Examples of Clothespin Stoppers

[Tim Crosby]

  The question was asked in The Shot/Ball Pouches thread about clothespin stoppers, here’s a couple. The stopper is turned with a slight bulge at the end, maybe a ½” longer than the body, a cut along the center line allows it to squeeze together as it passes through the body and expand as it exists, see the second pic. One of them has a wedge in it to increase the spring.

  Tim C.

[Artificer]

Thanks for the explanation and pics, Tim,

Would that happen to be leather or a piece of wood slipped into some of them to get friction back once they wear down, or is that something you like to do from the start of using them?

Gus

[T*O*F]

Are those not just a modified use of the tompion used to plug barrels?

[Tim Crosby]

Thanks for the explanation and pics, Tim,

Would that happen to be leather or a piece of wood slipped into some of them to get friction back once they wear down, or is that something you like to do from the start of using them?

Gus

 It is a piece of wood, let's call it an adjuster, when I turned the stopper it was a little to small, the adjuster gives it the spread/spring it needs.

  Tim C.

[Tim Crosby]

Are those not just a modified use of the tompion used to plug barrels?

 Yes, I would say so, rather than being straight sided they have the bump to spread out and hold once through the body.

  Tim C.

[Artificer]

Thanks for the explanation and pics, Tim,

Would that happen to be leather or a piece of wood slipped into some of them to get friction back once they wear down, or is that something you like to do from the start of using them?

Gus

 It is a piece of wood, let's call it an adjuster, when I turned the stopper it was a little to small, the adjuster gives it the spread/spring it needs.

  Tim C.

Thanks for the reply Tim.  Good idea to "save" one when turned a little too small or even "fix" a worn one or a worn Tompion.

Gus

[Kermit]

A word of advice, if it's not obvious. Turn the spout body first, then make the stopper to fit. Wasn't obvious to me the first time.
 

[skillman]

Use a specific sized drill on the spout, turn the plug to a specific size(slightly under), add the knot on the end, and then put your slit in the plug. Can't miss.

Steve

[Tim Crosby]

Use a specific sized drill on the spout, turn the plug to a specific size(slightly under), add the knot on the end, and then put your slit in the plug. Can't miss.

Steve

  Right, I can't imagine making the stopper first.

     Tim C.

[Kermit]

Some of us aren't always so bloody clever the first time we try something. In my case it was good practice for the one that actually worked.

[Artificer]

Some of us aren't always so bloody clever the first time we try something. In my case it was good practice for the one that actually worked.

Yes, and we would miss out on all that valuable experience by getting it wrong at first, perhaps?   
Gus

[Kermit]

I had an English teacher at university who had been an actor with a Shakespeare company before WW II. When he was drafted, the Army, in it's infinite wisdom, decided a guy with a master's degree in theatre should be put to use teaching draftees in the finer arts of modern warfare. The first task he had involved teaching how to camouflage various pieces of heavy equipment--trucks, tanks, artillery--in the field.

He had a crew set up examples for the unlearned to view, two-by-two, a la Noah. Each pair of pieces were to give the students an example of the right way and the wrong way to effect the camouflaging. After the classroom work and the field examples, the young men were given a test to be sure the techniques had been learned. You can see this coming, right? About 75% of them cited the wrong way as the correct method.

He decided then and there that he would never again show anyone the wrong way to do something.