Copper saddle rivets

[Artificer]

I've heard these called "harness rivets," but dealers usually stock them as "rivets and burrs." I had always assumed that "burr" was just an old timey name for a washer, but I looked it up, and there's a difference. Here's what I found"

"Burrs have tighter inside diameters than typical washers to fit tightly on rivets of different sizes. Burrs are positioned over the rivet shank. Use a hammer on the end of the rivet to secure the burr in place. This tight fit helps to keep the rivet from pulling out of the burr when assembled."

My dad showed me how to use these many years ago, and after my wife and I got horses of our own, I had the opportunity to use a good many of them for repairing tack. Horses can be very destructive. I have a complete set of issue US Navy rivet setting tools, but really, all you need is a short piece of half inch hardwood dowel, some nippers, a light hammer, and a flat anvil of some sort. Bore a hole in the end of the dowel just big enough for the rivet shank. Punch holes in your leather, push the rivet through from the back, set the burr on the shank, lay the workpiece rivet head side down on the anvil, then place the dowel with the hole in it over the shank and burr, and use the hammer to tap the burr down tight against the leather. Cut the rivet shank off with the nippers. Cut it pretty close... 1/16" is plenty. Tap the cut end of the shank to spread it. You can use a ball-peen hammer to try to make the cut end dome-shaped, but it is easier and looks better just to flatten the end slightly, just enough to spread it so the rivet won't pull out, and to flatten the cut end so it looks neat. Tap, tap, tap... Multiple light taps work better than a few forceful hits. The cut end of the rivet shank, after peening, will be slightly proud of the burr. Don't try to hammer it flush. The devil himself couldn't pull one of these apart if you do it right.

Best regards,

Notchy Bob

Around the 1840's, they used burr's to secure Cap Box and Cartridge Box Finials. Repro's are shown in the pic below.

When I began making repro Cap and Cartridge Boxes in the early 1980's, no repro's were available. However, "dug" ones were fairly easy to find for sale and weren't too expensive. So I did a number of things to repair the posts on originals and use them again. Fortunately, the big box hardware stores had brass washers that fit as closely on the posts as the original burrs.

Gus

 

[Red Owl]

The lead rivets. I took a twig and pushed it into the ground 15 times. Filled each hole with lead while running ball.

 

[French Colonial]

So, we now know rivets were used on frogs found at Fort Loudoun, what I am interested in specifically is their use on belts.
Townsends and others sell belts to reenact the colonial period but is there documentation of their use on belts.

It would make sense that if they used them on frogs they would use them on other leather pieces....just curious

 

[leonard5054]

Try ACE Hardware.

 

[Artificer]

So, we now know rivets were used on frogs found at Fort Loudoun, what I am interested in specifically is their use on belts.
Townsends and others sell belts to reenact the colonial period but is there documentation of their use on belts.

It would make sense that if they used them on frogs they would use them on other leather pieces....just curious

Many waist belts are pictured in original paintings and drawings, but no rivets and burrs that I can remember. Actually, there was no reason to go to the expense of them for a waist belt, as hand stitched ends were vastly more than adequate.

Also and this is speculation on my part, rivets and burs on a waist belt would have looked completely out of place to them and not at all desirable.

Gus

 

[Capt. Jas.]

Rivets were seen on some belts from the 18th century but they were hailing back to the medieval period and were used with the metal attachment plates as seen here.