Recommend a rivet tool

[chris-s]

I had need to fit some larger than usual monal rivets yesterday, 6x13mm, and my cheapie concertina style tool was barely up to the job. It bent a couple of struts (presumably made of cheese) requiring me to remove them and reassemble it whilst it was as stuck firmly on a partly set rivet on the mast.

It would also not release its grip to slide forward and take another bite. This required me to use various size spanner’s and tools to fit between the tip and the rivet head in order to set them properly and then disassembling the tool to remove the old rivet shaft before starting the next one. A right royal pita.

So, any suggestions on a decent tool for these larger rivets (not that I have any more to fit right now).

Chris

 

[Clancy Moped]

See if you can rent/borrow an air powered one.

 

[chris-s]

Sorry, I should have said it needs to be a manual one as there is no power out on the mooring.

I’ve seen ‘drill powered’ attachments but doubt they would be suitable for anything but smaller aluminium rivets.

Chris

 

[VicS]

My lazy tongs wont set that size Monel rivet either
Id suggest the type of tool with two long handles

Your's may not have moved forwards for a second bite because you had not fully extended it........... its only the last little bit that opens the chuck jaws .

 

[NormanS]

I bought a "Faithfull" double handled one, and it coped with 6.4mm monel rivets. It's a good tool.

 

[AntarcticPilot]

Sorry, I should have said it needs to be a manual one as there is no power out on the mooring.

I’ve seen ‘drill powered’ attachments but doubt they would be suitable for anything but smaller aluminium rivets.

Chris

I've got a drill powered one, and have used it for monel rivets, not as big as yours. But it popped the rivets really easily, and I'd been struggling to pop them using a pliers type tool. I used it with a lightweight cordless drill. Given that the drill driven ones are pretty cheap, I'd consider giving it a try.

 

[Stingo]

I've got a drill powered one, and have used it for monel rivets, not as big as yours. But it popped the rivets really easily, and I'd been struggling to pop them using a pliers type tool. I used it with a lightweight cordless drill. Given that the drill driven ones are pretty cheap, I'd consider giving it a try.

Do you perhaps have a link to one on ebay or some such, please?
Edit 1. Not the drill, but the attachment.
Edit 2. I see you now have a link in your reply. Thank you.

 

[DownWest]

I did some 6mm monels up a mast with a long handled pro tool. Not fun, as I needed one hand for the mast, so had to cradle one handle with my neck. When the mandril snapped, I got a belt in the jaw, six times... Anything that would use a battery drill now would be godsend. (that was in 2000)

 

[AntarcticPilot]

Do you perhaps have a link to one on ebay or some such, please?
Edit 1. Not the drill, but the attachment.
Edit 2. I see you now have a link in your reply. Thank you.

Be warned that I read the reviews before buying, and it appeared that there was a fairly high number of unhappy people whose purchase had not worked out of the box. I noticed that most of those were older reviews and that the reviews were polarized between those who liked it and those who had problems! I took the chance and was happy, but you pays your money and takes your choice!

 

[Egbod]

An air powered riveter could work well. It should not use much air and you could transport a small compressor / air reservoir that had had the reservoir fully pressurised in advance ( no need to run the compressor on your boat) The one that I have borrowed was very effective.

 

[Boathook]

I've got a drill powered one, and have used it for monel rivets, not as big as yours. But it popped the rivets really easily, and I'd been struggling to pop them using a pliers type tool. I used it with a lightweight cordless drill. Given that the drill driven ones are pretty cheap, I'd consider giving it a try.

I've been looking at the drill powered ones and they only seem to do up 4.8mm diameter rivets. It's the 6mm / quarter inch monel ones that I sometimes need help with, especially whilst up the mast.

 

[Daverw]

Sorry, I should have said it needs to be a manual one as there is no power out on the mooring.

I’ve seen ‘drill powered’ attachments but doubt they would be suitable for anything but smaller aluminium rivets.

Chris

I’ve used the drill attachment on 6mm Monel rivets, it works far better than you would think, they just fitted

 

[Boathook]

I’ve used the drill attachment on 6mm Monel rivets, it works far better than you would think, they just fitted

Could you put a link to the one that you have used please. All theones I have seen say upto 4.8mm rivets and the reviews seem a mixed bag for that size as well.

 

[AntarcticPilot]

Could you put a link to the one that you have used please. All theones I have seen say upto 4.8mm rivets and the reviews seem a mixed bag for that size as well.

As I noted, the reviews do seem to be very mixed, with a total polarization between those who think they're great and those who couldn't make them work at all! I got the impression that the bad reviews were mostly older, implying initial problems that were overcome during production (most of the ones I've seen look identical despite different names and suppliers). Mine worked, and worked far more efficiently than I expected. The mechanical advantage seems to be great - basically a screw jack - and of course, the jaws don't have to let go and release as they do in manual tools, so once they're set, they're set! If you can get a nozzle (or whatever the right term is) to fit your rivets, I'd be surprised if it didn't work - mine made very easy work of rather smaller rivets with a low-powered cordless drill. In fact it was so easy that the first one took me by surprise!

 

[r_h]

I have this one (thanks to a recommendation on here):
Heavy-Duty Long Arm Riveter

It deals with easily with 6.3mm monel rivets.

 

[Daverw]

Could you put a link to the one that you have used please. All theones I have seen say upto 4.8mm rivets and the reviews seem a mixed bag for that size as well.

Unfortunately I did not buy it but was given to me by a friend who has a fabrication company who use them all the time on site as they save loads of time. what size pin does a 6mm rivet have, the internal jaws open up quite a bit and it may just be the replaceable pin guide just needs to be opened up to fit, this may be what he has done to his.

 

[Quiddle]

I've installed 6mm monel up the mast with no great effort using one of these:
BLUESPOT HEAVY DUTY RIVET GUN HAND RIVETER TOOL + 320 RIVETS 4 HEAD NOZZLES 9103 | eBay

 

[dancrane]

Can we clarify, is the long-handled type easier (and more successful) to use than either the little 'pliers' type, or the 'lazy tongs'?

I had the small Screwfix pliers type, and when a rather awful standard lamp fortuitously crashed to the floor, yielding segmented 18-inch heavy brass tubes, I extended the riveter's arms by about 15 inches. Quite effective, until the riveter's own arms cracked in use.

But the 'long-handled' variety recommended here, isn't all that much longer than the little one was. Does it really give advantageous leverage? I have a lazy tongs now which sometimes does, sometimes doesn't work.

 

[lynallbel]

No matter what tool you use, it needs the correct nosepiece, and in some cases the correct jaws to work correctly.
I have some Avdel lazy tongs set up for use on aluminium 6.25,, (1/4) rivets which is does easily.
I have no idea how tough Model rivets are.

We use loads of rivets at work of all sizes/materials, and all the tools end up broken regardless of initial cost/quality.
Mono bolts take some setting, and even that tool (800 quid) is now playing up!
The long handled ones are not much cop either, may last in a diy enviroment though.

 

[dancrane]

That's quite helpful, thanks Lynallbel.

The troubles I've had are the jaws failing to grip the mandrel, or gripping it so tightly that it is broken off without first being extracted, or snapping it off at the rivet, leaving the stem of the mandrel inside the set rivet, where it inevitably rusts or corrodes.

Monel rivets seem (to me) to be much, much harder than aluminium, and require good luck and lots of effort before they finally pop, like a small firearm.