Very good rivet tool?

[schooliefiend]

So, my bus conversion project is going to start soon and I'd like to pick up a good rivet tool - probably professional grade. Can someone recommend a good rivet tool? I'm not as concerned about the cost as I am about quality and ease of use. Thanks!

 

[somewhereinusa]

I did all 2000 rivets on mine with a Harbor Freight air riveter.

 

[ewo1]

I did all 2000 rivets on mine with a Harbor Freight air riveter.

Same here! trick is too keep them lubed up!

 

[Slapdash]

Can echo the Harbor Freight sentiments with this. I assisted a friend of mine in riveting approximately 1.2 million rivets into an '85 MCI bus and they worked great. No jams, no issues.

 

[Jolly Roger bus 223]

i saw one this week that some commercial metal roofers had that they all swore by.
it was a milwaukee cordless so no hoses to drag around.

 

[nikitis]

So I was about to post a new thread on this for my roof raise, but since this one is up I'll use it.

The Harbor Freight is a good one if you plan to use pop rivets or simple steel rivet removal.

I'm planning to use all Steel rivets and the Harbor Freight one will not suffice. I've been heavily researching riveting lately from multiple sources.

If you want an air hammer to drive in traditional steel rivets, the cheapest one I can find to do the job is the Aircat 5200-A-T Long Stroke.

Here is the science for those interested in learning. Lower BPM (Blows Per Minute) typically are for Destruction purposes, and High BPM are for cutting and separating. Lower BPM will in some cases have a longer stroke, but not always so don't be fooled by the label "Long Stroke", it still may only be 2 5/8 inches long which is NOT sufficient to smash and compress steel rivets.

At minimum you need 3 3/4 inch stroke, and the cheapest I can find is that Air cat at $112-$140 depending on where you buy. From there they jump to $320 for HRH-4X, and up to $610 for the Matco 2916 for the same specs. The Matco is shop grade and should last you forever, if you are just doing a few jobs the Aircat will suffice.

People who retired from the Shop industry stated they used to have longer than 3 3/4in stroke models but nobody uses that much power anymore so they stopped making them, and it's getting harder to even find 3 3/4in stroke models now because they aren't requested as often. People are mostly buying High BPM models for shop use.

But for a roof raise you want at minimum 3 and 3/4in stroke to smash those steel rivets in properly and a heavy duty bucking bar if doing Steel rivets.

If you are doing Aluminum Pop-Rivets, just go with a Harbor Freight riveter. For Steel you don't need a riveter at all because you can just use the Air Hammer and bucking bar to smash/compress. It's a different technology.

 

[schooliefiend]

So I was about to post a new thread on this for my roof raise, but since this one is up I'll use it.

The Harbor Freight is a good one if you plan to use pop rivets or simple steel rivet removal.

I'm planning to use all Steel rivets and the Harbor Freight one will not suffice. I've been heavily researching riveting lately from multiple sources.

If you want an air hammer to drive in traditional steel rivets, the cheapest one I can find to do the job is the Aircat 5200-A-T Long Stroke.

Here is the science for those interested in learning. Lower BPM (Blows Per Minute) typically are for Destruction purposes, and High BPM are for cutting and separating. Lower BPM will in some cases have a longer stroke, but not always so don't be fooled by the label "Long Stroke", it still may only be 2 5/8 inches long which is NOT sufficient to smash and compress steel rivets.

At minimum you need 3 3/4 inch stroke, and the cheapest I can find is that Air cat at $112-$140 depending on where you buy. From there they jump to $320 for HRH-4X, and up to $610 for the Matco 2916 for the same specs. The Matco is shop grade and should last you forever, if you are just doing a few jobs the Aircat will suffice.

People who retired from the Shop industry stated they used to have longer than 3 3/4in stroke models but nobody uses that much power anymore so they stopped making them, and it's getting harder to even find 3 3/4in stroke models now because they aren't requested as often. People are mostly buying High BPM models for shop use.

But for a roof raise you want at minimum 3 and 3/4in stroke to smash those steel rivets in properly and a heavy duty bucking bar if doing Steel rivets.

If you are doing Aluminum Pop-Rivets, just go with a Harbor Freight riveter. For Steel you don't need a riveter at all because you can just use the Air Hammer and bucking bar to smash/compress. It's a different technology.

Wow! Thanks for the excellent answer! I'll check out the options!

P.S. Why did you decide to go with the steel vs. aluminum?

 

[Kentucky Dreaming]

There are steel & stainless steel pop rivets out there.

 

[nikitis]

Wow! Thanks for the excellent answer! I'll check out the options!

P.S. Why did you decide to go with the steel vs. aluminum?

Well, I have a 94 bus, and it already has steel rivets which have these large round protruding dots which gives the bus a muscle look. Modern buses even 6 years later don't have this look. If I mix Aluminium flat (With holes in the middle) it'll look like crap on this bus. If I owned a 2000's or newer bus I would absolutely go Aluminium because the shape matches more on those buses.

 

[schooliefiend]

Well, I have a 94 bus, and it already has steel rivets which have these large round protruding dots which gives the bus a muscle look. Modern buses even 6 years later don't have this look. If I mix Aluminium flat (With holes in the middle) it'll look like crap on this bus. If I owned a 2000's or newer bus I would absolutely go Aluminium because the shape matches more on those buses.

Understood! Didn't even consider the look aspect.

 

[nikitis]

Yeah I'm a bit of a perfectionist. I'll go the extra mile to make something perfect. I'd wager 95% of skoolie builders just go with the aluminum ones.

 

[Timeline]

A Harbor Frieght riveter worked for me, it was able to handle the many 1/4" closed end stainless steel rivets used with no problem.

 

[Hatch-SKO]

huck rivets, nuf said

 

[nikitis]

huck rivets, nuf said

Yeah those are the easy ones to use, the aluminium ones I was speaking of. Harbor Freight tools will do those just fine no problem. You will need a low BPM, Long barrel to do the solid steel rivets well.

It's not to say a smaller one WON'T do steel rivets, but you won't always get a good smush on them, or you will misshapen the rounded head which is against the point of using steel rivets, for the looks. You want nice round heads which gives the body that muscle look like a tank, and only a long barrel air hammer will deliver the right amount of force to do the job correctly.

Those that know, know. Those of you who don't understand will likely never know.

 

[Hatch-SKO]

Huck are whats used on Pete and KW trucks and they come in steel and aluminum and dont have a hole as they are 2 seperate pieces and they take a different tool than a normal riveter. Look them up.

 

[nikitis]

Well they don't have a hole, but the heads are small, won't achieve the look.

 

[Hatch-SKO]

They have very many different sizes and configurations.
I really didnt know that any vehicle manufacturers still used hammered rivets anymore because of being so labor intensive.

 

[nikitis]

They did in the 90's on buses still. Which mine is. A part of me wishes they didn't use them so I could go the simpler route, but I don't want to do half and half. Need them to match.

 

[Timeline]

Yeah I'm a bit of a perfectionist. I'll go the extra mile to make something perfect. I'd wager 95% of skoolie builders just go with the aluminum ones.

Never heard of anyone using aluminum rivets on a steel bus.

How many buck rivets will you and your partner be banging in? Like 1400-1800 of them?

 

[AlphaHare]

My bus has both pop rivets and bucked rivets. IDK why. It's going back together with structural pop rivets.

It's much harder to pull two or more panels together with bucked rivets and you often end up with spaces between the panels.

I'm using this rivet gun. Heavy duty, air over hydraulic, commercial quality. Love it. Not cheap. It's designed for structural rivets.

M39075 Marson Tools (Marson)

Marson M39075 IF-1 Air/Hydraulic Rivet Tool; 3/6 Inch to 1/4 Inch Structural-Long Stroke

www.baysupply.com

I'm using Huck Magna Lock structural pop rivets in 3/16 and 1/4 sizes. Steel body and steel mandrel. The 1/4 about match what's on the bus today and the 3/16 are good for smaller panels. The mandrel is kept within the rivet giving a ton of shear force and also making them nominally watertight. They pull panels together tightly and are very solid fasteners.

https://www.baysupply.com/amfile/file/download/file/2014/product/17207/

I also use Cleco style pins for tooling (from amazon)

I tried a Harbor Freight gun and it stopped pulling reliably after about 400 rivets. I got frustrated trying to get it to work. The jaws suck, there are only two, not three, they are softer than they should be, and they don't match the serrations on the mandrel.