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frscott · 04-24-2012, 03:57 PM

I have been doing some work to my '86 sovereign, and have had some trials with the rivets. A friend told me that after I insert and squeeze the gun so the rivet sets, that the tail should always snap off on it's own, only two out of twenty did this, the rest I had to snip off, which is right??

Also, some of the rivets were not real tight, even though I squeezed the heck out of them, and I do have a grip, why is this??? I was using the smallest rivet I could find, 1/8" aluminum.

Thanks!

trapperman33 · 04-24-2012, 04:05 PM

Hello, sometimes you must let up on the handle and squeeze it several times,by doing this it will draw the head into the rivet and tighten it and the nail will pop off.

**azflycaster** · 04-24-2012, 05:00 PM

As Trapperman said, let the gun open, push the gun down to the rivet and give it another squeeze. The rivet shaft should not snap off until the rivet is fully compressed on the back side.

You should probably drill out the ones that you snipped and do them again.

frscott · 04-24-2012, 08:41 PM

Drill out? argh!!! Thanks for the advice though, I will do and try it again. Thanks!!

arcamedies · 04-24-2012, 09:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by frscott

I have been doing some work to my '86 sovereign, and have had some trials with the rivets. A friend told me that after I insert and squeeze the gun so the rivet sets, that the tail should always snap off on it's own, only two out of twenty did this, the rest I had to snip off, which is right??

Also, some of the rivets were not real tight, even though I squeezed the heck out of them, and I do have a grip, why is this??? I was using the smallest rivet I could find, 1/8" aluminum.

Thanks!

Depending on the gun you have there may be an adjustment that is done with the tool to change the head. It is like a flat key and you adjust the screw that compresses the spring that pushes on the fingers that grip the rivet tail, to loose and it slips instead of pulling it tight and snapping it off after 2 to 3 squeezes.

**azflycaster** · 04-24-2012, 09:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by frscott

Drill out? argh!!! Thanks for the advice though, I will do and try it again. Thanks!!

Rivets that were not fully tightened are harder to remove then ones installed properly. Your rivets will probably spin when you drill them.

Friday · 04-24-2012, 09:22 PM

There is a guide that specifies the length of rivet you need to use for the thickness of material... also, the diameter you need to use should be snug with the drilled hole. You might want to put a rivet in your gun and see how it deforms without fastening anything... aluminum rivets deform quite a bit before they 'pop'... hence the name 'pop rivet'. On your typical cheapo hand rivet tool... this is usually two or three full strokes if you can get them, or several partial strokes if you can't get full stroke on each squeeze (like in tight spots).

frscott · 04-25-2012, 09:58 AM

Thanks again for all the advice! I wondered what that flat tool was for on my rivet gun. Will try to tighten the head and then will do some practice on the spare aluminum I have.

Thanks!

arcamedies · 04-26-2012, 04:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by frscott

Thanks again for all the advice! I wondered what that flat tool was for on my rivet gun. Will try to tighten the head and then will do some practice on the spare aluminum I have.

Thanks!

If the gun will not pull on the rivet tail even when you release and push it flush with the head, tighten the screw a little as you go clockwise, this presses the spring firmer on the jaws inside that grip the rivet tail.

Have a cold drink and repeat

putback · 04-29-2012, 06:15 PM

You will always have the odd aluminum rivet that will break long. Some common problems are. Rivet body to long for material thickness. Oversize dia. tip for rivet mandrel used. Too strong a grip!, torqueing gun/ bending rivet mandrel before it breaks. Really lousey rivet gun. AND the one that will really *#@@ you off, a bad box of rivets*!*!*!.....Yea it happens. Got a box of 500 a couple yrs ago. About 1 of 3 would break long. Took them back, got a hard time. Turned the box over on the counter, walked out, and will NEVER buy a fastener from that company again. Same size from Marston, no problem at all.

Sodbust · 04-29-2012, 06:32 PM

PutBack said it all..

Never will I waste my time with discount china rivets ever again.. Lots like women,. Good ones you keep and treasure and the bad ones all one does is beat yourself up and you waste your time and money..

Sodbust

frscott · 04-30-2012, 09:35 AM

Comparing rivets to women, my wife says we have been spending too much time with our trailers!

Eric H · 04-30-2012, 09:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by frscott

Comparing rivets to women, my wife says we have been spending too much time with our trailers!

This is a common problem!

Harley Rider · 06-10-2012, 03:37 PM

Does any one know why I am not able to get these rivets to seat fully? I did 5 in a row with no trouble. Now I can't get them to fully seat. 10 rivets with problems. Any help would be appreciated.

putback · 06-11-2012, 07:41 PM

I think I'm seeing a large head pop rivet in the belly pan? 3/16 dia., 1/2" head? 1st, the length of rivet showing in the top pic would suggest the rivet is to long for the thickness you're working with. 2nd, Is the belly pan firmly agianst the cross member and the rivet firmly agianst the belly pan when you squeeze the gun? Noticed something else that may be useful to you. The B-pan is showing a fairly large opening around the old rivet hole. You can buy or make aluminum "washers" a bit larger dia. than the rivet head. They're hardly noticeable and insure the pan won't break by the rivet.

putback · 06-11-2012, 07:49 PM

One more thing.........Looks like Sodbust and I caught the same breaks. Lousy rivets, but fine ladies!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Eric H · 06-11-2012, 08:15 PM

Find yourself a small piece of aluminum, drill some holes and test out the rivet gun and rivets until you get the hang of it. Then you can just scrap that piece of aluminum instead of drilling out all the bad ones. Once you get it, you got it.

Harley Rider · 06-12-2012, 08:01 AM

Yes, those are belly pan rivets. Maybe I just need to practice more on a scrap piece. Thanks for the tips.

crazeevw · 06-24-2012, 10:36 PM

Hi,
Wondering if I'm even in the right place. Got a suprise this past week, when I noticed that the lower awning support arm's rivet had broken off.

No idea where to even start with this problem. Of course, there are two bolts going into the skin where the ribs are, but the one area where it's riveted to the skin has broken completely in two.

Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly welcomed
Thanks, Derek

Eric H · 06-25-2012, 08:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by crazeevw

Hi,
Wondering if I'm even in the right place. Got a suprise this past week, when I noticed that the lower awning support arm's rivet had broken off.

No idea where to even start with this problem. Of course, there are two bolts going into the skin where the ribs are, but the one area where it's riveted to the skin has broken completely in two.

Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly welcomed
Thanks, Derek

From what I can see this is what I would do.
1. Remove awning arm to take weight off of it and make it accessible.
2. Remove the screws (they are stainless on my trailer) and remove the bracket, I would clean it off and drill out the rivet head if it was stuck in the bracket.
3. I would then determine if I could grind down the protruding broken rivet to get it flat, and then would drill out the remaining part with the correct size bit. I would either use a dremel tool or, if I was feeling confident, I would use a grinder. I would also determine if the screw holes were stripped.
3a. If the rivet can be removed cleanly, leaving the original hole, AND the screw holes were not stripped I would then replace the unit right were it is with the same size, or slightly larger screws, and replace the rivet with a large rivet, after sealing under it, then I would seal around it.
3b. If the screw holes were stripped and / or the rivet hole was in bad shape, and a larger rivet and / or screw would not work I would access the possibility of shifting the braket down or up half an inch. If it's similar to my trailer then the screws will be through the rib, therefor I would NOT move it right or left, just up or down. I would then drill pilot holes for the screws and a hole for the rivet, seal and replace. The rivet is most likely just secured to the skin, that's why it's not a screw, I would make sure to use a rivet on the skin, not a screw.

4. I would also look into the reason this happened. There could be a number of reasons, but the sideways pull on the awning isn't a good thing. It should only be up and down shear weight.