11 



buckle end in right hand, and free end in left. Pass free end around 

 left side of strap and through loop near bucMe, rough sifle of free end 

 bearing against smooth side of buckle end. The remainder of the 

 operation is the same as for right stirrup strap. 



Wlien assembled, the buckle Ues on inside of strap, the opening of 

 hood is to the rear, and the strap hes flat against the shin. 



A pair of stirrups consists of — 



2 stirrup staves with rivets. 

 2 stirrup spreaders. 

 4 crescentric washers, with rivets. 

 2 stirrup hoods. 



Staves. — To be made from selected white oak (rough size, 5 by 24 

 inches); they may be either sawed or spHt; if sawed, they must be 

 f inch thick and sawed parallel to the grain of the wood ; if split, they 

 must be | inch thick. They must be of tough, live wood, of best 

 quality, entirely free from knots and all defects, and after steaming 

 must be capable of being quickly bent around a curve to form them 

 into stirrups without developing sphts, cracks, breaks, or checks. 



Staves are cut to size, planed, gained for riser, and steamed, before 

 bending. After bending they are thoroughly kiln-dried and then prop- 

 erly shaped. 



The spreaders, made from clear ash, are placed between the upper 

 ends of the bent staves for attaching the stirrup strap. Each is 

 secured by one 2f by ,\ inch iron rivet and bur, and one 3 by j\ inch 

 iron rivet, which also passes through the middle of the crescentric 

 washers. 



The crescentric washers are made of decarbonized sheet steel 0.05 

 inch thick, each being secured to stirrup with one 3 by i\ inch iron 

 rivet and bur passing through stave and spreader, and with two 

 f-inch No. 10 iron rivets passing through stave only. 



The crescentric washers prevent the stave from splitting through 

 the plane of the spreader rivets, and the wings by extending down 

 over the section of greatest curvature, strengthen the stave where it 

 is most Hkely to break. Due to the tendency to straighten after bend- 

 ing, stirrups vary in curvature, and the washer is given its particular 

 form so it can be more easily adjusted and fitted to the stirrup than 

 if oval or triangular in'shape. "" 



Stirrup hoods, made of russet harness leather with letters "U. S?"' 

 stamped in an oval on center of front, are riveted to stirrup ^\^th four 

 f-inch and two f-inch tubular iron rivets, brown japan finish. They 

 are made of two thicknesses of leather sewed around the edge. 

 The bottom of the hood projects f inch below the plane]_of underside 

 of stirrup. 



