bugdozer Posted May 9, 2015 Share Posted May 9, 2015 I'm about to receive my plastic armour parts and am aware that these need rivets to attach various bits. Because I've never used these little fellas before, I looked online at how to attach this type of rivet. It appears you have to first make a hole, then put the rivet through, then smash at it with a hammer to fix the rivet in place. It's the smashing it with a hammer that makes me nervous and also made me think of the many posts where I've seen people commenting on stress fractures in their armour around the rivets - could the method of application encourage this? So what I'm looking for is some sort of guide on the best way to apply the rivets - and also is it allowed to have rivets which look like they are holding bits in place, but really they're just the top of the rivet glued on to the outside, with some other fixing method doing the actual holding together (such as glue, velcro, etc)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
khazara Posted May 10, 2015 Share Posted May 10, 2015 No it's not a hammer, there's a riveting device that essentially pulls a nail through the head, enlarging it so it holds. These rivet tools look like this: http://t.harborfreight.com/hand-tools/hand-riveters.html?utm_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F It's important to get rivets that are long enough for the materials you wish to connect together. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dart Posted May 10, 2015 Share Posted May 10, 2015 What ^^he^^ said. You're looking for pop rivets, not the type you need a hammer to compress together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chef Posted May 10, 2015 Share Posted May 10, 2015 Yup, they'll be pop rivets and you'll need this cheap tool... http://www.ebay.co.u...=item2a4c3c3d7c Easy to do... drill a 4mm hole in the correct place. Pop the rivet through the hole with the shank (the long pointy bit) outwards. Add the backing washer to the rivet head. Place the tool over the shank and squeeze up until it 'pops'. Done. You shouldn't get any stress fractures. The only bits to be aware of are the belt and holster. Because the rivets are going through soft material such as the nylon belt and the vinyl of the boots, you need to add in another square of plastic (plenty included in the kit) after the material to stop the rivet head/washer pulling through the material. so it will be... plastic = nylon belt = plastic = washer (if that makes sense). Better still.... a Picture. On the bits that are just plastic on plastic, you can just add the backing washer. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bugdozer Posted May 10, 2015 Author Share Posted May 10, 2015 Thanks for the tips, guys! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ammonites Posted May 13, 2015 Share Posted May 13, 2015 Just remember to put the washer on the other end. It will keep everything together a lot better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Archer Posted May 24, 2015 Share Posted May 24, 2015 May I add some advice? I strongly suggest getting the swivel head riveting hand tool because it greatly improves the places which you can reach to pull a rivet. Helmets and small places hard to get to where there is little room. Also using the washer/backing spacers on the end of the rivet gives great support to the hole that you drill and surrounding area. I split armor in small places without them. Just my .02$ worth..MTFBWY!!! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mnt33r Posted May 28, 2015 Share Posted May 28, 2015 I purchased a pop rivet gun and have been practicing on some scrap plastic, but the back side of the rivet just never seems to flatten out like the top of the rivet--the best I seem to get is a slightly wider rivet body that sticks out from the plastic quite a bit. Sometimes it will hold in place, but most of the time the popped rivet just falls out of the pilot hole. Any idea what I'm doing wrong? And can we substitute 1/8" screw posts (Chicago screws) for rivets on the belt and knee pads? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chef Posted May 28, 2015 Share Posted May 28, 2015 Are you making sure the pilot hole is EXACTLY the same size as the rivet?? If you're using a 4mm rivet, you need to drill a 4mm hole. Also, are you putting a backing washer on?? It will never sit flat like the head of the rivet, that's not how they work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mnt33r Posted May 29, 2015 Share Posted May 29, 2015 Thanks for the advice--it's working now. I think my pilot hole and washers were a little too big. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bugdozer Posted May 31, 2015 Author Share Posted May 31, 2015 Do I need a plastic square for the knee elastic rivets too? Just wondered as there's not much room to put them... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chef Posted June 1, 2015 Share Posted June 1, 2015 nope, knees work just fine with only the backing washer. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southscout Posted June 1, 2015 Share Posted June 1, 2015 Some rivets are 3.2 mm (1/8"), so you need a 3.2 mm drill. Skickat från min LG-D802 via Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thunder Scout Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 This is a helpful post as I too am a newbie at riveting. What is the recommended size rivet to use? I read on Pandatrooper's build that he used a 1/8" diameter - 1/4" long pop rivet for the knee armor. Do the rivet sizes vary depending on location? (belt, holster, etc.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bugdozer Posted June 14, 2015 Author Share Posted June 14, 2015 This is a helpful post as I too am a newbie at riveting. What is the recommended size rivet to use? I read on Pandatrooper's build that he used a 1/8" diameter - 1/4" long pop rivet for the knee armor. Do the rivet sizes vary depending on location? (belt, holster, etc.) They're all the same size, although I am going to be using a longer rivet for holding the base of my tank to the backplate because the dome of the surface won't allow the rivets I have to reach all the way through. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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