with the milling machine. The thimbles I make out of 1/2" 1018 turned to 0.450" O.D. with a 0.375" I.D.

[ironwolf]

  Thanks Guys.  Exactly the kind of intel I was looking for.

 Kev

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

If you file a flat on the thimble, and a corresponding one on the rib, then silver solder the thimble to the rib, and soft solder the rib to the barrel, this is what you see.






The concave of the rib is continuous through the inside of the thimble.  The thimble appears to grow right out of the sides of the rib, just like the originals.  The ramrod slides down naturally and there's nothing to interfere with it's passage in or out.

[Dale Halterman]

Thanks, Taylor, that is what I was trying to say.

BTW, I am planning on putting a sling on the the half stock I am working on now and your picture is of particular interrest. Is the lug also silver soldered to the thimble? I was wondering if such an arrangement would be strong enough, or if it would be better to attach the swivel through the rib itself.

Dale H

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

I apologize if this steals the thread, though I think the original question has been answered.
The thimble in my picture is a casting from TOW.  The lug is integral.  You could easily rivet one to a thimble and then silver solder it and get the same look.  But I prefer mounting them through the rib just ahead of the thimble, so that the sling does not interfere with the ramrod going in and out of the thimbles.