Rivits

[Guest oldman]

Thinking of removing nose cone on 2b for repair and paint when it comes to refitting do i have to use the normal revits or can you get revits that dont have an open hole showing ie a solid finish showing cheers ray

[Guest Sharky]

In short, yes there are rivets that leave a solid finish and these are aptly named solid rivets!

 

Trouble is, they are generally put in as a two-person activity with one person hitting the dolly and a second person holding the reaction bar. They take a minute or two to set and squeeze up and you both need to know what you are aiming to achieve or else it can get a bit chuckle brothers with the "When I nod my head, you hit it" sketch! However, there are a few problems and traps that will catch out the beginner, such as; striking the dolly before your buddy is ready = big dent, not holding the reaction bar square will pull rivets into shear, not using sheet grippers will cause bulging between sheets (oo-er), double lipping or putting 'smileys' on the rivet heads is caused when the when the dolly slips. Also, using the wrong size dolly will make it contact the sheet sometimes and leave a hideous gouge in the material and so the list continues...

 

To counter this, the aircraft industry uses AVDEL rivets which are similar to the tucker pop rivets that you will normally use and there is a squeezing handle just the same. The difference being that AVDELs are designed to be used in a tight tolerance drill hole, ie if it says 3.2mm, then it means just that and a 3.3 or 3.5mm one won't give you the best results and will be loose with a hole in the middle!! They are also designed to be used for a specific thickness of material related to rivet shank size, so a bit of calculation is required before you start. When done properly, the AVDEL mandrel instead of pulling through locks and shears off slightly higher that the rivet head and then you use a milling machine (dremel) to bring it down flush and give the appearance of a solid rivet. There are some others on the market called MBC rivets which are a bit more forgiving and don't stand as proud after snapping the mandrel off.

 

This all sounds great, but an AVDEL rivet puller is not cheap and the rivets are not widely available as they are a bit specialist, so you would have to buy them in bulk (they are mainly used in the Aviation industry and anything used there is ten times as expensive!!). So it's not a cheap option unless you know someone who works in an aircraft manufacture/repair factory who can blag you a handful and loan you an AVDEL rivet squeezing handle, so I'm afraid you might be a bit scuppered?

 

However, in true hoody fashion, all is not lost. If you are going to paint over your rivet heads, think about degreasing a finished tucker pop with a good solvent, dry it thoroughly using a hair dryer, then force some wet mix body filler into the hole and smooth off the top. Let it go off and check if it has sagged. If it has sagged, then stick a bit more in until you get a smooth top and hey presto, it will give the appearance of a solid rivet when painted over.

 

Hope that helped?

 

Regards

 

Sharky

[Guest oldman]

thanks for response must have taken ages to type looks like i am stuck with standard revit

[johnlrichardson]

You can get blind rivets that blank off the hole. They were used to hold VIN plates on, so the police could tell at a glance if it had been removed and refitted.

Some body shop suppliers may get them, as they may be used in other applications.

 

HTH JON

[Guest smartfazer]

Sharky,

 

I'd never heard of AVDEL's before I read your thread.

 

Working at an airport I truly do know a few friendly aircraft engineers, so I'm gonna ask.

 

I already managed to blag a bagful of skinpins.

 

I'll let you know how I get on.

 

Steve