ChromeDome
Well-known member
You need to drill a hole to the size recommended for the rivet to get the best result.
You need to drill a hole to the size recommended for the rivet to get the best result.
Sorry for late reply as I have been away. I can't now tell you where I bought all of the monel rivets from, but some certainly came from Aladdins Cave chandlery, which is now owned by Force 4, and most from chandlers in Marmaris. I don't think any had shown rust before I sold the boat, but where I could I punched out the mandrels after setting the rivets. When working with stainless rivets on the kit car, I always punched out the mandrels. It is very important to use correct length rivets. Too short and they are not going to be strong enough, but if too long it will be difficult or impossible to punch out the mild steel core.Thanks for these comments. I'm sorry to conclude that monel rivets from Force 4 may be less good than required, especially at around £1 per rivet. The rust marks I've noticed (in some cases) would seem to show they have mild steel mandrels.
I'm not especially worried about some visual corrosion of the mandrel, although it is odd that most haven't suffered while some do. All were from Force 4.
Reading this thread and the earlier 2015 one, I didn't feel anyone had established absolutely what the mandrel ought to be made from, in order to be strong enough in use, and critically, able to be set every time without the mandrel failing.
Norman, where did your 100% reliable rivets come from?