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  1. #1
    Join Date
    May 2011
    Location
    Murray Bridge S Aust.
    Age
    71
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    5,942

    Default Making a Rivet Block

    Had this emailed to me and thought the members might like it on making your own rivets.
    https://www.instructables.com/id/Riv...PUSDSIIDUR41VF

    Kryn
    To grow old is mandatory, growing up is optional.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Sep 2012
    Location
    York, North Yorkshire UK
    Posts
    6,436

    Thumbs up How to make a rivet snap tool.

    Hi Kryn, Guys,

    I've made a number of rivet snaps in my time ! Easy to make as well. Using a ball pain hammer to get a round head is very much old style, requiring some skill. Mind you hardening a rivet snap properly requires some skill as well.

    Just in case some don't know what a rivet snap is or how to make one, here is how !

    You need a piece of 10 or 12 mm diameter, oil hardening silver steel rod and a ball bearing of the right size to suit the head of the rivet that you wish to use. Put it in the lathe and dimple the end with a drill. Use a drill about the same diameter of the ball bearing and only go about a third of the diameter deep. Upend the silver steel in a vise, use a bit of paper to stop the vise jaws from marking the rod. Place the ball bearing into the dimple and give it a good thump with a hammer. This will deform the end of the rod forming the hollow radius for forming the rivet head. Depending upon how big your vise is you might want to use a steel packing to support the silver steel rod whilst you are thumping the ball bearing.

    At this point it would help to put it back in the lathe and turn a short taper on the newly formed end. It just makes it easier to see what you are doing, particularly if you are riveting in a tight place.

    Now you just need to harden and temper the end half inch ! Heat the silver steel until the end is a cherry red. You can tell when its hot enough, it won't stick to a magnet anymore. At the point plunge into a tin can with oil in it. Be careful as the oil might burst into flame, wear gloves ! Now clean the rod up so that its bright and shiny again. Reheat the rod about an inch from the hardened end and watch as the blue colour travels towards it. Watch for the yellow colour. At this point stop and let everything cool down on its own. You don't want the end glass hard.

    Actually if you are using copper or brass rivets you don't really need to harden the silver steel at all ! In fact I've used good old plain mild steel for brass rivet snaps with great success.
    Best Regards:
    Baron J.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Mackay North Qld
    Posts
    6,446

    Default

    Thank you, BaronJ

    That is a tool that I will be making a couple off ,myself.

    They should work very well in setting the brass rivets on traditional pocket knives.

    They will be small though, as the rivet diameters on those knives are mostly below 1/8".

    Again! thanks for posting this.

    Grahame

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Sep 2012
    Location
    York, North Yorkshire UK
    Posts
    6,436

    Default

    Hi Grahame,

    I've just re read my post, I've described how to make the tool without saying what one is

    Anyway for those that don't already know, its a punch with a hollow dome in the end, used to set a rivet by forming a domed head.

    Sorry about that omission.
    Best Regards:
    Baron J.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Mackay North Qld
    Posts
    6,446

    Default

    Hi BaronJ,

    It seems that sometimes, things we "remember using only just a while back" are often from a very longer time back in our experience.

    Therefore,I too thought,well everyone surely knows what these are. It seems not.

    I have a memory of finding some rivets and sets in a store room at Tafe.

    The sheeties said I could have them as they did not use them any more, and being the true
    packrat that I am, grabbed them. I have lost the rivets long ago but still have the set.

    The rivets,I believe were Tinmans rivets.

    The set was a combination of 2 sizes.

    The pics below came off google.

    rivet set_combination.jpgrivets tinmans.jpg

    Grahame

  6. #6
    Join Date
    May 2011
    Location
    Murray Bridge S Aust.
    Age
    71
    Posts
    5,942

    Default

    Thanks John and Grahame, brought back some memories that I have a setting tool, somewhere in the mess I call a shed, plus some rivets.
    If I remember correctly, the Tinsman rivets were riveted over, using a block of steel on the head side, while some unfortunate soul on the inside equiped with the setter and ball pein hammer, first set the rivet, that is using the hole in the setter which squeezed the sheets together, peined the rivet over, using the domed part of the setter, finished the job rounding the peined end which was then soldered around to seal properly, in the days when Galvanised Tanks were made.
    Kryn
    To grow old is mandatory, growing up is optional.

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