Riveting stake

I’m embarrassed to say that I asked for a riveting stake for
Christmas, which I received, and have forgotten how I was supposed
to use it. It had no instructions with it. I thought I saw one in
Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist and that was why I ordered it.

Please help someone who has too many tools and just keeps buying
things because they look as if they could be fun to work with!

Carolyn in Clearwater, FL

I’m embarrassed to say that I asked for a riveting stake for
Christmas, which I received, and have forgotten how I was supposed
to use it. It had no instructions with it. I thought I saw one in
Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist and that was why I ordered it.

email Helen Driggs at the magazine, she is their tool person.

John

Does this Help

Beaducation: PRODUCT TIP: Using the Riveting Stake

Greg, Clearwater

I am interested in the answer to this question too. There on
vertical slots on the outer edge of some. How are these used?

Thanks, John,

I’d also posted my request on the site for Lapidary Journal and
received the I needed.

Carolyn

Thanks, Gregory, for the link. I have various size holes drilled
through my bench block, which my dad made from a really hard wood,
that serves nearly the same purpose as the holes in the riveting
stake. I am just curious what the use is for the graduated vertical
slots on the edge of the stake. I have never seen its use
demonstrated.

Hi Denise,

I have various size holes drilled through my bench block, which my
dad made from a really hard wood, that serves nearly the same
purpose as the holes in the riveting stake. I am just curious what
the use is for the graduated vertical slots on the edge of the
stake. I have never seen its use demonstrated. 

Could those slots be for bending different gauges of sheet metal or
bezel wire?

Kim

I am just curious what the use is for the graduated vertical slots
on the edge of the stake. 

I too would like to know what the slots are for. I got one
inexpensively on ebay,to use as a “cheaters” way to start a rivet.
The one I bought was called a hex anvil. Of course, you get what you
pay for: the slots in mine aren’t exactly at 90. So whatever one
does with them, I won’t be able to do it quite correctly. What I
don’t know won’t hurt me? Maureen

I too would like to know what the slots are for. 

The slots are for arranging small parts. Try to solder side by side 3
short pieces of wire. You quickly discover that they do not want to
be next to each other. Use one of the slots to arrange them. Secure
with a drop of glue, and no problems. The same goes for thin sheets
or any small parts requiring alignment.

Leonid Surpin

1 Like
Could those slots be for bending different gauges of sheet metal
or bezel wire? 

How you use it is up to you. But it may help to understand that
these riveting stakes were not originally designed and made for
jewelers. They are a watchmakers tool that some jewelers have found
useful. The holes and slots and all were originally designed for
doing some of the same sorts of things that watchmakers staking tools
do, as well as for some types of riveting or peening, etc. The slots
let you do things like resting the flat face of a gear on a flat
surface while the shaft through it has somewhere to go, or the shaft
can lay flat on the stake while a gear has that slot to swing into…
I’m not a watchmaker, so I can’t fill in all the details. But the key
is that it’s not really designed as a jewelers riveting tool. It just
happens to be useful for that as well. In use, the side of a rivet
that has not yet been peened over, goes down into a hole or slot, as
best fits, so it’s not deformed or pushed back into the joint when
you peen over the side facing up. The stake supports the metal, and
peening over the rivet helps tighten the whole assembly. But there
are a lot more openings, and slots, and the like, in the watchmakers
uses, than are normally needed for typical jewelers riveting needs.

Peter Rowe

Those little hexagonal riveting stakes were originally used by
trades other than jewelers. (Machinists & etc, IIRC) They didn’t have
bench pins. My belief has always been that the little slots were to
give a little support during cutting-off of thin (for them) metal
stock.

FWIW
Brian

I didn’t originate this post, but want to thank everyone for your
replies. Everyone is so helpful around here. :slight_smile: