Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
 


Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
 
Old 09-22-2014, 07:14 PM   #1
Rivet Master
 
dbj216's Avatar

 
1986 34' Limited
1975 27' Overlander
1969 21' Globetrotter
Conifer , Colorado
Join Date: Jun 2009
Posts: 8,278
Images: 1
Marine Blind Rivets

A fella who repairs boats told me about marine blind rivets. I understand they are designed to seal under water.

marine blind rivets - Bing Images

Has anyone ever used these in Airstream applications? I consider the Olympic rivets more decorative than structural. Those little spider legs just don't look very strong. I suppose the Olympic rivets have a bigger grip range, but if a leg gets hung up, the mandrel breaks inside the rivet. Kind of a pain.

Maybe a marine blind rivet would work in applications that you don't see much, like roof vents? I don't understand how these rivets work.

David
dbj216 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-23-2014, 09:46 AM   #2
Rivet Master
 
Belegedhel's Avatar
 
1973 21' Globetrotter
Houston , Texas
Join Date: Sep 2009
Posts: 3,314
The images, descriptions, etc., I got for marine blind rivets just makes them look and sound like a conventional "pop" rivet, except that they are stainless steel. I did find some that had what looked like a cup on the mandrel side of the un-popped rivet, and maybe they fill that cup with sealant of some kind to lend water proofness to them. They are crazy expensive, though.

I've heard plenty of discussion about the benefits of bucked rivets vs. Olympics, and I would say, that yes, in theory, I believe a bucked rivet will be stronger than a pop rivet of any kind. When I disassembled my trailer during a shell-off, I discovered that a rear corner segment had been replaced at one time using Olympics, and both wing windows in front had been replaced as well. All the rivets were fully intact (ie., no evidence of mechanical failure after who knows how many years going up and down the road), and no indication that these rivet had contributed to any more leaks than the rest of the structure.

So I am happy to use a bucked rivet anywhere that I can access the backside, an Olympic anywhere that the rivet head needs to match the bucked rivets, and a conventional blind rivet anywhere that strength and "matching" aesthetics are not that important (ie., interior panels, belly skin).

good luck!
Belegedhel is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-23-2014, 10:45 AM   #3
Rivet Master
 
dbj216's Avatar

 
1986 34' Limited
1975 27' Overlander
1969 21' Globetrotter
Conifer , Colorado
Join Date: Jun 2009
Posts: 8,278
Images: 1
Thanks for your response Belegedhel. I appreciate your experience with Olympic rivet performance in your trailer. Did you see any Olympic rivets that had one or more of their legs hung up on a side wall? I had a heck of a time riveting a new furnace outer skin patch on my Trade Wind. Several of the rivets had mandrels that broke inside instead of protruding like they are supposed to. I assume it is due to one of the legs hitting an adjacent surface.

That's why I looked up marine blind rivets thinking they might work better because they take less backside room. But looking at the images, I couldn't see anything really special about them over the standard pop rivet.

David
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:	1406 Furnace Vents Completed.jpg
Views:	131
Size:	209.0 KB
ID:	222621  
dbj216 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-23-2014, 11:02 AM   #4
Rivet Master
 
Belegedhel's Avatar
 
1973 21' Globetrotter
Houston , Texas
Join Date: Sep 2009
Posts: 3,314
Didn't notice that the wide legs of the Olympics caused any problems--and it looked like all of the mandrels were flush with the shaved surface. I did remove both of my wing windows that had been Olympic riveted into place so that I could rebuild them as single paned windows. When I went to buck them back into place, I found that the aluminum skin was quite swiss-cheesy with holes. From the way they were eaten up, those wing windows may have been replaced more than once. The Olympics had no trouble finding a grip with their wide legs, but I had to actually fab a fresh strip of aluminum for the backside so that the bucked rivets would have something to grab. If I had tried to rebuild those windows without access to the back side, and had tried to substitute a more conventional style of blind rivet instead of the Olympics, I could imagine the whole window frame just falling off the trailer when the job was done, as the blind rivets would have rarely caught hold of anything.
Belegedhel is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-23-2014, 11:28 AM   #5
Rivet Master
 
Rich W's Avatar

 
2006 23' Safari SE
I'm In , Kentucky
Join Date: Dec 2012
Posts: 4,251
Images: 5
I used to have an aluminum boat, 15' with a 50 HP Johnson motor. Well into its life it started leaking around the rivets on the "ribs". I tried many different kinds of pop/marine/waterproof rivets. After a half season of rough water they all leaked or popped out. I got some stainless steel buck rivets and put them in with a hammer, drift and I forgot what I used to buck them with. But that was more than 20 years ago and the family that has that boat says it's still dry. So I wouldn't use a pop rivet in any area that has any kind of stress at all. If I did, I'd watch that area like a hawk. BTW, since that area was on the bottom I didn't really care about how it looked when I was done, but it didn't look too bad for a rank amateur with a hammer.
__________________
-Rich
Rich & Yvonne
2006 Safari SE -Dora-
2004 4Runner SE 4.7L V8
Rich W is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-23-2014, 12:19 PM   #6
Rivet Master
 
dbj216's Avatar

 
1986 34' Limited
1975 27' Overlander
1969 21' Globetrotter
Conifer , Colorado
Join Date: Jun 2009
Posts: 8,278
Images: 1
I can see how a bucked rivet is best. Compressed, tight, and solid. It doesn't sound like a marine blank rivet is anything I need to experiment with. It just seemed like the Olympic rivets act like wall anchors and don't seem to grip all that tight, even compared to a standard aluminum 5/32" pop rivet. And Olympics are expensive in comparison.

David
dbj216 is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
RIVETS, Rivets, and rivets Over59 Ribs, Skins & Rivets 31 10-06-2015 12:53 PM
Blind rivets or normal rivets, should I fight progressive? TavnAsh Ribs, Skins & Rivets 10 07-12-2014 10:28 AM
blind rivets batt Ribs, Skins & Rivets 16 08-15-2010 11:29 PM


Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Airstream, Inc. or any of its affiliates. Airstream is a registered trademark of Airstream Inc. All rights reserved. Airstream trademark used under license to Social Knowledge LLC.



All times are GMT -6. The time now is 12:16 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.