There was a thread here earlier discussing solid rivets and various
methods of setting them.

I have been using a ball peen hammer but that method has, in my hands,
a number of limitations. Before I spent $$$ I made this vise
attachment for use with 1/8" rivets:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/2768312...7630578102032/

The results seem an improvement on hammering and there is less chance
of marking the surrounding surfaces.

Michael Koblic,
Campbell River, BC

wrote in message
...
There was a thread here earlier discussing solid rivets and various
methods of setting them.

I have been using a ball peen hammer but that method has, in my hands,
a number of limitations. Before I spent $$$ I made this vise
attachment for use with 1/8" rivets:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/2768312...7630578102032/

The results seem an improvement on hammering and there is less chance
of marking the surrounding surfaces.

Michael Koblic,
Campbell River, BC

Those rivets look like ****.

First, stop using a ballpeen hammer, use a narrow sharp cross peen to set
your rivets.
Use round face to finish.

Next get some decent rivet sets

The procedure is:
Put the rivet through the hole. place head down on the anvil
Scrub the two sheets together by lightly tapping the sheets together with a
hammer to knock down any burs that might hold the sheets apart.
Use the cross peen to flare and upset the rivet.
Rotate the blows around the rivet (make Xs with the hammer blows)
When the joint is tight and the rivet looks like a bunch of celery, use the
set to round up the top and curl the edges back until it starts to look like
an umbrella.
Then use the round face hammer to set it down tight.

Finally, don't even dream of getting a matching round head on both sides of
the rivet.
On small rivets that involves hammering down a piece of wire that extends 3
diameters past the sheet.

Paul K Dickman

The single greatest labor saving device in the world is simply, doing the
job right the first time.

On Sat, 14 Jul 2012 17:04:25 -0700, wrote:

There was a thread here earlier discussing solid rivets and various
methods of setting them.

I have been using a ball peen hammer but that method has, in my hands,
a number of limitations. Before I spent $$$ I made this vise
attachment for use with 1/8" rivets:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/2768312...7630578102032/

The results seem an improvement on hammering and there is less chance
of marking the surrounding surfaces.

Michael Koblic,
Campbell River, BC


~Usually~ the "shop head", the head that you make with your hammer, is
just a short cylindrical section. See
http://www.hansonrivet.com/w93.htm

The shop head on a 1/8" rivet, for example, is .160" (minimum) - .210"
(maximum) in diameter and .040" - .080" in height.

Cheers,
John B.

On Jul 14, 8:04*pm, wrote:

The results seem an improvement on hammering and there is less chance
of marking the surrounding surfaces.

Michael Koblic,
Campbell River, BC

Do not give up on setting rivets with hammers. I do not have a cross
pein hammer to use as Paul Dickman recommends, But do have a
selection of ball pein hammers. It helps to use a hammer that is not
too heavy ( or too light ).

Dan

On Sun, 15 Jul 2012 18:14:49 +0700, John B.
wrote:

On Sat, 14 Jul 2012 17:04:25 -0700, wrote:

There was a thread here earlier discussing solid rivets and various
methods of setting them.

I have been using a ball peen hammer but that method has, in my hands,
a number of limitations. Before I spent $$$ I made this vise
attachment for use with 1/8" rivets:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/2768312...7630578102032/

The results seem an improvement on hammering and there is less chance
of marking the surrounding surfaces.

Michael Koblic,
Campbell River, BC


~Usually~ the "shop head", the head that you make with your hammer, is
just a short cylindrical section. See
http://www.hansonrivet.com/w93.htm

The shop head on a 1/8" rivet, for example, is .160" (minimum) - .210"
(maximum) in diameter and .040" - .080" in height.


Yes, that is the theory. In practice (or *my* practice) it ends up as
a badly mangled pancake (see pics). OTOH the dimensions are pretty
much within these tolerances. It just looks like pig's breakfast and
worse, one ends up with rather sharp edges of the said pancake.

Does not happen with the press.

Michael Koblic,
Campbell River, BC

On Sun, 15 Jul 2012 05:04:28 -0700 (PDT), "
wrote:

On Jul 14, 8:04*pm, wrote:

The results seem an improvement on hammering and there is less chance
of marking the surrounding surfaces.

Michael Koblic,
Campbell River, BC

Do not give up on setting rivets with hammers. I do not have a cross
pein hammer to use as Paul Dickman recommends, But do have a
selection of ball pein hammers. It helps to use a hammer that is not
too heavy ( or too light ).

I have both. It's not the hammer...:-)

wrote in message
...
..

I have both. It's not the hammer...:-)

I went downstairs and hammered a head on a ~2mm dia aluminum Pop rivet
shank, protruding 1/4" above the vise, to see how I hold my arm. The
easiest hammer to control is a very old ball pein with a half pound
head and a handle that narrows to 5/8" x 1/2" near the head. The grip
is ~1" x 3/4". I couldn't control a newer, thicker one as well. My
auto body hammers have the same narrow resilient shank.
http://www.performancemetalshaping.n...ge/5458321.htm

I could hammer around the edge of the head wth the pick hammer, but
not as neatly.

The old one has its handle installed at a downward angle like a claw
hammer instead of straight out like the usual ball pein. At least
that's how I was taught to replace hammer handles.

jsw

Gunner Asch fired this volley in
:

Gunner, with boxes and jars of rivits and no tools to use them

Funny, that. My dad was into "inventing" in the 1950s, and decided to make
an all-aluminum golf push-pull bag cart.

He bought a very nice assortment of rivet sets, which I still have today.
They're nothing fancy, but are corrosion resistant (a few rust specks after
all these years) yet very hard, and have nicely polished setting faces.

Lloyd

On Sunday, July 15, 2012 6:32:51 PM UTC-6, Lloyd E. Sponenburgh wrote:
Gunner Asch > fired this volley in
:

> Gunner, with boxes and jars of rivits and no tools to use them

Funny, that. My dad was into "inventing" in the 1950s, and decided to make
an all-aluminum golf push-pull bag cart.

He bought a very nice assortment of rivet sets, which I still have today.
They're nothing fancy, but are corrosion resistant (a few rust specks after
all these years) yet very hard, and have nicely polished setting faces.

Lloyd

Don't know about current stocking practices, but at one time, I could go into Orchard Hardware, have my pick of any number of solid rivet types in bins and the hand tools to set them. They can still be had from the likes of Aircraft Spruce and the various surplus tool outfits to fit standard air hammers, those will make a nice domed rivet head(if that's the profile wanted, there are others). And the tooling is cheap.

Stan

wrote:
On Sunday, July 15, 2012 6:32:51 PM UTC-6, Lloyd E. Sponenburgh
wrote:
Gunner Asch > fired this volley in
:

> Gunner, with boxes and jars of rivits and no tools to use them


Funny, that. My dad was into "inventing" in the 1950s,
and decided to make an all-aluminum golf push-pull bag cart.

He bought a very nice assortment of rivet sets, which I still have
today. They're nothing fancy, but are corrosion resistant (a
few rust specks after all these years) yet very hard, and have
nicely polished setting faces.

Lloyd

Don't know about current stocking practices, but at one time, I could
go into Orchard Hardware, have my pick of any number of solid rivet
types in bins and the hand tools to set them. They can still be had
from the likes of Aircraft Spruce and the various surplus tool
outfits to fit standard air hammers, those will make a nice domed
rivet head(if that's the profile wanted, there are others). And the
tooling is cheap.

Stan


I use rivet sets for decorative stuff and when appearance counts. For
the stuff out of the forge I have different sets but still use a hammer
to do a rose head or octagonal set depending on the piece.
For those who don't do it much a rose head is SUPER easy to do.
First make 100% sure the joint is ready, Insert the rivet.
Now to form the head, upset the rivet with one blow straight down the
shank. This is the critical strike. Next is at either a 30 or 45 degree
angle (depends on which item I'm making), Next another strike directly
opposite that one. Now you do the remaining two sides the same way. When
your done the rivet should look like a 4 petal flower, with a square
center area.

The octagon is done the same but you add 4 more strikes to give a more
rounded profile.
--
Steve W.

On Mon, 16 Jul 2012 10:01:02 -0700 (PDT), wrote:

On Sunday, July 15, 2012 6:32:51 PM UTC-6, Lloyd E. Sponenburgh wrote:
Gunner Asch > fired this volley in
:

> Gunner, with boxes and jars of rivits and no tools to use them

Funny, that. My dad was into "inventing" in the 1950s, and decided to make
an all-aluminum golf push-pull bag cart.

He bought a very nice assortment of rivet sets, which I still have today.
They're nothing fancy, but are corrosion resistant (a few rust specks after
all these years) yet very hard, and have nicely polished setting faces.

Lloyd

Don't know about current stocking practices, but at one time, I could go into Orchard Hardware, have my pick of any number of solid rivet types in bins and the hand tools to set them. They can still be had from the likes of Aircraft Spruce and the various surplus tool outfits to fit standard air hammers, those will make a nice domed rivet head(if that's the profile wanted, there are others). And the tooling is cheap.


I am waiting for the Aircraft Spruce "product specialist" to come back
to work (was supposed to be today but no luck). The guy I spoke to
last week had only a vague idea about the tools.

I am thinking of getting one of their $75 squeezers if it can do a
good job with the steel 1/8" roundheads.

Sometimes it just is not possible to hammer at the rivet if they are
part of a structure that does not allow proper access. An option would
be one of the air hammers (they come in kits with bucking bars etc.)
It would enable one to use bigger rivets if one so chose in future but
I suspect that in my hands they will not be a free lunch either (by
free here I mean $200+).

Michael Koblic,
Campbell River, BC

On Mon, 16 Jul 2012 17:12:37 -0700, wrote:

SNIP
I am waiting for the Aircraft Spruce "product specialist" to come back
to work (was supposed to be today but no luck). The guy I spoke to
last week had only a vague idea about the tools.

I am thinking of getting one of their $75 squeezers if it can do a
good job with the steel 1/8" roundheads.

More SNIP
Michael Koblic,
Campbell River, BC

Hey Mike,

Be sure to question Aircraft Spruce as to whether one of their tools
can do "steel" rivets. I used their stuff to do aluminum rivets in
planes, but don't recall doing any steel that way.

Brian Lawson,
Bothwell, Ontario.

ps...Aircraft Spruce opened a branch office in Brantford, Ontario, a
few years ago. Not big enough to stock all that they offer though, at
least not when they opened.

On Tue, 17 Jul 2012 01:45:11 -0400, Brian Lawson
wrote:

On Mon, 16 Jul 2012 17:12:37 -0700, wrote:

SNIP
I am waiting for the Aircraft Spruce "product specialist" to come back
to work (was supposed to be today but no luck). The guy I spoke to
last week had only a vague idea about the tools.

I am thinking of getting one of their $75 squeezers if it can do a
good job with the steel 1/8" roundheads.

More SNIP
Michael Koblic,
Campbell River, BC

Hey Mike,

Be sure to question Aircraft Spruce as to whether one of their tools
can do "steel" rivets. I used their stuff to do aluminum rivets in
planes, but don't recall doing any steel that way.

One of the reasons to talk to the "product specialist".

Brian Lawson,
Bothwell, Ontario.

ps...Aircraft Spruce opened a branch office in Brantford, Ontario, a
few years ago. Not big enough to stock all that they offer though, at
least not when they opened.

The very branch I am trying to deal with I think.

Michael Koblic,
Campbell River, BC

On Tue, 17 Jul 2012 18:34:40 -0700, wrote:

On Tue, 17 Jul 2012 01:45:11 -0400, Brian Lawson
wrote:

[...]

Be sure to question Aircraft Spruce as to whether one of their tools
can do "steel" rivets. I used their stuff to do aluminum rivets in
planes, but don't recall doing any steel that way.

One of the reasons to talk to the "product specialist".

Brian Lawson,
Bothwell, Ontario.

ps...Aircraft Spruce opened a branch office in Brantford, Ontario, a
few years ago. Not big enough to stock all that they offer though, at
least not when they opened.

The very branch I am trying to deal with I think.


And here is the answer: "I do not know if either the squeezers or the
guns will work on steel rivets, we have no experience with them".

So, back to shopping in the States...

Michael Koblic,
Campbell River, BC

wrote in message
...
...
And here is the answer: "I do not know if either the squeezers or
the
guns will work on steel rivets, we have no experience with them".

So, back to shopping in the States...

Michael Koblic,
Campbell River, BC

Maybe chuck a grade 8 bolt in your little lathe and carve a
rivet-head-shaped recess in the end?

jsw

On Wed, 18 Jul 2012 12:17:50 -0700, wrote:

On Tue, 17 Jul 2012 18:34:40 -0700, wrote:

On Tue, 17 Jul 2012 01:45:11 -0400, Brian Lawson
wrote:

[...]

Be sure to question Aircraft Spruce as to whether one of their tools
can do "steel" rivets. I used their stuff to do aluminum rivets in
planes, but don't recall doing any steel that way.

One of the reasons to talk to the "product specialist".

Brian Lawson,
Bothwell, Ontario.

ps...Aircraft Spruce opened a branch office in Brantford, Ontario, a
few years ago. Not big enough to stock all that they offer though, at
least not when they opened.

The very branch I am trying to deal with I think.


And here is the answer: "I do not know if either the squeezers or the
guns will work on steel rivets, we have no experience with them".

So, back to shopping in the States...

Mikey, here in the States, you'll get answers like "I don't know. I've
never used a rivet thingy before."

or

"My coworker says it should work."

or

"I speak very English!" in a deeply Indian accent, followed by "I am
just a telephone answering person. I will pass this up the line to the
technical department, sir or madam. They will be in contact with you
in no more than six weeks."

or

"Sheeit, how the hell do I know?"

They just inspire confidence in the companies, don't they?


Even the great McMaster employees gave me a less than acceptable
answer regarding shipping. "I don't know. We can't see those screens
in our software. Once you order, the email regarding its shipment will
contain the price of the shipping. It's not very much, though, maybe
fifteen dollars at most." This was when I ordered the 4 adjustable
leveling feet for my CNC router table. Shipping was $4 on an $11
order, and they were heavier than I had expected.

--
Win first, Fight later.

--martial principle of the Samurai

On Wed, 18 Jul 2012 19:41:29 -0700, Larry Jaques
wrote:

On Wed, 18 Jul 2012 12:17:50 -0700, wrote:

On Tue, 17 Jul 2012 18:34:40 -0700, wrote:

On Tue, 17 Jul 2012 01:45:11 -0400, Brian Lawson
wrote:

[...]

Be sure to question Aircraft Spruce as to whether one of their tools
can do "steel" rivets. I used their stuff to do aluminum rivets in
planes, but don't recall doing any steel that way.

One of the reasons to talk to the "product specialist".

Brian Lawson,
Bothwell, Ontario.

ps...Aircraft Spruce opened a branch office in Brantford, Ontario, a
few years ago. Not big enough to stock all that they offer though, at
least not when they opened.

The very branch I am trying to deal with I think.


And here is the answer: "I do not know if either the squeezers or the
guns will work on steel rivets, we have no experience with them".

So, back to shopping in the States...

Mikey, here in the States, you'll get answers like "I don't know. I've
never used a rivet thingy before."

or

"My coworker says it should work."

or

"I speak very English!" in a deeply Indian accent, followed by "I am
just a telephone answering person. I will pass this up the line to the
technical department, sir or madam. They will be in contact with you
in no more than six weeks."

or

"Sheeit, how the hell do I know?"

They just inspire confidence in the companies, don't they?


Even the great McMaster employees gave me a less than acceptable
answer regarding shipping. "I don't know. We can't see those screens
in our software. Once you order, the email regarding its shipment will
contain the price of the shipping. It's not very much, though, maybe
fifteen dollars at most." This was when I ordered the 4 adjustable
leveling feet for my CNC router table. Shipping was $4 on an $11
order, and they were heavier than I had expected.

To be fair, I contacted a US branch of the same company and received
one of the response versions you have listed.

BTW I, too, hate it when the company is unable to tell you the
shipping costs before you place the order. Here the shipping costs are
often the deciding factor.

OTOH there are some companies in the States (e.g Rio Grande) who
worked out that you can ship small items without charging 4 times the
cost of the item in shipping (I was once asked to pay $21 shipping for
a $5 packet of epee tip screws).

Michael Koblic,
Campbell River, BC

On Wed, 18 Jul 2012 17:31:05 -0400, "Jim Wilkins"
wrote:


wrote in message
.. .
...
And here is the answer: "I do not know if either the squeezers or
the
guns will work on steel rivets, we have no experience with them".

So, back to shopping in the States...

Michael Koblic,
Campbell River, BC

Maybe chuck a grade 8 bolt in your little lathe and carve a
rivet-head-shaped recess in the end?

Right, but what do I do with it then? Turn the shank to 0.401" and
stick it in a cheap air hammer? Would that work?

wrote:
On Wed, 18 Jul 2012 17:31:05 -0400, "Jim Wilkins"
wrote:

wrote in message
...
...
And here is the answer: "I do not know if either the squeezers or
the
guns will work on steel rivets, we have no experience with them".

So, back to shopping in the States...

Michael Koblic,
Campbell River, BC
Maybe chuck a grade 8 bolt in your little lathe and carve a
rivet-head-shaped recess in the end?

Right, but what do I do with it then? Turn the shank to 0.401" and
stick it in a cheap air hammer? Would that work?

Want to save time? Hit the local cheap tool place and buy a handful of
the longest shank air
hammer bits they have. Take them home, chuck them in the lathe and cut
the tool tip section off the shank. Now grind/turn the cut end into a
rivet heading tool. Turn the outer diameter down so you have a thin lip
around the set. This is so you don't mar the workpiece if you use a
shorter rivet or hit off axis.

Take a look at this one to see what I mean.
http://www.harborfreight.com/3x-air-...set-97857.html

--
Steve W.

On Thu, 19 Jul 2012 02:45:29 -0400, "Steve W."
wrote:

wrote:
On Wed, 18 Jul 2012 17:31:05 -0400, "Jim Wilkins"
wrote:

wrote in message
...
...
And here is the answer: "I do not know if either the squeezers or
the
guns will work on steel rivets, we have no experience with them".

So, back to shopping in the States...

Michael Koblic,
Campbell River, BC
Maybe chuck a grade 8 bolt in your little lathe and carve a
rivet-head-shaped recess in the end?

Right, but what do I do with it then? Turn the shank to 0.401" and
stick it in a cheap air hammer? Would that work?

Want to save time? Hit the local cheap tool place and buy a handful of
the longest shank air
hammer bits they have. Take them home, chuck them in the lathe and cut
the tool tip section off the shank. Now grind/turn the cut end into a
rivet heading tool. Turn the outer diameter down so you have a thin lip
around the set. This is so you don't mar the workpiece if you use a
shorter rivet or hit off axis.

Take a look at this one to see what I mean.
http://www.harborfreight.com/3x-air-...set-97857.html

Right. But I still need to get an air gun of some sort. This is where
I am running into problems. E.g. the 3x gun in the link is probably
too weak to set 1/8" steel rivets (or so I am told).

Michael Koblic,
Campbell River, BC

wrote in message
...
On Thu, 19 Jul 2012 02:45:29 -0400, "Steve W."
wrote:

wrote:
On Wed, 18 Jul 2012 17:31:05 -0400, "Jim Wilkins"
wrote:

wrote in message
...
...
And here is the answer: "I do not know if either the squeezers
or
the
guns will work on steel rivets, we have no experience with
them".

So, back to shopping in the States...

Michael Koblic,
Campbell River, BC
Maybe chuck a grade 8 bolt in your little lathe and carve a
rivet-head-shaped recess in the end?

Right, but what do I do with it then? Turn the shank to 0.401" and
stick it in a cheap air hammer? Would that work?

Want to save time? Hit the local cheap tool place and buy a handful
of
the longest shank air
hammer bits they have. Take them home, chuck them in the lathe and
cut
the tool tip section off the shank. Now grind/turn the cut end into
a
rivet heading tool. Turn the outer diameter down so you have a thin
lip
around the set. This is so you don't mar the workpiece if you use a
shorter rivet or hit off axis.

Take a look at this one to see what I mean.
http://www.harborfreight.com/3x-air-...set-97857.html

Right. But I still need to get an air gun of some sort. This is
where
I am running into problems. E.g. the 3x gun in the link is probably
too weak to set 1/8" steel rivets (or so I am told).

Michael Koblic,
Campbell River, BC

Okay, in the last 10 minutes I went downstairs and turned the concave
recess in a 1/4" bolt, stuck it through pipe strapping for a handle,
and pounded a round head on a 1/8" steel rivet with it. The 1/2 Lb
hammer wasn't quite enough, the 1-1/2 Lb one was plenty.

jsw

On Thu, 19 Jul 2012 15:00:42 -0700, wrote:

On Thu, 19 Jul 2012 02:45:29 -0400, "Steve W."
wrote:

wrote:
On Wed, 18 Jul 2012 17:31:05 -0400, "Jim Wilkins"
wrote:

wrote in message
...
...
And here is the answer: "I do not know if either the squeezers or
the
guns will work on steel rivets, we have no experience with them".

So, back to shopping in the States...

Michael Koblic,
Campbell River, BC
Maybe chuck a grade 8 bolt in your little lathe and carve a
rivet-head-shaped recess in the end?

Right, but what do I do with it then? Turn the shank to 0.401" and
stick it in a cheap air hammer? Would that work?

Want to save time? Hit the local cheap tool place and buy a handful of
the longest shank air
hammer bits they have. Take them home, chuck them in the lathe and cut
the tool tip section off the shank. Now grind/turn the cut end into a
rivet heading tool. Turn the outer diameter down so you have a thin lip
around the set. This is so you don't mar the workpiece if you use a
shorter rivet or hit off axis.

Take a look at this one to see what I mean.
http://www.harborfreight.com/3x-air-...set-97857.html

Right. But I still need to get an air gun of some sort. This is where
I am running into problems. E.g. the 3x gun in the link is probably
too weak to set 1/8" steel rivets (or so I am told).

I've never seen those, so I don't have any info on them. They have
another air hammer which has a longer nose and I'm sure would work on
simple 1/8" steel rivets. I picked up their cheaper set which would
probably work, but I haven't tried installing things with it. It's a
demo tool. One of the kits would provide enough chisels to modify for
your riveting needs. Plus, they have a standard .401 shank, so you
can buy them anywhere.

http://www.harborfreight.com/super-d...els-47868.html
longer nose, probably stronger.

My kit, very weak (compared to my Chicago Pneumatic big boy), but
-probably- strong enough for your needs.
http://www.harborfreight.com/air-imp...kit-92037.html

--
Win first, Fight later.

--martial principle of the Samurai

On Thu, 19 Jul 2012 16:45:00 -0700, Larry Jaques
wrote:

[...]

Take a look at this one to see what I mean.
http://www.harborfreight.com/3x-air-...set-97857.html

Right. But I still need to get an air gun of some sort. This is where
I am running into problems. E.g. the 3x gun in the link is probably
too weak to set 1/8" steel rivets (or so I am told).

I've never seen those, so I don't have any info on them. They have
another air hammer which has a longer nose and I'm sure would work on
simple 1/8" steel rivets. I picked up their cheaper set which would
probably work, but I haven't tried installing things with it. It's a
demo tool. One of the kits would provide enough chisels to modify for
your riveting needs. Plus, they have a standard .401 shank, so you
can buy them anywhere.

http://www.harborfreight.com/super-d...els-47868.html
longer nose, probably stronger.

My kit, very weak (compared to my Chicago Pneumatic big boy), but
-probably- strong enough for your needs.
http://www.harborfreight.com/air-imp...kit-92037.html

Right. The big question is (and I think I posted this question before)
can you use Air *hammers* in lieu of air *riveting guns*. E.g. my
local shop will sell me an air hammer for $70 (which is OK) but want
$260 for an air riveting gun. The main difference as far as I can tell
is that the riveting gun has a slow start. How important is that? Is
it worth the additional $190?

I am going to go to Canadian Tire and see if I can get one of their
air hammers. They have a very good return policy, so if it does not
work out...

BTW the 0.401" sets are ubiquitous and form some sources quite cheap
($8.50 from the infamous Aircraft Spruce - surely they will be OK for
steel rivets?)

Michael Koblic,
Campbell River, BC

On Thu, 19 Jul 2012 18:44:51 -0400, "Jim Wilkins"
wrote:

[...]

Okay, in the last 10 minutes I went downstairs and turned the concave
recess in a 1/4" bolt, stuck it through pipe strapping for a handle,
and pounded a round head on a 1/8" steel rivet with it. The 1/2 Lb
hammer wasn't quite enough, the 1-1/2 Lb one was plenty.


I believe you. But the purpose of looking for alternatives to
hammering rivets is so that they can be set "in situ" as opposed to
moving the whole piece to an anvil.

Michael Koblic,
Campbell River, BC

The air chisels also hit much faster than a rivet hammer, causing
premature work hardening in some rivet materials. A "4X" riveter will
work fine on 1/8 steel rivets, the hand-powered squeezer will NOT. How
many rivets do you need to drive?

Bob

On Thu, 19 Jul 2012 22:20:34 -0700, wrote:

On Thu, 19 Jul 2012 16:45:00 -0700, Larry Jaques
wrote:

[...]

Take a look at this one to see what I mean.
http://www.harborfreight.com/3x-air-...set-97857.html

Right. But I still need to get an air gun of some sort. This is where
I am running into problems. E.g. the 3x gun in the link is probably
too weak to set 1/8" steel rivets (or so I am told).

I've never seen those, so I don't have any info on them. They have
another air hammer which has a longer nose and I'm sure would work on
simple 1/8" steel rivets. I picked up their cheaper set which would
probably work, but I haven't tried installing things with it. It's a
demo tool. One of the kits would provide enough chisels to modify for
your riveting needs. Plus, they have a standard .401 shank, so you
can buy them anywhere.

http://www.harborfreight.com/super-d...els-47868.html
longer nose, probably stronger.

My kit, very weak (compared to my Chicago Pneumatic big boy), but
-probably- strong enough for your needs.
http://www.harborfreight.com/air-imp...kit-92037.html

Right. The big question is (and I think I posted this question before)
can you use Air *hammers* in lieu of air *riveting guns*. E.g. my
local shop will sell me an air hammer for $70 (which is OK) but want
$260 for an air riveting gun. The main difference as far as I can tell
is that the riveting gun has a slow start. How important is that? Is
it worth the additional $190?

One can feather the trigger on an air hammer, too, so I really see no
difference worth mentioning (though I'm no riveting expert, by any
means.)


I am going to go to Canadian Tire and see if I can get one of their
air hammers. They have a very good return policy, so if it does not
work out...

BTW the 0.401" sets are ubiquitous and form some sources quite cheap
($8.50 from the infamous Aircraft Spruce - surely they will be OK for
steel rivets?)

Michael Koblic,
Campbell River, BC

--
Win first, Fight later.

--martial principle of the Samurai

On Thu, 19 Jul 2012 22:29:27 -0700, Bob wrote:

The air chisels also hit much faster than a rivet hammer, causing
premature work hardening in some rivet materials. A "4X" riveter will
work fine on 1/8 steel rivets, the hand-powered squeezer will NOT. How
many rivets do you need to drive?

Thank you. That is useful, I can now look at the blow rate of the
proposed purchases :-)

I talked to a vendor today who is supposed to be sending me details of
a "powerful" air rivet gun for under $100.

I doubt that I shall be driving large numbers of rivets. I would not
be even considering this solution if it was not for the rivet
location.

Another issue that was raised today was the air supply. The CFM given
for the guns on various sites is anywhere between 3 and 8. I was told
of a gun today that was rated at 3 CFM but *15* CFM "under load",
whatever that means (surely the gun is either under load or not
working - why would there be two figures?). As the number of rivets is
not likely to be large and the riveting action takes place in short
bursts I was thinking my wimpy little compressor should cope, but now
I am not so sure. Then there is the question of the hose size...

Michael Koblic,
Campbell River, BC

On Fri, 20 Jul 2012 20:18:30 -0700, wrote:

On Thu, 19 Jul 2012 22:29:27 -0700, Bob wrote:

The air chisels also hit much faster than a rivet hammer, causing
premature work hardening in some rivet materials. A "4X" riveter will
work fine on 1/8 steel rivets, the hand-powered squeezer will NOT. How
many rivets do you need to drive?

Thank you. That is useful, I can now look at the blow rate of the
proposed purchases :-)

I talked to a vendor today who is supposed to be sending me details of
a "powerful" air rivet gun for under $100.

I doubt that I shall be driving large numbers of rivets. I would not
be even considering this solution if it was not for the rivet
location.

Another issue that was raised today was the air supply. The CFM given
for the guns on various sites is anywhere between 3 and 8. I was told
of a gun today that was rated at 3 CFM but *15* CFM "under load",
whatever that means (surely the gun is either under load or not
working - why would there be two figures?). As the number of rivets is

When I use my big CP gun to break apart a really solid front end or
steering gear, I use tons of air in a very short time, with the
throttle held WFO. Working on teensly li'l 1/8" rivets, I doubt
you'll have to worry about that, Mikey.


not likely to be large and the riveting action takes place in short
bursts I was thinking my wimpy little compressor should cope, but now
I am not so sure. Then there is the question of the hose size...

If you're setting two rivets, waiting a minute to assemble another
gizmo, then setting two more, it's likely that any regular hose and
2+HP compressor will handle the job for you.

If you're assembling ten whizbang units with 18 rivets apiece and then
riveting all of them consecutively, get a 5hp compressor and large
lines. Ditto if you have multiple assemblers working concurrently.

--
Win first, Fight later.

--martial principle of the Samurai

Another source for riveters in yardstore.com. They carry used as well
as new, including my personal favorite, Cleco 5x ;-)