Rex Riveter Question

[Kate]

I'v ehad a very old Rex Riveter for ages - cute little thing in great shape, other than missing about 80% of its Japanned finish.... oh, and there's a spring loaded tube on the bottom the appears to be missing somethign - and I have no clue what.

Anybody out there able to tell me what goes into that open tube? The upper piston has a splash shape to it, so my first guess is some sort of brass anvil thingy goes in the bottom, but I have never actually seen one of these things in use!

Oh, and I also have an even older similar machine, made to be wall mounted. It looks like it needs a piece that sticks on the upper ram - but I'll have to get pics of that one, as it's hard to explain.

I'll be back later on, with that!

[bruce johnson]

Kate,

I have a couple of them sitting around here. An old guy told me that they originally were mostly used for auto repair. They were used to rivet the replacement bands into the brake systems of old Fords about 90 years ago. They had a tubular rivet setup and you dropped the rivet into the spring loaded tube on the bottom. Push the handle and it set the rivet against the splash on top. That would explain why they are so common, this was almost a DIY project back in the day apparently and about everybody had one.

I have never pursued it, but a while back someone mentioned you might can get get a top anvil from Beilers that will split the rivet into the six part star. I have started the tubular rivets with the Rex, and then finished them off with the hand tool that makes the star. It worked OK for no more of those than I do.

[Kate]

Hey Bruce,

Well, that makes sense, but the hole in the lower tube is like half an inch deep - makes me think there was an insert of some type. I have worked with some of the old riveted brake setups - ugh.... yes, I'm old, and USED to be a mechanic of sorts (runs in the family, for better or worse). The band brakes etc would still need to have a more or less flush surface - ie, rivet set into a hole in the liner, below the friction surface.

I'm thinking maybe I'll make up an anvil from a chunk of brass and see if it will press the little light tubular rivets - tired of smacking my poor old arthritic thumbs!

STill got to get a pic of the other thing - it's really pretty neat (for a boat anchor

Kate

[ryano]

Hey Bruce,

Well, that makes sense, but the hole in the lower tube is like half an inch deep - makes me think there was an insert of some type. I have worked with some of the old riveted brake setups - ugh.... yes, I'm old, and USED to be a mechanic of sorts (runs in the family, for better or worse). The band brakes etc would still need to have a more or less flush surface - ie, rivet set into a hole in the liner, below the friction surface.

I'm thinking maybe I'll make up an anvil from a chunk of brass and see if it will press the little light tubular rivets - tired of smacking my poor old arthritic thumbs!

STill got to get a pic of the other thing - it's really pretty neat (for a boat anchor

Kate

The long tube is where you put the rivet, head first. NO INSERT. The tube is spring loaded and holds the rivet upright. The anvil is at the top and comes down when you push the handle down, hitting the rivet and splashing the end of the rivet. It uses the 104 rivets that Weaver's sell. No holes need to be punched first, the rivets are self-piercing.

These Rex Riveters are for leather, not brake shoes. People had them to repair harness. Brake shoe riveters are of a different design.

Edited March 23, 2010 by ryano

[Kate]

The long tube is where you put the rivet, head first. NO INSERT. The tube is spring loaded and holds the rivet upright. The anvil is at the top and comes down when you push the handle down, hitting the rivet and splashing the end of the rivet. It uses the 104 rivets that Weaver's sell. No holes need to be punched first, the rivets are self-piercing.

These Rex Riveters are for leather, not brake shoes. People had them to repair harness. Brake shoe riveters are of a different design.

Well, that's gonna have to be a long rivet, and there's going to be about a half inch of rivet stem between the leather and the cap - because that little anvil bar on the top that the handle actuates does NOT fit inside the tube - no way, no how. SOMETHING has to have been in the tube to space it up to the depth of a rivet's cap, if that's how it was working......

OK, second iron critter pics. This one is supposed to be wall or post mounted, and evidently had some sort of fitting on the ram - the splash anvil is threaded and screws up to adjust from the bottom for depth. No markings of any kind on the casting, machining is fair, casting is only so-so as to finishing.

It was really REALLY cruddy and oily and rusty, so I steel brushed heck out of it and shot it with some paint to stop the rust down a little bit. That way it won't get my coat yucky if I use it for a hat rack

So, Ryano, got any ideas on this one? I'm clueless

Kate

[tonyc1]

The long tube is where you put the rivet, head first. NO INSERT. The tube is spring loaded and holds the rivet upright. The anvil is at the top and comes down when you push the handle down, hitting the rivet and splashing the end of the rivet. It uses the 104 rivets that Weaver's sell. No holes need to be punched first, the rivets are self-piercing.

These Rex Riveters are for leather, not brake shoes. People had them to repair harness. Brake shoe riveters are of a different design.

I agree with what Ryano has said. I've had this old rivet press for43 years and I have only used it for setting bifurcated rivets as in the picture. I rarely use these rivets but sometimes have to.

Tony.

[bruce johnson]

Ryan,

The anvils on both of the riveters I have now just have the center post and the trough all the way around. When I try to set the self piercing tubular rivets, they pierce alright. The problem is that they will roll a little bit into the trough, kind of like a an eyelet but not that much of a rim. It doesn't split the clinch at all. Sound right? Or are there rivets that are scored or something to split and I had "rollers" instead of "splitters"?

About the only time I use these are a repair on something that the other rivets are split into the six legs that roll and clinch. I stick the tubular rivet into the Rex and press just enough for it penetrate the leather. Then I take it out and split and finish it with the hand tool that splits the tube on an anvil. I can punch a hole and just use the handtool, but I don't have that little plug of leather in the pivet center and it looks odd.

[ryano]

Kate,

Yes the tube is pretty long to accomodate 9/16 long rivets. The driver does not fit into this tube, it pushes the tube down rather empty or with material between it. If you put a shorter rivet into the tube, lets say a 1/4 long, the driver will push the tube down and still hit the shorter rivet. The tube should push down for enough to be at the same level as the casting. If it doesn't, rust or crud is stopping it.

The wall mount riveter you have is for brake linings.

Bruce,

The older style rivet drivers just rolled the edges of the rivet over like an eyelet. The newer drivers have 6 circular drill marks in them to splash the rivet into 6 splits and roll them over. The reason for this is it takes less presser to "splash the rivet." Weaver's sells the newer replacement drivers for the Rex riveters for around 14 bucks to splash the rivet.

[bruce johnson]

Ryan,

Thanks for the info. Both of the ones I have now are Rex 27s and I haven't run across any with the 6 point anvils. Then again they have been with old groups of tools sold as a lot. I'll get a 6 point to fill out an order so I can have that setup next time I order.

Another question on the mechanical side. I had never really done any checking into the Rex 27. Last night I ran across a Model T forum and a few other places that they talked about the Rex 27 being used for brakes. On one forum they were using them for the old Ford tractors too - 8N, 9N, and some others. Did Rex have a different riveter design for brakes back in the day, and now they are making do with the 27?

[Kate]

Kate,

Yes the tube is pretty long to accomodate 9/16 long rivets. The driver does not fit into this tube, it pushes the tube down rather empty or with material between it. If you put a shorter rivet into the tube, lets say a 1/4 long, the driver will push the tube down and still hit the shorter rivet. The tube should push down for enough to be at the same level as the casting. If it doesn't, rust or crud is stopping it.

The wall mount riveter you have is for brake linings.

Bruce,

The older style rivet drivers just rolled the edges of the rivet over like an eyelet. The newer drivers have 6 circular drill marks in them to splash the rivet into 6 splits and roll them over. The reason for this is it takes less presser to "splash the rivet." Weaver's sells the newer replacement drivers for the Rex riveters for around 14 bucks to splash the rivet.

Now, that's great info Ryano, THANK YOU! I'll have to play around with that riveter a bit and see how it works. The post mount tool for brake linings - did the top part (ram) have a collared insert that clipped on via the (bent) through pin? I'd love to have this thing have a real job, other than looking novel - don't need any more bookends.

Bruce, I found the splash parts as a hand tool at Brettuns Village site

http://www.brettunsvillage.com/leather/tools/tools.html#rivetsetters

Those are pretty darn cute! and not badly priced at all.

Thanks for all the valuable info, again,

Kate