Micro rivets

Hi all

Im in need of some tiny rivets, not for any structural use but for detail.

Struggling to find any Any suggestions please ?

Ive used the search for tiny and micro rivets but nothing comes up apart from a supplier here within this thread 

https://www.model-engineer.co.uk/forums/postings.asp?th=170908

Ta

Edited By Die Hardenedbedway on 21/03/2022 05:45:26

Edited By Die Hardenedbedway on 21/03/2022 05:50:52

Forget the above guys, posted in haste. looks like they will have what I require. Unless anyone else has any suppliers they can think of ?

C

If they not structural pins work. Just use retaining compound instead of peening the back ends.

What do you call "tiny"

If pins are too large then a syringe and small blobs of glue are often use don scale R/C aircraft, or a punch and die set will cut small discs out of plasticard that can be stuck on

Edited By JasonB on 21/03/2022 07:02:05

Try searching in model engineering sites. eg **LINK**

How about dressmakers pins cut down

If you want small.........

https://www.prime-miniatures.co.uk

I am sure I have seen convincing tiddly rivets produced by using a blunt centre-punch at the back of the item, and on the other side, a sharp-edged hole. Best arranged, I guess in eg an old* bench drill with a mallet to knock on the top of the spindle.

* or a new one of course. Some bench drills, new or old, are fit for little else.

Cheers, Tim

It depends how small and in what material. For example 1/32" brass snaphead rivets are usually available from the usual ME suppliers.

Also, at a model engineering exhibition, I saw a 'system' for producing a riveted appearance for the smaller scale model locomotives (probably gauge 1). A thin brass plate would be 'pressed' on its rear side and a snap head rivet appearance would show on the front. Forgive me but I don't have a suggested supplier but it might remind somebody who does know or has also seen the system.

Phil H

You two are probably thinking of a rivit embossing tool which work well on thin stock

I've done similar just making a punch and die, head on these is about 1/2" dia

Jason,

I would imagine the method is not dissimilar but no - my memory was a 'system' for forming the rivet appearance on say a locomotive tender or a running board. Features that have say 30 or 40 rivets in a straight line and it was meant for the smaller gauge model locomotives. So you can probably imagine that the dimples really would be tiny.

I am struggling to remember how it worked in detail but I remember the strips of thin brass would be guided along a straight edge whilst the punch/ press produced the tiny dimples. You can imagine that it also had a means of moving the sheet along by a specified amount so the dimples would be evenly spaced. They had bits of sample brass on the bench with the dimples already formed. I am sure it would have been the Midlands or Alexanders Palace in London in about 2012.

Phil H

Phil H,

you are possibly recalling the GW Models rivet press. It includes a table moved by a metric screw for regular straight-line embossed rivet patterns.

Regards,

Phil (R).

Phil that one I linked to goes down to 0.4mm rivit heads, said to be suitable for 00/HO scale which would suggest a shank of 0.2mm dia if they were real rivits which I would class as quite small.

It does say there is an adjustment for spacing so assume you can set that to get regular placement of the dummy rivit. Photo shows a row of 20 or so rivits in thin brass sheet.

There is also the tool that Gerald Wingrove used which has the punch and die as rollers 

Edited By JasonB on 22/03/2022 12:23:40

Jason/ PhilR, thanks. It wasn't just a dream then.