# Solid (Aircraft) Rivet Tool and Progress



## CalgaryPT (Oct 4, 2018)

Not really a project...more of a learning experience. I experimented with hot forge riveting after reading about Titanic failure theories in the late 1980's because I was so curious about how the plates were originally sealed in Ireland. I was surprized to learn that they weren't "sealed" as we today think about it—but rather "caulked" using a method of pulling the faying edges against each other. They were not in fact "caulked with sealant" or hammered with oakum or other materials like they did in the wooden shipbuilding days. When I learned why aircraft are still riveted as opposed to welded, I branched into solid riveting.

I used to work night shift as a security guard at the old NOVA Service Centre on Blackfoot Trail when I was in university, and the old guys in the shops used to teach me cool stuff. One was rivet strength in their lab and I was shocked how strong these little things really were. They had a non-destructive lab and I geeked out when these techs worked overtime and showed me their work. There's some math involved in rivet selection, which I kinda like. Here's a great tutorial that gives all the formulas:






The paper you see in the RedBox tool kit is actually my formula sheet; it's critical to getting a proper fit and you can't just wing it here. The only real wiggle room here is with respect to the initial drill size (in 32nds). In the aircraft industry this is critical. But for your average metal worker it isn't as critical as rivet head size, diameter and length.

The fun part arose when years later when I saw how Steampunk solid rivets look, which I liked. I use lots of pop (blind) rivets, but there is a cool place in a workshop for solid rivets, especially if you do artistic stuff. I tried manual hammering in the 90's and got OK results. I borrowed a old air tool years later and liked that even better. So I bought my own from Aircraft Spruce Canada a few months ago and now love it. If you haven't tried this company, they are worth a look. Canadian to the core, killer shipping times, and great tools!

Photos attached. Note that Aircraft Spruce Canada only sells aircraft type rivets (AL and anodized AL) but lots of others are available online: brass, copper, steel, etc. Lots of options. I have the RedBox 737 kit, which I really like. Guns come 2X, 3X and 4X.


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## Dabbler (Oct 5, 2018)

That is really cool.  I used to do a lot of solid steel rivets, hand peened for making reproduction armour.  It takes *forever* to get the touch to get a consistent round even job!  

I once examined a shirt of chain mail, in a museum, that had each link triple riveted (!!) each rivet was perfect - it must have taken years to make that single sirt of mail...

I


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## Tom O (Oct 5, 2018)

We used the steel rivets back in school around 1967 but that was it. I haven’t seen a rivet set since that, they had a hole to drive the plates together and the concave hole to form and seat. I’m still keeping my eye open for some.


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## CalgaryPT (Oct 6, 2018)

Dabbler said:


> That is really cool.  I used to do a lot of solid steel rivets, hand peened for making reproduction armour.  It takes *forever* to get the touch to get a consistent round even job!
> 
> I once examined a shirt of chain mail, in a museum, that had each link triple riveted (!!) each rivet was perfect - it must have taken years to make that single sirt of mail...
> 
> I


I don't claim to be great at this and certainly my work can't compare to some of the rounded perfection rivets you've seen. The universal head rivets used in aircraft industry are pretty easy to get the hang of after 25 or 50 attempts. As you can appreciate, the secret is not overdoing it and producing a flat head. Although from what I have read the newer universal head rivets will flatten somewhat and still meet engineering specs in industry. A big difference I see in my new gun vs. one I used decades ago is that the new ones have triggers that can be "teased"—meaning you can gently sneak up on the head with small taps instead of the old guns that just slammed everything with the same power. This helps you stay on head before applying full power and not drift onto the sheet metal...which is a no-no in the aircraft industry. Not a biggie when riveting 3/4" steel plate in the ship building world—but problematic with thin AL on commercial airliners. The bigger challenge for me is actually using the bucking bar properly.

Either way it's tough not to appreciate the craftsmanship of hot forged hand riveting and understand how difficult it must have been to achieve good results in the Titanic days. Today's shipbuilders / repair techs are still highly skilled though:


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## Dabbler (Oct 6, 2018)

Yeah, all the solid riveting I ever did was with a ball peen and a finishing die...  Nice tool though!

Skyscrapers used to be hot forged-riveted together...  That took supreme skill, even after the electric riveting hammers were invented!


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## Tom O (Oct 6, 2018)

That torch is pretty close to the furnace we should google rivet forges for smithing ideas about design that works great!


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## CalgaryPT (Oct 6, 2018)

Tom O said:


> That torch is pretty close to the furnace we should google rivet forges for smithing ideas about design that works great!





Dabbler said:


> Yeah, all the solid riveting I ever did was with a ball peen and a finishing die...  Nice tool though!
> 
> Skyscrapers used to be hot forged-riveted together...  That took supreme skill, even after the electric riveting hammers were invented!


I suddenly want to be shipbuilder. Of course given our locale the vessel might show up in Captain Tractor’s “Last Saskatchewan River Pirate” song. 

Stealin’ oats and barley and all the other grains......


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