Special rivet ,

Hy Guys.

Im looking for a type of rivet that might not even exist.

Does anyone know if someone manufactures what to all intents and purposes looks like the type of rivet as used on loco's but the shank is actually threaded ? And if you do, could you tell me the name of a supplier.

The engine I'm making calls for 3 mm nuts and bolts. But these I think would look better as rivets. The reason for nuts and bolts, is that some of the parts would be difficult to rivet and to makes it easier to dismantle should the need arise. Someone told me that they were sure they had seen something that looked like a threaded rivet and that you locked them up by running a nut on then using 2 further nuts on the end locked together and tighten the first one up. And just cut off the overhang when its tight.

Thanks for any help guys

Dave

Hi Dave,

I did something similair on my engine. I just bought a few 1/8" brass rivets and put a thread on them. Held the rivets with a little split collet in the 3 jaw.

Regards Barry.

Don't know of a metric supplier, but BA roundhead screws with no slot are available from many suppliers.

(Yea, yea, I know BA threads are metric, but you know what I mean).

EKP Supplies do 'em.

Livesteammodels.co.uk also do threaded rivets with slightly longer shanks than those available from EKP - again in BA sizes.

Alternatively you could turn your own slotless roundhead with a form tool on a standard 3mm metric hex-head, or simply fill the slot on a standard round head after assembly with filler or thick paint.

5BA & 6BA have top diameters of 3.2 & 2.8 mm respectively.

Regards,

Phil

Edited By Weary on 14/06/2014 22:41:44

I've used quite a few of the ones from EKP, if you get the hole size right they hold themselves tight while you do up the nut on the other side as the lead in taper of the diestock means the thread does not quite run at full depth upto the underside of the head.

All the ones in the smokebox on my Fowler are the unslotted screws, can't tell they are not rivits.

I used to have a sackful of bolts about 1/2" dia. and heavy zinc dipped, used to be used in shipbuilding. They had a round head like a rivet but with 3 or 4 raised ridges axially at the head end. Wack them in and they will hold to tighten the nut. Don't know if you could reproduce them ?

Polly/Bruce sell exactly what you want. Page 53 of their catalogue. They also sell reduced head 3mm screws.

Before buying the rivet head bolts, I tried theading some rivets - a long winded waste of time,, I had such difficulty holding them while threading with a die.

'I'm looking for a type of rivet that might not even exist'.

'Golden rivet'.... lol... in the same context during my apprenticeship was asked 'where does the last rivet in a ship go'... anyone still remember the answer (I can)

George

They do exist! I saw lots of them in packets at Harrogate on a major name site, cant remember who but there werent that many so have a look.

The stern nameplate?

Goes in the last hole

Rivnuts was the name don't know if available across the pond.

Rivnuts are a "nut" that fixes into a hole like a pop rivit, not a threaded snap head rivit.

Took this pic a few mins ago so you can see how the EKP ones compare, from R to L 5BA. 1/8 rivit, 6BA, 3/32" rivit 8BA

Edited By JasonB on 15/06/2014 16:08:22

Try looking for "drive rivets"

Regards Mark P.

Drive rivits are not threaded for a nut which is what the OP wants, they have a slow spiral so they grip when you drive them in with a hammer.

And if I remember correctly George the "answer" was kinda similar to do you know this ship has wheels?

JasonB got it in one..

Flying fifer.. steering wheels.. one on the bridge & one in the emergency steering flat aft, (IIRC from my days in the 'Merch)'. I surmise most modern ships now have azipod or Kort nozzle steering using some form of computerised trackball or joystick, so becoming wheel less.. I have seen some with a wheel no bigger than a tea plate tho' & as for Military vessels.. ?. Ho hum, a slight bit of diversification ...

George

Boats and steering, reminds me of my brother in law's ocean going catermaran, it started during the build, a wheel was fitted, then he thought a joy stick might be better, in the long run it ended up with two 1/2" square buttons, and a switch, buttons left and right, switch foreward and back, got him and my sister to Australia ok.

Ian S C