1/4” or 3/16” Rivets for Skinning

[Nick5272]

Hey everyone, I'm at the roof raise time. I've gotten some mixed messages from others on what size. One piece of feedback was that a pre drilled hole required 3/16" while a reused hole required a 1/4". I'm going to largely be using reused rivet holes and wet riveting them in. Thing is, the 1/4" rivets are nearly $1000 for a 1000 pack. While the 3/16" are $300. Seems like clear choice but wanted to hear any opposition or cautions you all have got.
Link for 3/16
Link for 1/4

[rossvtaylor]

Hi again, Nick. I only use 1/4-inch closed end rivets. Yes, they're not cheap. But if you're reusing holes you need to drill them out a bit anyway, so 1/4-inch work great. The head sizes are the same as your factory bus rivets, too.

I looked at your link and that's where I get rivets, too. But you picked the super long ones. You only need longer rivets for some rare spots. Generally, I get the .126-.250 for skins to ribs and I get a few (a couple hundred) longer .376-.500 rivets. I've never had a need to get the ones as long as those you linked to...which are more expensive than needed.

A 1000 box of the PR84FFPH .126-.250 1/4-inch stainless closed end rivets is $508

[Nick5272]

Okay thank you Ross. Great feedback. Had another person on Reddit link me to THESE. But some reviews said they weren’t 100% stainless steel.

[rossvtaylor]

Originally Posted by Nick5272

Okay thank you Ross. Great feedback. Had another person on Reddit link me to THESE. But some reviews said they weren’t 100% stainless steel.

The listing does say they're food safe, so perhaps they are all stainless. But they're only 3/16" and they are not closed-end rivets.

[DeMac]

Nick5272,
The tread title is terrific & will likely be in the top results of future search queries. 🏆 Kudos!

The other thread you started may help readers find additional relevant info about rivets.
I included a link here:
its-roof-raise-time-am-i-a-green-light

The thread above may help folks to consider & weigh their options.

Builders searching for rivets may want to order the correct bits at the same time.
ANSI to ISO Drill Bit Chart


JayCee Rivet Specifications (below) provides the manufacturer's suggested tollarances for thier Closed-end Blind Rivets.⤵