removing rivets

[sheowahya]

Can anyone tell me how to remove rivets?

I made a bit of a booboo and I need to remove two rivets and I'm stumped as to how to do it without damaging the leather.

Advice, suggestions, and comments GREATLY appreciated.

Cheers

Marilyn

[steveh]

If they are copper #9 rivets, you can take a ball burr in a die grinder and grind the peened end of the rivet off, go slowly as this will produce heat that can burn the leather. If they are a brass jiffy rivet , I have removed them by getting a pair off end nips under the head and pulling them apart. Hope this helps

[Randy Cornelius]

Here is the easy way that will not damage your leather. I have a metal plat 3/4 inch thick with a 1/2 inch hole drilled in it. I lay the rivet over the hole and drive it out with a drift punch. Works well with Copper or with jiffy rivits and there is little danger of damage to the leather.

Randy

[esantoro]

Here is the easy way that will not damage your leather. I have a metal plat 3/4 inch thick with a 1/2 inch hole drilled in it. I lay the rivet over the hole and drive it out with a drift punch. Works well with Copper or with jiffy rivits and there is little danger of damage to the leather.

Randy

great idea, that metal plate for a guide.

[Peter Ellis]

Hardware stores sell a tool called an "end nipper" that is excellent for clipping off rivets so they can be removed. Very efficient and pretty clean.

[craftsman827]

Randy,

What is a drift punch??

Like a center puhch?

[bruce johnson]

For the double caps and the like, I center punch and then drill the cap loose if I can't get an end knipper in under them. For splash rivets I just drill the star until the prongs pop off. For copper rivets I smack the peen to flatten it and then center punch it. Then drill the peen off, and punch the stem on through. I slow speed on the drill press makes drilling these out easy, as does the right bit.

I was given this next bit of advice by my Michigan pal, LittleJohn - credit to him. I was having trouble drilling SS strap on some SS clip and dees. The titanium bits would melt and puddle trying to drill the strap. I was getting about 1-1/2 holes per bit. Apparently SS gets harder as it gets hotter, and titanium gets soft. He told me to try cobalt bits. I am still on the first one. It does a great job on SS, and eats copper and steel rivets like I eat flan. I have replaced the commonly used ones as they wear out with the cobalt.

[TracyMoss]

I have to agree with Randy on this one. Use a drive punch, often a tapered punch used to set nail heads in to wood so that they can be flush. Use the drive punch with the plate with hole. This will drive the peened end loose of the burr and allow the rivet to be removed with the least amount of damage to the leather. Using a drill bit in most cases overheats the leather and makes it brittle around the hole and can lead to the replacement rivet being ripped out. The drive punch works equally well with the jiffy, star, and double cap rivets. Just make sure that the hole in the plate is just slightly larger than the rivet. I have a plate with multiple holes of different sizes for this purpose. Also if you have a thick poly cutting board, you can drill a couple of holes in one end of your board for the same purpose. :deadhorse: Sorry if this was redundant

Edited February 20, 2008 by TracyMoss

[Randy Cornelius]

Randy,

What is a drift punch??

Like a center puhch?

A drift punch is one that is the same diameter all the way down the shaft. I have a couple different ones on my bench, an 3/16 and a 1/4 will knock out most rivets Center punch is one that has a point on the end for making a small dent to start a drill bit so it does not wonder.

I have tried drilling out rivets in the past but have not had much luck. The heat does more damage than I like.

Randy

[Kevin]

Not to be a smartass, but if you're burning leather with a drill and copper rivets, you need a sharper bit. If somebody used steel rivets, the leather is probably damaged already. I don't think I have to deal with stainless at all. Kevin

[TroyWest]

The simplest way to remove a copper rivet. Take a spike , put it just to the left side of the rivet on the copper washer and strike it, then do it on the right side. This will cause the washer to fold right up, sometimes it will come right off then, if not you can now easily grab it with nippers and pull it off. If the rivet has been peened pretty big, you can nip it off before pushing it thru the hole, causing less damage.This is much faster than trying to drill them out, causes no heat damage, and does not damage the item. You're welcome.

[sheowahya]

Mission accomplished!!!!

Thank you one and all.

I bought a pair of nippers and it came out fairly easy... well... not exactly easy, but very minimal damage to the leather so I'm happy.

THANK YOU!!!!

Marilyn

[waddy]

Troywest, what do you mean by "spike"? It sounds intrigueing, and I'd like to try it. A person can't have too many ways of doing sometimes difficult chores to fit different circumstances. A note on drilling out rivets: a SHARP bit, turned at slower rpm is less likely to burn or slip off the rivet. As Bruce suggested, it really helps to flatten the top of the rivets to get a good "centered" center punch mark. One thing that gives me fits is getting the head of the rivet centered over the hole in the punch out block. If it is not directly over the hole it just tends to bend the rivet, peen the rivet head even more, and cause more damage to the leather. A properly set rivet does not protrude above the leather, so it is not possible to find the hole by feel. How do y'all get the rivet centered over the hole?

[TroyWest]

I'm sorry Waddy. All saddlemakers use saddlers spikes but I guess not everyone reading this is a saddlemaker. These are available everywhere, i.e. Weaver, Tandy, Hidecrafters, various lengths from about 4 1/2" to 8" or so. prices around 5 to 8 bucks. I use the larger sizes on #9 copper rivets. I used to use the drill method but after doing it this way I haven"t used a drill in years. This is just so fast and simple.

Troy

[TroyWest]

Waddy,

I just noticed you are a saddlemaker. You probably already have some saddlers spikes.

[Peter Ellis]

For the double caps and the like, I center punch and then drill the cap loose if I can't get an end knipper in under them. For splash rivets I just drill the star until the prongs pop off. For copper rivets I smack the peen to flatten it and then center punch it. Then drill the peen off, and punch the stem on through. I slow speed on the drill press makes drilling these out easy, as does the right bit.

I was given this next bit of advice by my Michigan pal, LittleJohn - credit to him. I was having trouble drilling SS strap on some SS clip and dees. The titanium bits would melt and puddle trying to drill the strap. I was getting about 1-1/2 holes per bit. Apparently SS gets harder as it gets hotter, and titanium gets soft. He told me to try cobalt bits. I am still on the first one. It does a great job on SS, and eats copper and steel rivets like I eat flan. I have replaced the commonly used ones as they wear out with the cobalt.

Were you using any lubricant when drilling the stainless, Bruce ? Water actually works quite well as a lubricant when drilling stainless, and you don't have the concern of oil staining your leather.

Cobalt bits are pretty amazing.

[waddy]

Troy, thanks for the reply. I thought that's what you were referring to, but I was afraid it would damage the points. I tried it, but didn't have much luck.

[Bob]

I've found removing #9 copper rivts the most difficult on blevin's stirrup buckles. Sometimes, if you have enough leather, it's easier to cut off the 2" on the end and start again.

Bob

[bruce johnson]

Were you using any lubricant when drilling the stainless, Bruce ? Water actually works quite well as a lubricant when drilling stainless, and you don't have the concern of oil staining your leather.

Cobalt bits are pretty amazing.

Peter,

I buy the SS clip and dees from Weaver. They are the unpunched ones with about a 6" strap. The strap is a pretty heavy gauge, and the dees look a little more finished than the regulation ones that come prepunched from most suppliers. I can cut them to length, and I use two rivets in them. Many of the single rivet ones will work around and stretch out the leather over time, or is sandwiched in a an edge will cut the stitching on either side. Small holes and two of the rivets keeps the dee more stable. I was drilling the holes on the drill press - low speed and cutting oil. Usually the first hole went OK with the titanium bits, and by the second hole, the edge was starting to get suspect. These were Vermont-American bits I am thinking. Now with the Cobalt bits, I just run them slow and a little oil. They drop through.

Troy,

I got back tonight and drug some thrown away fenders out of the garbage. I tried your trick with the spikes. I started off with one with a good point. It punched right through the burr,leather, and onto the shoeing anvil. Grabbed a dullish one (really dull), and the burr folded up like a taco shell. Came right off, no need for the nippers. Repeated on 3 more fender top rivets - worked like a champ. I am not sure why, but I cant get it to fold up the burrs holding the Blevins on. Maybe the peens were a little fuller or less worn then the fender top ones. I grabbed a cheap flatblade screw driver, and hit it on either side of those. Worked just like the spikes on the upper rivets. They either popped off or easily pulled off. I am going to set some the way I do them tomorrow and see how it works. Good tip - Thanks.

[TroyWest]

Waddy asked me some questions that I thought would be helpful to the whole forum. One of the things he said was occasionally he puts on Blevins backwards. Haven't we all??? More than once?? And immediately needed to remove a brand new rivet.You dont really need to hit it so hard But the goal is simply to destroy the washer without destroying the leather. I said hit it to the left then to the right then the top then the bottom if you have to. That little copper washer can't take it. You might ding the leather under it but it will be covered up with the new rivet. Everyone will just have to figure out how much it takes but its still much faster than the other way.

[TroyWest]

I'm glad your having success Bruce. I've considered using a screwdriver myself but never have. It's a good thought.