Make you own rivets?

[TFLeader]

Have a project that needs various sized rivets. I do have an aircraft riveting tool. Can I just take cold rolled steel rod and use the rivet gun with a mandrel? Anyone tried this before?

 

[akma]

McMaster-Carr has rivets in many sizes and styles. Can you tell us what application it will be used in?

 

[xtry51]

Have a project that needs various sized rivets. I do have an aircraft riveting tool. Can I just take cold rolled steel rod and use the rivet gun with a mandrel? Anyone tried this before?

The short answer is yes. The long answer requires you give more info on the usage. If its for a gun or plane, I'd hope we don't have to tell you how dumb that would be. If your tinkering with something for yourself that's not load bearing I'd say go for it and learn something. If someone's health/life other than your own could become in danger I'd stick with real rivets.

 

[Boris]

McMaster-Carr has rivets in many sizes and styles. Can you tell us what application it will be used in?

McMaster has shit, totally common shit. I couldn't find rivets I needed there, their steel selection is shit. McMaster is becoming an overpriced shit carrier.


Rivets are ****ing rivets. Depending on application, if you really want, you can find out all the specs. Army refurb manuals would specify exactly what you needed/ steel etc. Here is a rule of thumb: if your rivets are bigger than the material around that they support, they are not what you need to worry about .

Most rolled steel you find in local stores is shit. Don't use it. I shear that crap with my bare hands. America no longer makes steel, we buy it from ****ing commies and that's a totally different rant alltogether.

I have turned bigger rivets down to size. They tend to be from better steel than regular Home Despot mild steel rod.

 

[xtry51]

McMaster has shit, totally common shit. I couldn't find rivets I needed there, their steel selection is shit. McMaster is becoming an overpriced shit carrier.


Rivets are ****ing rivets. Depending on application, if you really want, you can find out all the specs. Army refurb manuals would specify exactly what you needed/ steel etc. Here is a rule of thumb: if your rivets are bigger than the material around that they support, they are not what you need to worry about .

Most rolled steel you find in local stores is shit. Don't use it. I shear that crap with my bare hands. America no longer makes steel, we buy it from ****ing commies and that's a totally different rant alltogether.

I have turned bigger rivets down to size. They tend to be from better steel than regular Home Despot mild steel rod.

 

[akma]

Boris, comrade, I am shocked that a man of your incredible abilities has not forced into submission these little rivets! I sense a lot of frustration and angst in your voice. I did a tutorial on gunco for converting McMaster-Carr rivets into usable AK rivets. Yes the prices are rude but still cheaper than spending $20 per set for rivets. I spent $70 and can do about 25-30 rifles depending on style of build. I had to make some tools to make the swell neck, swage the heads and swage the body down to size. This is a good place to start on how to convert them but not all inclusive by any means. Let me know if you find this helpful.
http://www.gunco.net/forums/f43/making-rivets-tutorial-64966/

 

[ARV]

McMaster has shit, totally common shit. I couldn't find rivets I needed there, their steel selection is shit. McMaster is becoming an overpriced shit carrier.


Rivets are ****ing rivets. Depending on application, if you really want, you can find out all the specs. Army refurb manuals would specify exactly what you needed/ steel etc. Here is a rule of thumb: if your rivets are bigger than the material around that they support, they are not what you need to worry about .

Most rolled steel you find in local stores is shit. Don't use it. I shear that crap with my bare hands. America no longer makes steel, we buy it from ****ing commies and that's a totally different rant alltogether.

I have turned bigger rivets down to size. They tend to be from better steel than regular Home Despot mild steel rod.

+1 for yet another good mini-rant.

 

[Boris]

Boris, comrade, I am shocked that a man of your incredible abilities has not forced into submission these little rivets! I sense a lot of frustration and angst in your voice. I did a tutorial on gunco for converting McMaster-Carr rivets into usable AK rivets. Yes the prices are rude but still cheaper than spending $20 per set for rivets. I spent $70 and can do about 25-30 rifles depending on style of build. I had to make some tools to make the swell neck, swage the heads and swage the body down to size. This is a good place to start on how to convert them but not all inclusive by any means. Let me know if you find this helpful.
http://www.gunco.net/forums/f43/making-rivets-tutorial-64966/

I ended up getting rivets in bulk from rivetsonline, they were dirt cheap, like pennies, and converting those. Great tutorial, btw! I like the torn, bloody skin showing. I keep a bunch of electrical tape handy to cover it!

 

[akma]

Hi Boris thanks for the link! That’s funny I did not even think of the blood till you mentioned it. The rivets are actually about the same price between them. How’s their shipping cost?

You still have to reduce the shaft dia. to .177 or less on the 3/16 rivets to fit the front and rear trunnions. The 5/32 will fit fine with no shaft mods. Did you add the swell neck to yours? I only reshaped the heads because they are way too big right out of the box. I also wanted to see what it takes to come close to the factory look.

 

[Boris]

I had to buy a whole lot of rivets for unrelated projects, so I grabbed various sizes/ lengths and materials etc. I don't remember shipping costs, should have been pretty reasonable. I know that on some rivets they are way cheaper. I needed 1/4 stainless in various head configurations and they had them at lowest cost and variety.

The other method is to enlarge the holes. On this build the rivet head came out disproportionally huge:

[/IMG]

Hi Boris thanks for the link! That’s funny I did not even think of the blood till you mentioned it. The rivets are actually about the same price between them. How’s their shipping cost?

You still have to reduce the shaft dia. to .177 or less on the 3/16 rivets to fit the front and rear trunnions. The 5/32 will fit fine with no shaft mods. Did you add the swell neck to yours? I only reshaped the heads because they are way too big right out of the box. I also wanted to see what it takes to come close to the factory look.

 

[akma]

I didn't want to drill larger holes.

Those babies are huge!

 

[Boris]

I didn't want to drill larger holes.

Those babies are huge!

sorry, I totally screwed up on the place, it was rivetsinstock . com a.k.a jay - cee rivets. Those are the guys who have the good stuph.

 

[akma]

sorry, I totally screwed up on the place, it was rivetsinstock . com a.k.a jay - cee rivets. Those are the guys who have the good stuph.

You had it right the first time it was the same web site.