How to set a copper rivet

[Peter Ellis]

I'll recommend another source for rivets, RJ Leahy. They carry a wide selection of fasteners, more focused on industrial than craft, but good prices on copper rivets and burrs, and quite a selection of solid metal rivets.

Brass is much harder than copper. Harder to cut, harder to pein. Piening brass rivets is not much easier than piening stainless steel ones. I'm not sure that anyone is making rivet sets I would recommend using on brass or stainless. A set for those would need to be a good hardened steel.

They're best set with a hammer (either a ball pien or a cross pien) and some skill, imo.

Also, if you have contacts with a machinist, you can get your rivet set made with something more than just a dome.

A flower pattern, for example, so when you set your copper rivet the head comes out not as a dome, but a dome with petals. This sort of decorative rivet work is found in lots of medieval armour. The guys reproducing it today are getting into it now as well.

Something else is that the burrs themselves don't have to be simple washers. They too can be dressed up. One can file the edges (lots of time and effort), or make a stamp and punch shapes. There are also some small scale commercial sources for rosettes meant as decorative rivet add-ons. They've a hole in the center for the rivet, and you can either put them on the head side and pien normally on the shank, or you can put the rosette over the shank and then pien very carefully - don't want to mess up the rosette.

Anyway, there are lots of areas for spicing things up where rivets are concerned.

[JohnD]

Ed,

At first the guy told me they only had steel caps, but after checking some more he said he had some in brass. Come to think of it, I think that's why I went with 9/64 cause that what they had in brass. I was originally looking for 1/8. The measurements are the body diameter not the head dia.

[steveb]

Just saw this thread, I set quite a lot of copper rivets. Someone mentioned the river head domer.

Shameless plug, I am in not way afilliated, etc. Bob Douglas makes a three piece set for each of the three common sizes. One sets the burr, one peens the shank after it is cut to length, and the third domes the head. There are a few things I would not do without, and my wife says the setters are one of 'em. My wife will tell other makers or look at something in a shop and comment that they should get a set from Bob. Some guys have said that the domer on Bob's will sometimes overlap a #9 head (I think it is sold as an 8/9?). I haven't had that problem with any of my #9s from a few different sources. The shanks on Bob's setter/peener/domer have one, two, and three grooves, so you can tell which order to pick them up if they are all laying together on the bench. You can order them from Bob, or Vandy sells them at Sheridan Leather Outfitters.

One thing I would differ on from the tutorial. If someone used my hoofnippers to cut rivets, I would be a bit upset. I used to use endcut nippers with longer handles. I started using compound action end nippers last year after I dislocated the thumb. Quite the deal, and now just bought a really cool old pair in an antique emporium ($5, it pays to look in those barrels) that are neater looking, bigger, and even easier.

I have three sets of the douglas burr/stake setters - 9, 12 and 14 - they rock - work great - feel great - and I would never use a steel hammer on any decent tool - use a poly dead blow hammer (i just got a great one from Sears today) and a dedicated set of nippers to cut the stake...momey well spent if you sue lots of burr and stake rivets..

steveb

[esantoro]

steve,

I've been looking at the dead blow hammers at Sears online. I'm looking to get a two pound hammer. Which one did you get? I noticed Sears has several.

thanks,

Ed

[steveb]

steve,

I've been looking at the dead blow hammers at Sears online. I'm looking to get a two pound hammer. Which one did you get? I noticed Sears has several.

thanks,

Ed

dont know - it was red, small and had a funny molded handle. ive been using that same old beat to crap

garland mallet for years and have bneen waiting till i saw a modern one that was as good

in the hand as my old beater - this seems to work well so far..cleaner strike an more mass