square barrel staples

[haddockkl]

I have seen pictures of barrel tenons that were square and set in a square hole into the barrel. I'm trying my hardest to ruin my Rice barrel attempting to recreate this attachment method but coming up short and have soldered the two I've attempted so far. I have been cutting the square hole with a 1/8" cape chisel and cutting the tenon from 1/2" x 1/8" flat cold rolled and pounding the end of the feet to swell them some. I just can't move enough metal to set the tenon without digging into the barrel what feels too deep. Anyone else done them like this?

[Birddog6]

Well, I have not seen the pictures you are referring to.  However, is it possible the holes were round &
once the square loops were installed & the metal pushed around them, you assume the holes are square ?
Just curious.

Also, any time you move metal to fill a void, you have to sacrifice metal from some place. Thus if you start
with a flat surface & use metal from that flat surface, you will have a void around what you are staking.
Unless you can have a near perfect fit & the amount of metal moved to secure the loop is nil....  Also,  having
the base of the loop swelled, extinguishes that idea, as you have to get it down in the hole.  So to end up flat
around the hole, the area around the hole would have to be pronounced first, then stake the loop & file or
peen the pronounced area flat ?

I seldom use a loop because I don't care for them. But the few I have used it was obvious they were staked
in to secure them..

Keith Lisle

[haddockkl]

These pics are not mine but are of an original half stock Hawken, I have an original barrel that had similar staples.

[Birddog6]

Oh, rect. holes.  Yep seen them like that & have one here in my mess that is similar to it.
I think they were a very tight fit, put in & hammered (peened) to secure them.

The one I have is in like this, at an angle . I think the lug was started in straight &  hammered in &
forced to form to the angle.



Keith Lisle 

[haddockkl]

Thanks Kieth, I like it, gonna give it a try this evening.

[Dphariss]

Be careful or you will dimple the bore.

Dan

[Jim Kibler]

I've done this before.  I basically just cut rectangular slots and raised some material at the ends with a chisel that fit in the slots.  The loop had just a touch of "foot' that helped it to be held in place when the raised material was pounded back down.  Also in the process of cutting the cavity, it's not uncommon for just a touch of material to be raised around the perimeter.  This can be forced down to help hold things in place as well.  If you do push into the original surface a little, it's no big deal either.  

[jerrywh]

 Jim Kibler's is a good way and you can do the same thing to the sides of the lug. You can also file a notch in the sides and the front and stake the barrel metal into the notches in the loop. There is another way but those two are good enough.

[smylee grouch]

Dans advice is good, it's easy to dimple the bore when you stake the lugs in, especialy on a swamped barrel waist section.

[Dave B]

Here is the holes in a barrel with the under lugs removed. The copper piece is showing the depth of the hole from the leading edge of the entry hole.

[flatsguide]

Thanks guys and thanks for the photo Dave. Seems simple enough. Just a bit of care not to dimple the bore.
Oops just noticed this was not my post about barrel attachment...Good info anyway.