Arc Barb-Spout on Gravity

[DrTimPerkins]

It seemed to me the tap (arc-barb) would be seated and the last barb would be outside the taphole. Any others have the same observation?

When you say "last barb", do you mean the barb closest to the tip of the spout INSIDE the tree or the closest to the hammer end.

If you mean the large "last barb" on the hammer end of the spout, that is purposefully made oversized to prevent producers from overdriving them. If you can manage to drive that barb into the tree, put down your sledgehammer.

The new chamfered bit that is being made by MVM is designed to help producers seat the spouts to the proper depth.

[ebliese]

Oh, that's a good point-which "last barb." It would be the barb closest to the hammer end of the spout. Glad to know I was not overdriving. But if John Henry were to tap maples....

[johnallin]

When you say "last barb", do you mean the barb closest to the tip of the spout INSIDE the tree or the closest to the hammer end.

If you mean the large "last barb" on the hammer end of the spout, that is purposefully made oversized to prevent producers from overdriving them. If you can manage to drive that barb into the tree, put down your sledgehammer.

The new chamfered bit that is being made by MVM is designed to help producers seat the spouts to the proper depth.

I picked up a CDL tapping hammer this year - 9” aluminum handle, 1 3/4” dia black resin head with a blade at the back for clearing bark. It’s perfectly sized and weighted.

Handle length and balance is a plus as you can only hit so hard.
Took 18 years to finally buy one - the new arch spouts where the driving factor - but what a difference.
Would post a picture, but we can’t do that anymore.

[mainebackswoodssyrup]

I also bought one of those last year John. Great for those big maples and chipping bark away. Nice tool

[SeanD]

I'm also trying out the arc/barb spouts this year in a section with about 150ish out there. I'm buying into the concept and the science, but I too struggled with the tapping. They just never felt or sounded right going in. It had a dead thunk with every hit from first to last. I would look at it and try to give it a twist to see how well it was in. Definitely took longer that way and I never felt confident I was getting it right.

The hardest part for me was the first few hits. I found myself really gripping the hammer and putting way more force than usual on the first hits with my aluminum/plastic hammer. I didn't like the way that felt, so I went back to my old fiberglass/nailing hammer. Very light hits with that felt better than the tapping hammer - still not great, though. The spouts did have an easier time going in when the wood was a bit thawed. Most of my taps were frozen, though.

Now that they are seated, they seem to be a good fit and I haven't found leaks at the taps. I have to admit that when I went back to my CVs and the plastic hammer, it felt easy and effortless. Those were fast and enjoyable to put in.

Production is TBD, so I'll reassess at the end of the season.