Need a picture of a handguard spring clip. Attached or unattached to the handguard.

Sporterized and unofficial modified Krags
User avatar
butlersrangers
Posts: 9823
Joined: Wed Oct 07, 2009 11:35 pm
Location: Below the Bridge, Michigan

Re: Need a picture of a handguard spring clip. Attached or unattached to the handguard.

Post by butlersrangers »

Steel

Warpspasm
Posts: 29
Joined: Mon Mar 01, 2021 7:17 pm

Re: Need a picture of a handguard spring clip. Attached or unattached to the handguard.

Post by Warpspasm »

butlersrangers wrote: Mon Apr 05, 2021 11:44 amSteel
That would be tough to expand without cracking the wood. I may go with copper or brass.

User avatar
butlersrangers
Posts: 9823
Joined: Wed Oct 07, 2009 11:35 pm
Location: Below the Bridge, Michigan

Re: Need a picture of a handguard spring clip. Attached or unattached to the handguard.

Post by butlersrangers »

If you make rivets from steel nails, like Parashooter did, you could 'center drill' the small end. A hollow rivet disrupts easier.
If you use copper or brass rivets, you could paint the visible 'tops' gunmetal gray.

It would be interesting to know how Parashooter 'set' his rivets? He did a beautiful job in making a handguard!

User avatar
butlersrangers
Posts: 9823
Joined: Wed Oct 07, 2009 11:35 pm
Location: Below the Bridge, Michigan

Re: Need a picture of a handguard spring clip. Attached or unattached to the handguard.

Post by butlersrangers »

accidental repeat entry
Last edited by butlersrangers on Mon Apr 05, 2021 4:19 pm, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar
Parashooter
Posts: 706
Joined: Thu Feb 04, 2010 5:14 am
Location: Kragmudgeon House, CT

Re: Need a picture of a handguard spring clip. Attached or unattached to the handguard.

Post by Parashooter »

Warpspasm wrote: Mon Apr 05, 2021 11:11 amHow did you expand the base of the nail to make it tight?
Just out of curiosity, what material did they use for the original rivets? Copper? Brass? Steel?
Original rivets look like (mild) steel to me.

To expand the small end of the mild steel cut-down nail inside the handguard I fixed a flat-ended punch with nearly the same diameter as the (outside) nail head upright in a bench vise and used this as an anvil, holding the handguard (with nail and clip in place) so the punch-anvil supported the nail head and then peened the small/inside end of the nail with another punch. If you enlist a third hand to hold handguard or operate hammer and punch, it's likely easier - but I managed with just two hands by going slow and ensuring the punch-anvil was in the right position before each tap of the hammer on the inside punch. (Drilling the hole in the clip for a close fit to the nail/rivet shank ensures it won't take much peening to hold well.) Here's a rough sketch -
KragHandguardSketch.gif
KragHandguardSketch.gif (9.72 KiB) Viewed 1947 times

User avatar
butlersrangers
Posts: 9823
Joined: Wed Oct 07, 2009 11:35 pm
Location: Below the Bridge, Michigan

Re: Need a picture of a handguard spring clip. Attached or unattached to the handguard.

Post by butlersrangers »

With thanks and apologies to Parashooter, this might work for clumsy guys, like me!
Attachments
altered Parashooter-HandguardSketch.jpg
altered Parashooter-HandguardSketch.jpg (30.69 KiB) Viewed 1943 times

Warpspasm
Posts: 29
Joined: Mon Mar 01, 2021 7:17 pm

Re: Need a picture of a handguard spring clip. Attached or unattached to the handguard.

Post by Warpspasm »

Parashooter wrote: Mon Apr 05, 2021 4:09 pm
Warpspasm wrote: Mon Apr 05, 2021 11:11 amHow did you expand the base of the nail to make it tight?
Just out of curiosity, what material did they use for the original rivets? Copper? Brass? Steel?
Original rivets look like (mild) steel to me.

To expand the small end of the mild steel cut-down nail inside the handguard I fixed a flat-ended punch with nearly the same diameter as the (outside) nail head upright in a bench vise and used this as an anvil, holding the handguard (with nail and clip in place) so the punch-anvil supported the nail head and then peened the small/inside end of the nail with another punch. If you enlist a third hand to hold handguard or operate hammer and punch, it's likely easier - but I managed with just two hands by going slow and ensuring the punch-anvil was in the right position before each tap of the hammer on the inside punch. (Drilling the hole in the clip for a close fit to the nail/rivet shank ensures it won't take much peening to hold well.) Here's a rough sketch -
KragHandguardSketch.gif
Parashooter, thanks for the information and the diagram. I think you've helped me on just about every firearm forum where I'm a member! I think it started in the Swiss forums. LOL

Warpspasm
Posts: 29
Joined: Mon Mar 01, 2021 7:17 pm

Re: Need a picture of a handguard spring clip. Attached or unattached to the handguard.

Post by Warpspasm »

butlersrangers wrote: Mon Apr 05, 2021 4:48 pm With thanks and apologies to Parashooter, this might work for clumsy guys, like me!
Is that a roll pin punch you drew?

Warpspasm
Posts: 29
Joined: Mon Mar 01, 2021 7:17 pm

Re: Need a picture of a handguard spring clip. Attached or unattached to the handguard.

Post by Warpspasm »

I'm just glad the carbine handguard only has 2 rivets total. That's 50% less chance I'll crack it.

User avatar
butlersrangers
Posts: 9823
Joined: Wed Oct 07, 2009 11:35 pm
Location: Below the Bridge, Michigan

Re: Need a picture of a handguard spring clip. Attached or unattached to the handguard.

Post by butlersrangers »

I was trying for a blunt center punch or Nail-Chaser.

Post Reply