Riveting or...drill, hammer, repeat. Part 2

Riveting: Using a Nail Set Tool 
and Escutcheon Pins

This is Part 2 of my series of blog posts about the different types of drilled holes and Rivet styles. 

Part 1 was about my two days of experimentation and practice with riveting; I worked on three different methods of using annealed, solid Brass Escutcheon pins as well as learning to use a Nail Set tool instead of a ball peen or riveting hammer as I was use to. 

Several months ago I posted about my two days of experimentation and practice with riveting; I worked on three different methods of using annealed, solid Brass Escutcheon pins. Three things were new to me: method #3, using a Nail Set tool, and using Escutcheon pins as rivets.

Usually I use a length of annealed wire to make my rivets and hinge pins. Using a Nail Set tool and hammer was easier and faster for me to form the rivet head compared to using either a ball peen or riveting hammer. It was fun experimenting and the results were very satisfactory. 

Several people asked me how I riveted the Baronial coronets so I decided to write additional blog posts about the techniques and tools. I've created several 'Info Sheet' images to better illustrate how they look from different angles and I added some key details as bullet points.

General Information:

Usually during the riveting process I use plain wire and create the rivet heads on both sides myself using a ball peen hammer. A rivet head can be formed by hammering each end of the wire a bit before flipping the piece over and hammering that side a bit as well, this back and forth, from one side to the other, slowly creates a tight rivet. 

One method of hammering a rivet head with a ball peen or riveting hammer is by using a striking motion that starts at the center and slides outward. Hammer several times in all 8 directions in opposite pairs, for example: north, south, then east, west, then NE, SW, and then SE, NW. This will spread the force of the hammer blows so the wire end is evenly reformed.

If the mouth of a drilled hole is not counter sunk then a rivet head, usually domed, is needed to secure the ends. These large domed / 'mushroom' head / champagne cork shaped ends prevent the rivet from moving or falling out like a tight plug, and they secure the pieces of metal together.

If the opening of the hole is counter sunk then it can be filed in with metal from the wire and filed or sanded down to leave a flush surface which is difficult to see. The counter sunk area creates a space within the surface of the metal and acts like the dome does, as a plug. These can be referred to as 'Flush Rivets' or invisible rivets. Better yet, before filing/sanding it flush one can delicately solder the end secure with a very tiny piece of solder. Once sanded it can be nearly invisible and stronger. I like using these soldered ends for certain hinges, when done properly the hinge still moves freely; too much solder risks it flowing past the dome and immobilizing the hinge.

Instead of using a wire or pin as a riveted one can use a tube. A slightly different hammering technique is required since there's only metal lining the drilled hole. We want to keep the tube rivet open and hallow. In this series of blog posts I will not be covering the methods of using a tube as a rivet.

Choose the style of rivet ends that best suit the needs of your piece and the materials that are being used. Rivets can add visual texture since some styles stick out from the surface.

Nail Set tool:

These are two of the main advantages of using a Nail Set tool that's struck by a hammer to form a rivet head, instead of using either a ball peen or riveting hammer:

• to leave a rounded button end which is consistent in shape and size
• there's a much lower chance of damaging or marking up the surface of the piece around the rivet head

I used the following sized Nail Set tools when striking the 'Front' end of the wire to form a dome:

• a 2/32nds inch Nail Set tool for a 18 gauge (1 mm) wire end
• a 3/32nd inch Nail Set tool for the dome of the 18 gauge Escutcheon pins. The pin's shaft is 18 gauge (1 mm) so the diameter at the base of the dome is wider.

Drilling Holes for Various Rivet Styles

Drilling Holes for
Various Rivet Styles

With these 3D images that I created you can see a close up of both style of rivets, #3 and #4, in a cross section view.