Screw or rivet?

[Strathglass]

Pity you are not a bit nearer Graham. I have both a lazy tongs and a lever type.(and a get-up-quick mast ladder)

The lever one will take up to 5mm only but it is much easier to use up a mast.

I also have a stock of 5mm stainles rivets. You are welcome to a dozen or so of them if you wish. (not quite as good as monel ones but still very strong - MUST be used with an insulating paste when fixing things to the mast).

Perhaps you could borrow a lever type tool down there.

PM your address and I will send some off.

Cheers

Iain

 

[Danny Jo]

[ QUOTE ]
Disadvantage of rivets;- the steel core doesn't always drop off and can rust.

[/ QUOTE ] Discussing the cause of corrosion that has destroyed one end of my alloy boom vang, the rigger suggested that the rust red discoloration may have come from the corroded mandrel (steel core) of the rivet. It is his practice to knock the mandrels through with a punch. This made sense to me at the time, because I had in mind one of the mast head rivets which still had an inch of the mandrel projecting and I told him I was going to try knocking it in with a hammer - at which he remarked that I would still need a punch for the last bit. But on reflection, I recognize that this practice removes the ball-shaped foot of the mandrel, which according to the Wikipedia entry on rivets, weakens it.