
We use # 10 bolts, # 9 drill, 3/16" rivets, here is what we get: If this is the way, what does the group recommend for a compressor? (Harbor Freight’s got one for $40 as part of this weekend’s sales, but the reviews are littered with stories of it clunking out after only a couple of uses.)īillfred if you are doing normal pop rivets. I’ve seen this post from Copioli a few years back, and a pneumatic rivet tool would certainly appear to speed some things up at the expense of having to add another big thing to the pit (the compressor). (These are the standard, $20-25 ones you find at Lowe’s or Ace Hardware.)Īs we get ready for next build season, we’re trying to step our game up in some areas of assembly and want to know: What’s the best setup for riveting for an FRC team? However, even without getting 1501-class rivet counts we always seem to go through two or three riveters each year. I simply use the bit to route out the head, and when that pops off (sometimes you might want to use a sharp chisel to carefully shave the head if it’s being stubborn), I make sure to be centered and drill out the old rivet body.Like many other teams, 2815 has done a lot with rivets over the past few seasons (1/8", almost exclusively).
#Harbor freight pop rivet gun install
That is so the looks do not basically change and the strength of the shank was maximized, so as to be similair to the buck rivets shan strength.įor what it’s worth, I have just been using 1/8″ and 5/32″ drill bits to remove rivets and to install rivets. Olympic rivets for Airstream usage have always been 5/32 shank, but with the same size “brazier head” as the 1/8 buck rivets. The best drill bit size to use is a #21, since a hole will not be perfectly round, unless using a drill press. #30 = 1/8” (which is the shank size of the rivets used most extensively in assembling the interior of an Airstream)įor removing Olympic rivets, Andy from Inland RV says:Īn Olympic rivet is 5/32 which is. 159 thus the #21 drill bit gives a 5/32″ rivet a little clearance to slide into the hole. Sometimes you will see/hear people using a number instead of a size (inches or millimeters) for a drill bit.ĥ/32″ is. Vista vue window clecoed in place Removing Rivets There are two types of blind rivets, often referred to as “Olympic” and “pop” rivets. So if you are fastening something to another surface without being able to see the back (like skins or trim), you would use a blind rivet. The 5/32″ rivets actually hold the Airstream together (panels and ribs).īlind rivets get their name because you can install them in situations where you can’t see both sides of the surface being riveted (there is a blind side).

Airstreams use only two sizes: 1/8″ and 5/32.” The 1/8″ rivets are generally used for trim on the exterior, and to hold the skins to the ribs on the interior.

There are two types of rivets on an Airstream: bucked rivets and blind rivets.

But don’t worry, they are easy to drill out if you need to change something you’ve riveted. Rivets are more “permanent” in that they stay put. Screws will back out of their holes with the constant road vibration that an Airstream experiences, so eventually a screw will no longer be holding whatever it was screwed into. You “buck” a solid rivet.įirst of all, there really shouldn’t be any screws on an Airstream. Here is some basic information to get you started. If you’re going to work on an Airstream, you have to know about rivets.
