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Rivets and Riveting

Techniques for Model Riveting

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James B05/07/2009 20:43:26
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101 forum posts
14 photos
Hello All,

I am just embarking on my first major Model Engineering project - a 2" Clayton Undertype wagon. I am hoping someone can point me in the right direction on the subject of model riveting?

The chassis assembly on the clayton is riveted together using 3/32" iron rivets, which I have been practising furiously on scrap offcuts, using a ball pein hammer and commercially available rivet snaps. The results are improving, the rivet head are nicely formed and closed well, the only problem I am struggling with is getting the heads central - which will be very apparent on the model, as the rivets are in straight lines.

Should I be using different snaps to half form the rivet, prior to the finish snap? Does anyone know of a good book (i.e. workshop practise type book) that I can read up on?  Can anyone offer me the benefit of their experience?

Any help gratefully received! 
MichaelR06/07/2009 13:26:38
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528 forum posts
79 photos
I first form the rivet head using a flat end punch and I work around the rivet forming a turned over edge something like the rag on a well used cold chisel, then I finish off the head with the head forming snap. I find that I can control the shaping of the rivet better by using this method.
James B06/07/2009 22:08:54
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101 forum posts
14 photos
Thanks for your advice - sounds like a good approach - especially when you have rivets very close together. I will give this a try.

Do you have a formula for the rivet length, or is this just trial and error (as I have used this far). 

Has anyone tried heating rivets prior to forming, like in full size practise?  
MichaelR07/07/2009 09:21:58
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528 forum posts
79 photos
The rivet stem should be one and a half times it's diameter longer than the the the thickness of the material  it's joining
 
Iron rivets are soft so shouldn't need heating, I have annealed copper rivets before heading.
Jim Nolan07/07/2009 13:20:24
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77 forum posts

This is a handy site for getting the right setting length for your rivets. I do believe that getting the length right is most important to how the rivet turns out.

> >

http://sapphireproducts.co.uk/641t1.htm

> >

I generally use a smaller hammer to start the rivet and use a heavier hammer and the snap to finish the head to the correct shape.
 
Jim
Baldric07/07/2009 13:28:06
195 forum posts
32 photos
I was just going to post the same company website that has details on rivets.
It is worth noting that the length can vary with diameter, for example look at the small and large diameter snap heads.
 
One thing to not with hot riveting is that as the rivet cools it pulls the plates closer together, when doing large rivets you can hear this happening even if fully bolted before hand. With small rivets the heat will be lost to the surrounding material very quickly so may be of minimal benifit.
 
Baldric
James B08/07/2009 14:35:19
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101 forum posts
14 photos
Hi All,
 
Thankyou for your tips - some more practise is yielding good results, particuarly with using the straight punch for getting into the areas that have a lot of rivets in close proximity.
 
My only other question would be why when I show my wife my practise rivetting, she doesn't seem as impressed as me?
 
James
Jim K09/07/2009 04:50:07
66 forum posts
28 photos
This might be an intresting tip for those fitting a great number or even just a few rivits.
 
I seen an old friend of mine with a step wedge and in each step he had a number of holes to suit different diameter rivits. he selected the step that was closest to the material plus the 1.5 times the diameter of the rivit and pushed the rivit through.
Using a little cold chisel he could sheer the rivit at the correct length and all the rivits would be the same and the correct length for the job.
Hope this was of some help
Jim

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