Making a slip patch in a handguard

[Kiwi]

Was there a specific armourers tool/hand saw for creating slip patches in handguards for the SMLE, No.4, No.5 etc? They all seem to be a uniform width from the examples I've seen so far. I'm guessing that it was a single saw cut to create the gap for the patch to be glued in rather than two cuts and a fine chisel to remove material between the cuts.

I have a selection of No.4 front handguards I purchased to get to grips with slip patches that have up to 5 slip patches installed each one and am marveling at the workmanship. I need to do some repairs to some SMLE handguards soon and want to get a repair as close to original as possible.

Information

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[WarPig1976]

I always thought a wood biscuit cutter was used with a jig of some sort. Be interesting to find out the facts though...

[Peter Laidler]

So far as I was concerned, having done a few, I used to cut with a tenon saw to depth and width and then use a metal file to finish to the thickness/depth that I required, say 1/8" or 4mm or so wide. No more than 3 slip patches were allowed (obviously more during apprenticeship of course to avoid waste etc etc) and never allow one patch to be close to or run into another. I have to say that I get a kick out of seeing real dovetailed/undercut and pegged patches put in by real Armourers in the 40's 50's and 60's (and even before.....) and still going strong.

[Kiwi]

Here are a few photos of some slip patches to no.4 front hand guards that i have, along with a repaired front SMLE hand guard to show off some armourers skills.

[Peter Laidler]

Great to see. I'd have thopught that in photo 1 and 2 it'd have been as easy to just put new legs into the SMLE top handguard. Mind you, the post '55 EMER just says cut them off so......... I did a couple of those SMLE ears a year or so ago on an otherwise new/perfect handguard just to show how they could be done successfully.

[Kiwi]

Great to see. I'd have thopught that in photo 1 and 2 it'd have been as easy to just put new legs into the SMLE top handguard. Mind you, the post '55 EMER just says cut them off so......... I did a couple of those SMLE ears a year or so ago on an otherwise new/perfect handguard just to show how they could be done successfully.

Thought you'd like them. I have five smle front hand guards that are each only missing only one 'ear'. Going to try and put ears back on them in a similar way to that repair as it seems a shame to remove the perfectly good ear on the other side.

[Peter Laidler]

The ear patch was a bit finnicky but from memory (unless you have one done differently there Kiwi) the new 'leg' after completion was stepped. It was the correct width for the length of the leg and they went forwards onto a slimmed down section of the old handguard. At this point the new leg was slimmed down and glued in place so that in effect there was a 1.5" or so of overlap and therefore loads of mating surface for both the new leg and old handguard to adhere to. When cleaned up, the two slimmed down areas/widths made up the standard full width.

The only drawing/sketch I saw of this was in an old BAOR Armourers training precis

Not very descriptive sorry.......... DRP have you got an old one I can do to illustrate with? There must be hundreds of old warped or broken ones out there needing a bit of TLC and fixing.

[louthepou]

Here's the first time I did this type of work (after lots of super appreciated advices from Peter Laidler!) (Don't know why you've been so patient with me over the years, Peter )

I've fixed a few more over the years.

[WarPig1976]

Great pics Lou, gives guys a visual of the process.