Riveting Block

Hi @Betty2

Does this diagram make sense to anyone? …to determine the function of the riveting block holes.

https://www.unicorpinc.com/5_16swageunthreaded.htm2

Not the beveled-looking swage type, but the rivet type.

I much prefer the idea @Alec suggested, that the block is meant to vex both watchmakers and jewelers, and what @TomArnold said, that there is a master salesman out there selling useless but intriguing steel blocks.

However, it does look as if a person could pre-form one end of a rivet as suggested in the diagram you posted. The only problem with that is that when you hammer to form the remaining rivet head the first, pre-formed head is going to be flattened further.

A pre-formed rivet head would have to rest in an identical cavity to keep its shape while you hammered the other end. If the so-called riveting block really was for riveting there would be a series of different size rivet head cavities, not through-the-block holes.

Next time I do some riveting I will use the block as your diagram suggests to see how that actually turns out, though usually I prefer to make ‘invisible’ rivets or flush rivets with a contrasting colored metal.

These ‘riveting blocks’ seem to be a great conversation piece…

Regards,
Neil A

Interesting to see this topic revisited. The only answer I could get from
my original question was “the slots are there in case you need them”

seems like the holes in the anvil would make very big rivet heads…

Julie

If you really want to know how the block is used just go to YouTube and enter something like how do you use a riveting block and you will see it’s use demonstrated. Most of the guessers on this thread have gotten it wrong.

Jerry in Kodiak

Jerry, thanks for suggesting what should have been more obvious. I’ll have to add youtube to places to search from now on.

I found one video using a block like the ones pictured in this thread. It demoed the making of headpins (works for a rivet as well), pretty much the way Betty suggested.

The video I appreciated the most was this by Eugenia Chan:

That’s what I would call a better riveting block, though to be perfectly honest excellent rivets can be made without either tool. If I had to pick one block it would be hers.

Eugenia Chan has a few more interesting tools on her website:

http://www.eugenia-c.com

Might be worth a look if you do torch-fired enameling. Her titanium clamp for soldering bezel strips closed looks really handy. Another one of those ‘I should have thought of that’ ideas.

It is probably not proper to paste a picture of her clamp here, so use this link to see it:

http://www.eugenia-c.com/store/p6/Bezel_Soldering_Grip_-_TITANIUM_½"_x_5"_-_%2425.95___%2410_Shipping_%26_Handling.html

Here’s the shot I liked the best:

Regards,
Neil A

@jholtak
If you cannot describe why we are wrong, then please post a link to something which will educate us. I could not find any videos showing the intended use of this riveting block.

~

I think a riveting stake can be inserted into one of the holes in order to support the stake while using it.

This might be an example of a specific kind of riveting stake: http://watchmakingblog.com/2010/10/06/why-a-castle-rivet/

~

These two archived threads might help:

~

@seth-ganoksin-admin
We don’t need no decorated space hogging links that don’t even look like a link.
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

It’s called a bench block and it is used by a watchmaker. I trained as a watchmaker 40 years ago and we each had one. The block is made to support various parts while you work on them with out doing any damage to the pivots on the ends of the pinions. For most riveting you do on a watch part it is a collar that is being struck on a pinion to attach a gear to it using a punch that has a hole drilled up into it to accept the other end of the pinion and pivot. Most of this is done on a staking set but sometimes you don’t want to drag that tool out to make a little adjustment. The slots are for when you are adjusting a palate fork. The little piece that goes back and forth and makes the actual ticking sound when it is struck by the palate jewel that is on the balance wheel. The palate fork is very fragile and it needs to be supported every where except at the pinion so you set it in the slot instead of over a hole. by using the correct width of slot you can check to see if the palate fork pinion is true. 99 times out of a hundred it is used just as a safe place to set wheels where the won’t get damaged by just setting them down on the bench.

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It’s called a bench block and it is used by a watchmaker. I trained as a watchmaker 40 years ago and we each had one. The block is made to support various parts while you work on them with out doing any damage to the pivots on the ends of the pinions. For most riveting you do on a watch part it is a collar that is being struck on a pinion to attach a gear to it using a punch that has a hole drilled up into it to accept the other end of the pinion and pivot. Most of this is done on a staking set but sometimes you don’t want to drag that tool out to make a little adjustment. The slots are for when you are adjusting a palate fork. The little piece that goes back and forth and makes the actual ticking sound when it is struck by the palate jewel that is on the balance wheel. The palate fork is very fragile and it needs to be supported every where except at the pinion so you set it in the slot instead of over a hole. by using the correct width of slot you can check to see if the palate fork pinion is true. 99 times out of a hundred it is used just as a safe place to set wheels where the won’t get damaged by just setting them down on the bench.

Thank you! What you posted is roughly what I thought I recalled from the time I spent brushing elbows with the Clock and Watch Making students at Bowman Tech, so many years ago, but I was studying Diamond Setying and Jewelry Repair, myself, so I was not certain how accurate my memory was.

The art of Clock and Watch Making was fascinating to observe, but not my field of interest. Watching a student cut gear teeth on new escapement wheels, I quickly came to the conclusion that this art required way too much math and precision for me!

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Thank you John.

@WADEDESIGNS1

If you are saying that you would sometimes put the punch in the bench block hole instead of using the staking set, would you also say the only advantage of using the staking set might be a more accurate strike?

The only use I can see for the slots on the side of this block would be for a quick draw thru of the wire to straiten it if the rivet is slightly bent. Other than that, I am not sure.

I believe they are used like the slots in a bending brake: giving access and relief for a fin or t seam sort of situation.

Not really, a staking set is the only way I would rivet a wheel on a new pinion. It would not be possible to keep everything straight on a bench block. But I would set a balance wheel on one of the holes and push the hairspring collet down or move the collet around to get it in beat. We never did much actual pounding on it. Its just a smooth square steady resting place for making minor adjustments.

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I came to a similar conclusion at Gem City college. I finished the course and have a degree in Horology but I thought there is no way in hell I am going to do this for a living. Hand engraving is way more fun.

Thank you for your answer. I asked this question on couple of different forums and noticed that this question has been asked a lot, going back over a decade. Always it’s the same answer – no one knows. Based on responses by you and Peter Rowe out of dozens this go-round, the question is now answered. If anyone comes up with a photo of the slot being used as a holder, that would be great.

Hi, I have one too. I watched a guy use it. He make a nice rounded head on a wire that he balled the end with his torch. Stick the wire in the slot it fits, then tap the ball into a nice head. It flattens the bottom of the ball so that when you use the wire to plug, as a pin, the bottom of the ball is flat and flush so that it a nicer pin. You can also drill out the receptacle hole a bit to take the pin. It is to make a flat head pin, I’m pretty sure, you have to turn and tap and watch. Like most of the jewelers skills, you have to be focused and in the zone and meander to desired results.

When I’ve fused ends of wire to form a ball still attached to the wire, I then slide it onto the same size hole in the block as wire gauge and shape the head of what is going to be a decorative showing rivet. You can make it look like a screw head or any other shape .Then use it as a decorative rivet on your piece.

I probably still own one but I have no idea where it is anymore. I do hand engraving and custom jewelry work. I make a rivet by tapping on the end of a wire with a small ball pean hammer.

I agree, but can’t do much there unfortunately… that feature is built in to “Discourse” which is the forum software…

Hi-

Long time lurker - first time poster-

Here’s a video showing how to use the riveting anvil to make headpins. It’s at the 1:24 mark. Still doesn’t answer the questions about the slots.