The Old Machinery Magazine Forum

Forum Categories => Steam Engines => Topic started by: Billyboy on 22 May, 2015, 08:30:06 pm

Title: Hot Riveting
Post by: Billyboy on 22 May, 2015, 08:30:06 pm
Hi,
Im after any advice on hot riveting, I have done a few searches on you tube and looked up google to see where to source a pneumatic air hammer, but would like something at the 'hot head' end like a quick acting press or leg to help the mate out at the other side.
what im intending to do is to make up a period styled transport for an engine of mine, and rather going down the route of welding Id rather rivet it.

Cheers, Bill
Title: Re: Hot Riveting
Post by: allisb on 23 May, 2015, 08:04:50 am
Hi. Depending on the size of the rivets you wish to use, a pneumatic hammer may not be necessary. Hot riveting is not rocket science, and if you just use mild steel the rivet will remain maleable for some time after the cherry red phase goes. If you have a good off sider with a decent hammer up against it, or if you wanted to get really flash - a machined up dolly? And you get the rivet truly red hot you would find it would flatten off quite easily. And don't forget as they cool, they shrink. Giving quite a good join.
All the best with it.
A B
Title: Re: Hot Riveting
Post by: sunshine man on 23 May, 2015, 08:41:54 am
Hi ab is right on the money   riveting is a very string method of joining metals  eg , high tensile truck chasis - parts were hot riveted  modern trucks use a cold process
 Sunshieman
Title: Re: Hot Riveting
Post by: cobbadog on 23 May, 2015, 04:16:30 pm
With a good forge to get and keep the rivets hot and a good heavy mandrel and heavy hammer they will take shape easily. Trickiest part is getting it from the forge and in the hole quickly. Once you start hammering don't stop until it is done as you cant re heat the rivet in place too easily.
Title: Re: Hot Riveting
Post by: Billyboy on 30 May, 2015, 09:19:12 pm
Thanks for your help fellas
Im going to be putting togather a couple of transports one will hold around a tonne and the other will be roughly in the ball park of 2 tonne. Im going  down the path of running both the forge and the air hammer off the air compressor. Also to make it a good job having a couple of bits turned up to have a rivet head   rather than look like it having a bushy job look about it. before i get to industrious im going to practice on some scrap before attempting the jobs.

With the size of the rivet shank (i hope that terminology is correct) id rather over engineer the whole job a bit  so the materials will be 10mm min thick C channel so with both pieces will be between 20mm thick and 25-30 mm in places. to give you an idea what im thinkig of but what do you guys reken of rivet type and thickness?

Cheers Bill
Title: Re: Hot Riveting
Post by: winchester on 09 August, 2015, 11:08:59 am
Once you have done a few you can get your mate to throw the red hot rivet to you,and catch it in a bucket .....like wot they did in the old days!