Riveting tools

Recent Tips from Jeweler’s Bench on on riveting tools

I have been practicing making tube and wire rivets for the past
year, off and on. I was interested in Karen Christians’ recent
article on modifying nails to use as tools. I wonder if she or any of
the members could clarify a point for me: forgive my ignorance, but I
can’t discern, based on the captions for the last two images in the
article, whether this technique applies to tube, wire, or
pre-manufactured rivets. Nor can I make out the photos–they might
have been resized but display fairly distorted on my monitor. My
guess is that she’s discussing wire rivets, but then tubing seems
more likely to split easily as described. Thanks in advance.

Terri Kiplinger

Riveting is a great way to join things, if the product design lends
itself to this.

No solder, no heat, no flux, no pickle no finishing! I use it a lot,
even make a feature of the rivets.

You need to google for riveting and click on Wikepedia, theres a
good article on all the different types and ways of setting them.

As I said before when exploring any technique do all your research
first, as know how is the key to making whatever quickly and
efficiently.

Using nails to set rivets however is a bit crude, rivet sets made
from small, say, 4/5 in long center punches is a much better way.

anneal the ends, file flat, then using a bur make a half round
depression in the end. re harden and temper.

you will need 2 of each for each rivett head size. I dont think your
ready to make these punches by the reverse hot forging technique.

Well worth making as they will last you all your life.

When you have placed the rivet through the 2 pieces of material and
set it, with a hollow punch, find a pair of wire cutters with the
right jaw angle. Clip of with the jaws in touch with the material
leaving the right upstand to the rivet.

Then put on your rivet set and strike down. a perfect domed rivet
tail to match the rivet head.

The second rivet set is clamped in your third hand. This should be a
leg vice secured to a proper workbench.

A silver smiths tool as in hammer work, not really a jewellers tool.

For tubular rivets, look up automotive brake lining riveting tools,
the set for these is quite different.

for deviding the rivet tail using what in fact a chisel, made from a
nail, it depends if thats the appearance you want in addition wether
it will meet its design /strength requirements. A bit crude in my
opinion.

Hi Terri et al

I did not know tubes were called rivets. I just called them tubes.

Easy to use with a dapping punch. I have done this with fine and
sterling no problems.

Make tube a snug fit for the hole.

Use dapping punch to curve one end over outwards.

Push through the hole, you don’t need too much metal poking out, good
old trial and error will give you the answer. Use sterling then the
mistakes can be reticulated etc.

Then tap down the tube till it meets the metal.

Proper annealing and hot quenching make the metal soft for this
purpose.

This is a good technique for setting silver inside of Bi’s the
Chinese name for round disks with a hole through the middle. The
symbol for eternity/life.

To put silver around the outside I spectacle set the silver.

Measure the circumference. It should be over length. Cut a strip
with width proportional to curve of edge of Bi.

Trim end and pull through half round draw plate to get a curved
strip of metal.

Anneal and quench hot.

Bend round stone, mark, remove and cut through over lap.

Solder an open jump ring onto the gap, I mm round minimum for
strength.

Insert Bi use round nose pliers at connexion points squeeze to close
jump ring.

With practise there will be virtually no gap at the join.

It is called spectacle setting because old gold framed glasses were
constructed this way.

I repaired a pair of these that had the screw broken off, old mate
had been told by many optometrists that this could not be done. Needed
new frames sales pitch etc.

Simple gold smithing took a few minutes, paid in quality alcohol.

Richard
Xtines Jewels