Morris stem band installation

[JClearwater]

For those who have never done it before – like me before I started ‘Endeavor’ – I thought I would detail how I installed the riveted stem bands on our Morris. Morris installed the brass stem bands with rivets that run completely through the stems unlike other builders who simply used brass screws. Why Bert and Charlie Morris did it that way I’m not so sure but here we are 100 years later wondering what to do now. If our intention is to do a faithful restoration then we need to use rivets also. Bear with me as I try to explain what I did. Others I’m sure have done it differently and maybe there is a better way but this is how I did it.

I wanted to use the same holes through the stems that held the original rivets. When the canoe was first built I presume the holes through the stem band and the stem were drilled at the same time which would have made it easier. The rivets were brass with a dome head, brass washer underneath. The stem band had a slight chamfer on the hole and the rivet peened over and filed smooth. As Mark G. and Steve L. pointed out to me it’s very difficult to do this without a second person. First I bent the top of the stem band where it attaches to the deck, drilled and screwed it into place. I then slowly bent the band down the stem. I used a long drill bit about a foot long to drill, from the inside of the canoe, through the existing hole, through the canvas to the back of the band. I could then mark the band and drill through it from the outside nicely aligned with the hole in the stem. I added bedding compound under the band and used #4 machine screws and nuts to temporarily hold the band in place as I proceeded to the next hole. I repeated the process until it was inplace. I then took out one bolt at a time and replaced it with the rivet. I got copper rivets from Mark and brass escutcheon pins from Steve. In some locations the brass ones were too short so I used the copper ones from Mark. I used a steel rod about 16” long with a dimple drilled in the end to buck the rivet head while I peened the outside. The brass rivets had to be annealed first to soften them. I could peen some by myself but most I needed Jean to assist me. The chamfer on the stem band hole does not need to be very deep. Not near as much as if you were using screws. The peened heads were filed and sanded smooth. I then declared Victory and was done. I thought I had taken a couple pictures but I guess not.

Good luck with your Morris.

Jim

 

[Dave Osborn]

I screw em.

 

[Gil Cramer]

Morris stems were cedar, which doesn't hold wood screws well. They are a pain!!I Having installed more than I would like to remember, the technique used was as follows:
Prebend the stem bands as close to the shape of the stem as possible
Using copper nails with copper washers on the heads
Starting at the deck. drill through the stem band and deck a hole slightly larger than the nail
from inside the canoe, push the nail through, cut it off, and peen it into the stem band using an auto body iron for backing.
Starting from the top of the stem, Use the existing hole in the stem to drill through the stem band from the inside of the canoe. push the washered nail through from the inside, pull tight, cut off. peen over
repeat until finished.
Most of the time I did this alone, unless it was a long decked canoe, at which time my wife would help. (that would cost a new dress)
The last Morris I did, I used machine screws with the nuts on the inside- much easier.

 

[MGC]

This is a very interesting way to deal with the Morris stems, correctly. And, as noted, they truly are a pain.
A correct annealed brass rivet has been available from Vintage Canoeworks for a number of years. They are very pricey, but if the goal is period correct repair, they are as close to the real deal as you will find.
Many opt to plug the Morris holes and use screws. Machine screws are another method.
I suppose that Morris was trying to think his way through stem rot when he chose cedar as his stem material. It would be interesting to know the thought process. One hundred fifteen years later, it does not seem like the right choice was made. For a splayed stem, Rhinelander's use of hardwood makes far more sense.
As I write this, it dawns on me that Osage orange might have been a better choice for Morris as well as other builders. Had Rushton used Osage instead of elm, maybe we would never have to deal with split and twisted Indian Girl stems?

 

[Mark Giovannetti]

Here's my version of the two person approach. It's all pretty much the same as above except one person gets underneath the canoe with a long metal bar ( or whatever works) that covers the head of the copper nail. Apply as much pressure as you can while your partner clips the nail and peens it. The bar bounces off frequently so you have to call time out to reset. Of course time outs are needed anyway because of the crazy positions you have to get in to fit up there while putting all your pressure on your knees and fighting off cramps plus your shoulders will need a rest after absorbing the shock waves from the peening. Communication with your partner is vital. After two hours you should have one stem band done so you know how much longer you have to go until you're done. Well, there's the week of chiropractor visits but that may just be my problem. This is how I did it with Jack McGreivey and Andy and I continue doing it this way today. Of course Jack always made me a gimlet when we got done.
That being said, in my opinion it's all worth it to have a Morris stem band riveted. It just isn't right to have it any other way.

 

[MGC]

in my opinion it's all worth it to have a Morris stem band riveted. It just isn't right to have it any other way.

Exactly. This is one of those details that matter if you are trying to do the job correctly.