Flush rivet sets

tshort · Post by **tshort** » Thu Aug 03, 2006 5:02 pm

So I have 4 flush rivet sets (I know, I know, tool junkie - just had to try them) - A swivel set with and without rubber guard, and a non-swivel set with and without rubber guard.

How many of you that solo rivet have tried any set except the swivel set with the rubber guard? I admit, I was terrified to try it as I had heard how hard a non swivel set was to use. Well, today I am riveting the LE skins on and decided to try some of the other sets. I am now hooked on the non swivel set with the rubber guard from Cleaveland:

http://cleavelandtoolstore.com/prodinfo ... ber=RSMR60

This thing is great! It is far more efficient than the swivel set, making setting rivets much faster (at the same pressure it takes less than 1/2 the burst to set compared to the swivel set). The rivets look better, too. I have found no tendency to skate or move out of place.

I also have a swivel set with no rubber guard - tough to use solo! It likes to scoot around. I don't have the gonads to try the non-swivel no rubber set alone based on this.

I am done with the swivel set - the results and ease of this are so much better!

Thomas
-8 wings

Wicked Stick · Post by **Wicked Stick** » Thu Aug 03, 2006 9:55 pm

Thomas,

Nice post, and great to get feedback from users.
I was tempted to purchase that one, but never did try it out.

I have the swivel, and the straight (non rubberized) set...
Perhaps on my next order, I'll grab one of those and try it out.

JohnR · Post by **JohnR** » Thu Aug 03, 2006 10:22 pm

Thomas,

Thanks for sharing that. I actually have a rivet set like that but have not even used it. I always pick up the swivel one. Guess I need ot give it a try.

captain_john · Post by **captain_john** » Fri Aug 04, 2006 4:43 am

Dave, I will letcha borrow mine. I need to give it a whirl again, now that I have more experience. Maybe we will use it today?!?

My take on it? The swivleling one is better for the novice. This one requires an accurate alignment of the gun, perpendicularly to the sheet metal.

CJ

tshort · Post by **tshort** » Fri Aug 04, 2006 5:21 am

CJ-
I thought so too ... but I still consider myself a relative novice, and I was riveting solo with one hand deep in the LE and one on the gun on the outside. It didn't want to wander at all. The swivel set with no rubber, on the other hand ... whoa! I think the rubber makes more difference than the swivel.
It seems like the non swivel set is more efficient - almost like the swivel set absorbs some of the hammering of the gun.

T.

captain_john · Post by **captain_john** » Fri Aug 04, 2006 5:30 am

Thomas, the thing I noticed about the swivel set is the rubber outer part is too tall. You need to really press on it in order to make good, solid contact between the face of the set and the work.

To rectify this, I trimmed (using my belt sander) the rubber a bit. This made it easier to use.

Maybe try that?

CJ

Post by **Spike** » Fri Aug 04, 2006 8:20 am

I have two sets, one rubberized swivel, and one is a strait set with no rubber at all. Like CJ I had to remove some of the rubber off of the swivel set as it flexed too much and was too hard to make good contact on the rivet.

What I have found lately is that I have been using the straight set more than anything. I have generally had better success with that one. The only time that I dinged something with it was when I was trying to do something single handed that I should have never been trying to do.

- Spike

cjensen · Post by **cjensen** » Fri Aug 04, 2006 8:58 am

I hated my swivel set when I first got it, and VERY soon after I got it, I trimmed the rubber almost flush with the set. Works great now, and it's the one I reach for each time. The others work well, and I have the one being discussed, as well as it's two little brothers (3/4" and 1/2"). I just haven't used 'em since the swivel was trimmed.

prestwich · Post by **prestwich** » Fri Aug 04, 2006 9:18 pm

I actually bought two of the rubber swivels in my haste and confusion, but I never used them. I was going to make some fancy practice riveting fixture with a bunch of scrap aluminum in a framework.

By the time I was ready to start riveting, I was out of patience and I said to hell with practicing. I got the solid non-flex non-rubber set out, put it in the gun, and banged away on my HS, bucking with my left hand. Duck soup. Makes me wonder what all the fuss is about with the swivels and the rubber guards. I wouldn't want to use either one now. It's extremely easy to hold the flush set perpendicular to the workpiece, and it's fairly easy to keep it from dancing around.

To be honest, I hammered three or four rivets - no more than that - in another guy's shop in a scrap piece a few months before I bought my kit. But that was absolutely the extent of my experience. I made plenty of mistakes on the HS, but I didn't put any smileys in it. I was worried sick about how difficult it was going to be to pound a decent rivet, but I really found it to be ridiculously easy. (Of course, I do have the Prestwich Rivet Gun Timer for consistency, but that isn't related to holding the tools.)

Your mileage may vary, but I give the swivels and the guards the thumbs down. They may work fine - I don't know because I've never tried them - but I sure don't think they're needed.

JohnR · Post by **JohnR** » Fri Aug 04, 2006 9:38 pm

Riveting is a lot easier than I expected it to be when I started. I had heard horror stories about bucking rivets and how hard it was. Mainly from people who had builts planes that used pop-rivets as the main rivets in construction. I think most of the rumors come from people who have not done any riveting. The reason I like the rubber on the set is that it seems I don't scratch the skin as much. Not that it makes much difference because I'm going to scratch the daylights out of it before painting it.