How to Install Solid Rivets Without a Rivet Gun
Rivet guns are widely used in everyday construction and assembly work. The importance of these simple little devices cannot be overstated. These tools are a huge step forward from traditional nails, screws, and bolts. This is not to say that those traditional methods are dead, and the only way of joining two surfaces is by using a rivet gun. But there are a lot of aspects and builds that relied on these nails and screws in the past that are now dominated by easy to use and more reliable rivets. This article lists a few life hacks, tips, and tricks to speed up the already fast process of installing rivets and make your workflow more efficient.
How to install solid rivets without a rivet gun?
Unlike blind rivets, solid rivets require access to the backside of the installation surface. So, it is very much possible to get them installed to a serviceable degree without the use of a proper rivet gun. These rivets are already designed to expand in a certain way when put under pressure. We can leverage this ability to install fit rivets using just a supportive object and a hammer.
All you have to do is to put the rivet in its hole. Then support it on a solid and heavy object. This step is crucial, and the process will not work without it. Make sure it is sitting evenly on the solid surface and is completely balanced. Once you've done that, you can go ahead and hammer it a little. Make sure you hit it smack down the middle to get even spread and the best fit.
Where can I buy a rivet gun?
Rivet guns are a widely used tool that is essential for many industries, so there is no shortage of these on the market. You can go down to your local home depot or hardware store and find a fairly decent rivet gun for a reasonable price. These are not the best quality, but they are not the worst, either.
The other option is to buy them online. There are hundreds of different rivet guns available on sites like Amazon. You can look around there, read the reviews, and find one that falls within your budget. Or, if you already have a brand in mind, you can search by their name. If you want a specific one, maybe try to look at the manufacturer's website. They usually provide you with a discount when selling directly, instead of through sites like Amazon.
Where to buy rivet gun?
No matter if you just a holiest who wants to increase their tool collection located in their garage or a manufacturer looking to expand your business into a riveting and other similar venues. One thing is very clear. You should not be hasty. When looking to buy a rivet gun, maybe try looking around more. Visit different stores. Surf different manufacturers' websites. Evaluate the value of each rivet gun you see on there and compare it to your budget.
One place that most people overlook is the used market. These tools are made sturdy with the intention of lasting for years on end. So, if you could find one in a decent condition on-site like eBay, then opting for that is not a bad proposition. Just make sure you don't overspend on tools that you don't really need just because they look fancy on that Amazon listing. Not everyone needs a high-end cordless battery powered rivet gun. Evaluate your use case before you step into the market with an intention to purchase.
Choose the correct gun for the job:
A proper rivet installation relies heavily on using a rivet gun. There are ways to do it without the proper gun, but they are unreliable and do not provide the consistency and quality of a gun. This is why the use of an appropriate gun is critical to ace a job and do it as perfectly as possible. There are several types of these guns like hand rivet gun, industrial rivet gun, etc. Here are some of the most common guns and which kind of workload suits them best.
- Hand rivet guns: Hand rivet guns are called this because of their operation that requires the user to manually squeeze the handles a few times for every rivet that they install. These handles are made in a lever configuration, and squeezing them grabs the pin of a blind rivet and pulls it a certain length. Due to the force required to fully install a blind rivet, these require more than one squeeze.
These guns are ideally used for the small task by people who use them rarely. Due to the labor involved and the effect that it has on the wrists, they are not even close to adequate for any form of actual construction or manufacturing work.
There is a variant of these hand rivet gun, known as the lever tool. It is essentially the same as normal hand tools, but it fits a larger variety of sizes and types of rivets and is used for small-scale heavy-duty tasks.
- Industrial rivet guns: These guns are also known as pneumatic guns. They got this name because of their use of vacuum and compressed air to install rivets. These are usually used in industries and factories due to their fast operating capabilities. They are the crowning leader of rivet guns when it comes to speed, and nothing else even gets close to them.
But these are not completely perfect. They have their pros and cons and don't fit in every environment. On the bright side, they boast impressive speed and are not strenuous to use at all. Their use of air allows them to be extremely precise and accurate at the same time while retaining the ease of use.
On the other hand, this positive of using air is also the biggest issue with them. Due to their very nature of the operation, they are tied to a hose leading to a pump, compressor, and other components. This makes the range really small and completely unfit for house construction environments, as you can't carry around a large rivet gun and the whole compressor and pump combo around the house. Another major flaw is its maintenance and repairability. These large rivet guns are precise devices and require constant oiling, cleaning, and overall maintenance to keep their speed and accuracy. They are also hard to repair and require a lot of time to fix even a minor issue.
- Battery-powered/cordless rivet guns: These are like a middle ground between a tiny hand-operated gun and an industrial, large rivet gun. These functions similar to hand-operated ones, but the manual cranking is replaced by an electric motor that does the pulling for you. They are designed to be portable yet still capable enough to stand their ground in comparison to a traditional air-based industrial rivet gun. They provide an excellent user experience due to their lightweight and ergonomic design. Another big plus is the longer battery life thanks to modern Li-Po batteries.
But there are some tradeoffs here as well. For starters, they are usually expensive and cost more than their contemporaries. The pin catching box on their back is handy for removing the need for cleanup after the work but needs to be emptied regularly to function properly. Neglecting the removal of used pins can cause jams and may hurt the motor to some capacity.
Conclusion:
Rivet guns are highly functional tools that are essential for many modern-day production and construction projects. The value of these tools lies in their correct use. Make sure you are using the right tool for the task. Take full advantage of the tools at your disposal to become efficient at what you do and how you do it.
How to Install Solid Rivets Without a Rivet Gun
Source: https://cargadgetsonline.com/tips-and-tricks-for-using-a-rivet-gun-and-how-to-make-your-rivet-gun-experience-better/