Riveting is a dependable and long-lasting option for joining plastic or metal sheets. Not to mention, it is also less expensive and complicated than you probably anticipate.
You’ll need a reliable rivet gun, rivets, and two pieces of material that need joining in order to use a pop rivet gun. Pop riveting also needs pre-existing holes for the rivet to pass through.
Before discussing the various types of pop rivets, let’s first discuss joining materials with a rivet gun.
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What is a Rivet Gun?
Any blind rivet with a shank and mandrel head is now referred to as a “pop rivet,” and pop rivets are frequently used to join two materials instead of nails, bolts, and screws. Pop rivets are applied with a pop rivet gun.
The rivet gun is nothing more than a pair of handles joined to a set of ratchets or wheels. Squeezing these ratchets together turns a crank that pulls the rivet pin into the rivet gun. An aluminum or other flexible material is used for the thick head of a rivet, which is a long pin that resembles a nail.
The pin enters the rivet gun when you tighten the rivet gun’s handles together, which produces torque. Following that, the gun is flattened by the rivet’s head pressing against it. Then, at a purposefully placed weak point, the rivet pin will snap, leaving only the flattened head behind. The materials with fresh rivets are held together by the flattened head.
How to Use a Rivet Gun?
1. Prepare Your Materials
When joining something, holes must be drilled where the rivet gun will go. Your rivets should fit snugly into these holes, which should also be the right size.
A typical 1/8-inch rivet will be used in the majority of home projects. The larger 5/32- or 3/16-inch rivets may be more suitable for outdoor projects. Each has a tubular body and a setting mandrel that pulls out.
2. Prepare Your Gun
For information on the different types of rivets, see the end section of this article. Fit your rivet gun with the appropriate size nozzle or head.
A wrench for removing and replacing the nozzles is included with your gun. It tightens and removes them using the conventional clockwise and counterclockwise movements, respectively. To avoid overtightening or stripping the threads, we advise finger tightening.
3. Load Your Rivet Gun
Place your rivet inside the nozzle. The long end is inserted first. You can tell if a rivet is loaded when the rivet gun’s nozzle has the fatter end of the rivet sticking out. To join your materials together, you will insert that shorter end through the holes in your materials.
4. Double Check Your Materials
Make sure your materials are placed correctly. Align the holes correctly, and turn the surface so that you are working with the outside facing you.
5. Place the Short End of the Rivet through the First Rivet Hole
Push the rivet’s short, protruding end through the first hole after positioning your materials properly. Ensure that you are applying consistent downward pressure and that the gun is 90 degrees perpendicular to the materials. As soon as it is, start squeezing the gun while holding the tool’s top steady with your thumb.
6. Ratchet Or Squeeze
The metal setting mandrel will start to pass through the body as you squeeze the rivet, which will then do the same. That creates the rivet needed to securely join the materials. Once the rivet is in place, it will snap off as the sheets are joined tightly. The pin is now useless and should be discarded.
7. Drill Out Or Remove Mistakes
There is no such thing as a perfect person, tool, or rivet maker. If something goes wrong, whether due to operator error or a failed rivet, you’ll need to use a rivet removal tool to drill out the problematic rivet and replace it. Although it’s possible that you’ll never need to know this, the majority of people do.
How to Use a Pneumatic Rivet Gun?
1. Select Your Gun
A 3X, or slow-hitting, pneumatic rivet gun is the best option for beginners to start with. Medium solid rivets work the best for it. These are simpler to use than heavy-duty riveters, which aren’t the best options for novices.
“Slow hitting,” in this case, means the gun will pound at about 2,500 blows per minute, and do so with more force. The best pneumatic gun to use when using light rivets is one that hits quickly and delivers 2,500–5,000 blows per minute while striking lighter materials.
A one-shot gun might be the best choice for iron and aluminum alloy rivets. These guns only hammer once per rivet, which is better for hard metals like iron or brittle alloys that may crack with repeated blows.
2. Set Air Pressure, Match Cup Set, and Prepare Bucking Bar
For your rivets, adjust the air pressure to the level recommended by the manufacturer.
A two-part cup set that is included with pneumatic guns must match the size of your rivets. Holding the rivet at a 90-degree angle to your materials, slide it into the nozzle.
Place your rivet gun against the rivet’s head and your bucking bar against the long side without a head.
3. Rivet
Pull the trigger until the rivet is firmly set in place by pressing your rivet gun firmly against one side and the bucking bar against the other.
Types of Rivets
Solid and Semi-Tubular Rivets
Although less adaptable than pop rivets, these rivets still have a few uses and can withstand shear loads. In contrast to compression forces, which pull both parts of your construction together, shear forces push one piece of it in one direction and another in the other.
Among solid rivets, semi-tubular rivets are one. On the other hand, the shaft’s end opposite the head has a hole in it. That hole means less force is needed to “mushroom” the rivet’s shaft end to join your materials.
When used for heavy-duty tasks, such as structural joints, solid rivets typically need a predrilled hole.
Self-Piercing Rivets
These rivets don’t need a hole to be already drilled. To apply and access the material on both sides, they do need a pneumatic tool.
Drive Rivets
These require a hammer to install and are only partially self-piercing. For the construction of wood panels, they work well.
Flush Rivets
These are countersunk and typically use specialized tools to maintain a smooth, aerodynamic surface, such as for the construction of airplanes.
Oscar and Friction Lock Rivets
These rivets, which are also referred to as tri-fold rivets, have three splits in the shaft’s sides. Those splits cause the “backside” of the rivet to spread farther and cover more surface area for a secure hold in softer materials. Plastics work well with these.
When the pressure is just right, friction lock rivets behave similarly to expanding bolts, but the shaft separates.
Blind Pop Rivets
Because you can use blind pop rivets even if you can only access one side of the material you are joining, they are the most adaptable.
The phrase “pop-rivet” may seem to describe the action when you hear it. However, “POP” was the original brand name of blind rivets as we know them today. That business was bought by Stanley Tools, which now sells POP rivets.
Blind rivets were introduced as a brand-new method of joining materials without requiring access to both sides in 1916 by Royal Navy Reservist Hamilton Neil Wylie. By 1928, Geo and many other similar concepts had been developed by numerous other businesses and producers. The original aluminum POP rivet, which is still in use today, was produced by Tucker Co.
People can use blind rivet guns for many different purposes, including construction and crafting. All that’s left to do is figure out how to use your rivet gun and how to pick the right rivets for it. You’re on the right track to achieving professional outcomes.
How to Choose Rivets?
For projects involving joints that are not structural, you should use blind rivets. Raised fasteners come in a variety of varieties. However, the majority of the time, regular pop rivets will work. When your seal needs to be waterproof, avoid using a rivet gun.
Stronger and able to handle misaligned holes are multi-grip rivets like Oscar Rivets. Interlock rivets add more durability and are a great option for structural joints, but they typically won’t fit in typical hand rivet guns.
Always read the package to ensure that the rivets you choose will work with your rivet gun, handle the project’s weight, and the material you have chosen. Rivets are available in larger sizes of 5/32- and 3/16-inch in addition to the more common 1/8-inch size.
Additionally, the metal type you choose for your rivet should match the type of materials you are joining. To prevent corrosion, materials, and rivets made of steel, stainless steel, and aluminum should match. To avoid rusting when riveting leather, choose copper, brass, or aluminum.
The Bottom Line
An excellent substitute for standard nuts and bolts that lowers the chance of vibration-induced loosening is a rivet gun. Both large industrial projects and smaller automotive, DIY, or repair projects can be completed using rivets.
The type of rivet gun that will work best for your project depends on several factors, including how many rivets you need to install and whether you need to place them remotely.
Now you have all the information you need on rivets, their uses, and how to place them, you can start using this new method in your projects to create solid and sustainable joints.
