How to set a copper rivet

[esantoro]

I picked up an Osborne #9 tool from OTB along with my #9 rivets. I understand what the hole and the concave part are for on the end of the tool, but what is the larger hole that runs through the side of the head for?

[bruce johnson]

Ed,

I used to use that hole to set rivets that were too long. Just lay the setter on its side and whack away. I had a mechanic/machinist laugh hysterically at me several years ago. The hole is to hang up the setter on a pegboard or nail on the wall. That is why the hole is bigger according to him. Now THAT makes sense to me.

[esantoro]

Thanks, Bruce. I would never have figured out that the hole was simply for hanging up the tool. I like your idea better.

[Art]

Hi Ed,

The Brass rivets with burrs are really hard, it is way easier to cut them off with a Dremel than to nip them off with nippers, even compound leverage ones, you get a pretty clean cut on copper, but nippers on the brass can bugger up the cut pretty good. Might want to practice with one before you do it for real.

Art

Hi John,

Can you tell me exactly what head type and size of tubular rivets you ordered from Hansens. I was trying to work with them six months ago but they didn't have the sizes I needed. For steel tubular rivets I stuck with OTB, about $5 for 100 and about $4 for 100 caps (brass plated only, old stock at that).

Now I'm thinking of going with solid rivets. I like the method of using brute force to smash down the rivet post onto the burr. I get the feel that this is the strongest hold, especially for parts of my briefcases that have to bear a 30lbs load, though thick saddlestitching is also used in these areas. I want to make sure a rivet never pops out on a customer.

My only concern with the solid rivets is that the rivet backs on my straps and two locations on the back of the briefcase (unless I forgo rivets here) will be exposed, and the look of the smashed down post onto the burr is not the most elegant. I think I may have a solution though: use the solid brass rivets only on those areas that bear a load, three in the handle assembly (backs will be concealed under suede lining) and for each of the two shoulder strap D-ring fobs (if I really want to obsess, I could work out away to conceal this rivet back too, hmmmm). I would use the double-capped brass jiffy rivets in all other places.

I would also like to make a bag with copper rivets, but then I would also need copper plated double capped jiffys, and I'm not sure if they are even made.

Anyway, I'm calling Hansens tomorrow to get their prices on the solid brass rivets.

Ed

[Mike Craw]

Guys,

One thing to watch for with the Douglas rivet tools - Don't use a steel hammer on them, they mushroom bad. Don Butler had a set at Saddle Week in Sheridan last year that looked like he used a sledge hammer on them! Carlos and I use a good size poly head hammer, and they work great and look like they just came out of the box! If you're going to set many rivets and they will show in your work, these are worth the money for ease of use and excellent function.

Mike

[esantoro]

Hi Mike,

I've been wanting to ask this for a long time. I've got a yellow poly mallet from Tandy but have been thinking it's a bit too light for setting rivets, especially copper rivets. Can you suggest a good size (weight) poly or rawhide mallet for setting rivets?

ed

[Johanna]

Good grief, Ed, you're trying to set copper rivets with a poly mallet? Get yourself a maul and save your elbow the reverberations! If you're going to be doing this full-time, you have to take care of your hands and arms. You can seriously hurt yourself, over time, using a poly mallet trying to do heavy hardware pounding. I use the rawhide maul in the shop for 3-D stamps, alphabets, all hardware and anything I need to whack hard. On the smaller snaps and rivets, the weight of the maul is enough to set them, and it saves time and effort. A maul only costs maybe $20-$25 from HC or Tandy.

Johanna

[JohnD]

Ed,

I ordered 9/64 truss or oval head solid brass tubular rivets. ( they were actually only $6/100)

I am actually going to call them again here soon to order some other sizes.

John

[esantoro]

John,

I called Hanson's today, but again they didn't have the sizes I was asking for. I'll try the 9/64. Did you get solid brass caps with those. Last time I asked, they had only steel.

Ed

[Mike Craw]

Hey Ed,

Johanna makes a good point about getting tools that will serve you well in the future. Rather than buying a poly mallet large enough to do you any good, a 2 pound maul will serve to do other jobs as well. The point I was making was to use something that won't mushroom those rivet tools. I've seen some of them that started out 5/8 th in diameter that were mushroomed to over an inch of split, jagged metal on top.

I like the delrin or nylon headed mauls rather than rawhide, because rawhide mallets tend to flake and deform. My full-time tooling mallet is a 16 oz. nylon head I got from Barry King when we were out in Sheridan for Saddle Week last year. I saw a photo of Chuck Stormes at his tooling bench in the latest Western Horseman. He's using what appears to be a 1 to 1.5 inch square piece of wood about 18" long with rawhide wrapped around each end. Both ends look like they have been tooled with. It just depends on what works for you. I have almost as much fun trying new stuff as I do tooling!

Mike