rivet gun

[georgel]

The latest WB mag. has an interesting overview on fasteners. they mention in passing The possibility of doing rivets single handed with the help of an aircraft style rivet gun. I am going to be replacing many ribs in a 32 foot 1957 Stephens Bro. power boat. The old ribs are 1'' thick X 1-1/4 wide. on 8" centers. The floors are over the ribs. I would like to know of anyones experience trying to single handedly rivet using a rivet gun. which rivet gun???

[holzbt]

I've used both a pnuematic palm nailler with an insert made from drill rod for each size rivet, and a cheapo $10 air hammer that I modified one of the bits to fit the rivets. They both work quite well. Wear good hearing protectors.

Other than in a small boat I don't know how you would do this single handed.

[boylesboats]

Pretty damn violent blows if ya ask me...

If you're using copper nails and roves, it doesn't take much to mushroom the ends.. just a few taps from 6 ounce ball peen hammer is all its required..

Idea is gettin' it done single handed, is 'nother story.. I just need another set arms..

Pop rivets is another thought, but they're not relible for being water tight..

[Paul Pless]

Other than in a small boat I don't know how you would do this single handed.How did Ken Hutchins fasten TallyHo by himself?

[BarnacleGrim]

The best thing I can come up with is welding up some kind of device that you can roll around the shop with a bucking bar at the end.

[boylesboats]

The best thing I can come up with is welding up some kind of device that you can roll around the shop with a bucking bar at the end.

Or straping bucking iron unto yer leg... That was my idea at first... as you progress, up around yer waist, to yer belly, to yer chest, if not any higher yet.. let not go there... I'll hire a woodpecker...

[GregH]

Pretty damn violent blows if ya ask me...(quote from boylesboat)

Actually, NOT violent at all. Aircraft rivets are soft aluminum, therefore the guns are adjustable, and can be made to produce very light, easy to control blows. The rivets still need to be bucked however, which on a structure of any size, requires either a helper, or very long arms!

[switters]

we had a small piece of railroad track about 6-inches long that could usually be clamped to the side of the rib with a bar clamp. The blows really aren't all that violent as mentioned, more like a vibration. The problem is that the vibration can make everything slip also. I've spent many an hour in the shop doing this when I was young and don't recommend it because I still had to redo about every 4th rivet.

YMMV

I was thinking about strip canoes with pop rivets over the summer when I was working on my dads boat trailer with a pop rivets. In the end I think cedar is too soft for the pop rivets to work right and would dimple and split the wood. I may do a sample one of these days just to see.

[Brian Palmer]

I once visited Alumacraft in Minnesota and all the rivetting (and there was a lot going on) was done by two people, one bucking and the other riveting with an air hammer.

Brian

[georgel]

In the bow of the 32 ft. cabin cruiser single handed bucking is not an option. I was hoping it might be possible to get the rivets tight without bucking. I know that the rivet guns are usable and might speed things up a bit at the expense of a lot of noise. But It sounds as if it is still a 2 person job.

[georgel]

I've used both a pnuematic palm nailler with an insert made from drill rod for each size rivet, and a cheapo $10 air hammer that I modified one of the bits to fit the rivets. They both work quite well. Wear good hearing protectors.

Other than in a small boat I don't know how you would do this single handed.

The modified cheapo air hammer sounds encouraging. But apparently I still need 2 sets of hands in 2 different places. I will be using rose head rivets and Euro style roves. Is there any chance that the rivets would suck tight w/o bucking them???

[GregH]

Nope!!!

[boylesboats]

Pretty damn violent blows if ya ask me...(quote from boylesboat)

Actually, NOT violent at all. Aircraft rivets are soft aluminum, therefore the guns are adjustable, and can be made to produce very light, easy to control blows. The rivets still need to be bucked however, which on a structure of any size, requires either a helper, or very long arms!

I uses air chisel a lot to removes rusted bolts and parts, at 4500 blows per minute it can make a mess of things..
Almost like a miniature jack hammer, you can punch holes in cured concrete easily.

Palm nailers merely buzzes, if ya can keep it centered over nail head, you're doing good..

[chainyank]

Hi there, I wondered about this as well. A few weeks back I found an image on the IYRS Blog about a pneumatic hammer they rigged up to set rivets. I just got done looking over the blog again, but can not seem to find the images (or my question and answer in the comments), but it was essentially this; You buy one of those pneumatic sets with the chisel bits, and you grind, weld, and otherwise hack a set of rove, pean, and set tools made from the chisels that come with the set. That way you can rivet faster and with less effort. More than that I can't really say.

Here is an image of a one man backing iron, and the hand tools. This works in an open small craft (from Thomas Larrson's great book "Träbåtsrenovering"):
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3619/3352301118_bd515c6d5b.jpg?v=0

That hammer and rove driver could be easily changed to a pneumatic.

If you have a larger boat, I would say it is impossible to back up and drive yourself. Even with help and pneumatics, the backing up gets heavy. I used a couple timbers (2x4s) and a friend to standby and add a little help backing up the rivets I drove by hand (about 50 rivets).
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3571/3331101769_f80d5c8fed.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3640/3331101109_e543e491e3.jpg?v=0
I plan to make a pneumatic set this summer for next winters project though, where I will have a few hundred to do. But there is no good answer for pneumatic backing up, though:rolleyes:.

So have a look at the IYRS site, or ask "Tom" on the blog about the tool, he was the one who answered my question, they seem open to questions, and it is a good blog. Hope this helps......

[Canoeyawl]

I made a custom bit for an air hammer and succesfully headed about 2000 rivets in three days. Two people - one to back-up the heads.
The air gun was about thirty bucks, I ran it through a regulator to vary the rate of blows. The tool was made from a punch that came with the gun. Just a concave dimple in the end. (lathe)
You should always make test samples in scrap material of exactly your planking then carefully cut the wood away to be certain they are not bending. This will help you develop the proper technique for the power tool. I bent quite a few in tests before the cut length and pressure setting was correct.

[Captain Blight]

There was an article in WBM within the last 10 years about a tool designed just for this, the boatbuilder had used an automotive valve (Probably not sodium-filled) in a u-shaped holder with a cam device to hold the stem of the valve against the head of the rivet while he peened over the rove end. Seemed like a fantastic idea to me, and I've never had to buck or set rivets.

[georgel]

Thanks guys. I can buy A/C type guns. Back when Boeing surplus store was available they had bins full. Now they are available on line but a bit pricey. Come with a 3/16 set/hammer. I may go that route or try modified an air hammer/chisel. A slight dimple in the end of the peening hammer is an excellent Idea. I have a machinist friend who works for boeing he may be able to help. They used to have special arrangements for employees back when the store was in operation.
As to building a tool to buck for me, Even if I could it wouldn't be practical. all that climbing in and out of the boat would be slow and tedious..
thanks for the input.