To use a manual rivet gun, you load a rivet into the tool's nosepiece, place the rivet head against the materials to be joined, and squeeze the handles repeatedly until the rivet sets by expanding on the blind side and the mandrel snaps off, leaving behind a securely fastened joint.
Manual rivet guns are straightforward tools used to install pop rivets, creating strong, permanent joints between materials like sheet metal, plastic, or fabric. The process involves preparing the materials, inserting the rivet, operating the gun, and completing the set.
Here’s a breakdown of the steps:
1. Prepare Your Materials
Before riveting, ensure the materials you intend to join are properly aligned and have pre-drilled holes. The hole size is crucial – it should be slightly larger than the rivet body but smaller than the rivet head to ensure a snug fit.
2. Select and Insert the Rivet
Choose a pop rivet appropriate for the thickness of the materials and the hole size. Pop rivets consist of a rivet body (the part that becomes the joint) and a mandrel (a stem that runs through the body).
- Insert the rivet through the aligned holes in the materials until the rivet head sits flush against the surface of the top material.
3. Load the Rivet Gun
Open the handles of the manual rivet gun fully. Insert the tail end of the rivet's mandrel into the nosepiece of the gun. The nosepiece size must match the diameter of the rivet you are using. Many rivet guns come with interchangeable nosepieces for different rivet sizes.
4. Position the Rivet Gun
Place the nosepiece of the rivet gun firmly against the material surface where the rivet head is located. The rivet body should be fully seated in the holes.
5. Operate the Gun to Set the Rivet
This is where the mechanical action happens.
- Hold the gun handles and squeeze them together with firm, steady pressure. The gun's jaws inside the nosepiece grip the mandrel and pull it through the rivet body.
- Each squeeze pulls the mandrel further. As the mandrel is pulled, it expands the tail end of the rivet body on the blind side of the material, forming a second "head" that secures the joint.
- Continue squeezing the handles. As seen in the video reference, you'll keep squeezing until the mandrel snaps off. The video notes, "Again. There we go that's. It now this is the piece that's discarded." This discarded piece is the broken-off mandrel.
- Once the mandrel breaks, the rivet is set. The video confirms the result: "And there we go there's our rivet." It also mentions flipping the piece over to see the other side, showing the expanded tail (the blind head) that formed.
6. Finalizing the Joint
Release the handles of the rivet gun. The broken-off mandrel piece should eject from the back or front of the gun. Your materials are now securely fastened together by the pop rivet.
Here's a quick summary of the operational action:
| Action | Result (on Rivet) | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Squeeze Handles | Mandrel is pulled through rivet body | Rivet body expands |
| Continue Squeezing | Mandrel breaks off | Rivet is set |
| Discarded Piece | Snapped Mandrel | Joint is secured |
Using a manual rivet gun is a simple and effective method for creating durable mechanical fasteners.
