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RocDoc
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Joined: 16 Feb 2007
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Location: Lincolnshire
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 Posted: Tue Feb 27, 2007 12:37 pm Post subject: How to rivet ... for beginners |
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Hi everyone,
Back from my travels ... and back to the Seahawk restoration. I would like to keep as much of the original firebox as possible but obviously I need to add some 'splints' to hold the rusty bits together (for photos, see my post in the restoration section)
Please excuse my simple question ... does anyone have any hints and tips on how to rivet aluminum sheet (0.032" thickness) to a rusty old firebox? Would you use washers and rivets or just rivets? Could I use a thinner sheet (0.016")?
Thanks
Pete |
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SPOKESMAN
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| Posted: Tue Feb 27, 2007 12:40 pm Post subject: |
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| Pop rivets would be ideal for this operation. |
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tmuir
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Joined: 01 Aug 2006
Posts: 14576
Location: Western Australia
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RocDoc
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Posts: 303
Location: Lincolnshire
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| Posted: Tue Feb 27, 2007 1:04 pm Post subject: |
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Yes, that's right. I went to Perth in November last year. Lovely city.
| tmuir wrote: | RocDoc like you avatar.
Thats from Perth Western Australia isnt it? |
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tmuir
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RocDoc
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Joined: 16 Feb 2007
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Location: Lincolnshire
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| Posted: Tue Feb 27, 2007 2:18 pm Post subject: |
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No ... stop ... making me jealous. I've visited Perth 4 times now over the past 20 years. My first visit was in 82 when I did some field work in the Darling Ranges for my PhD thesis (I'm a geologist, hence the name RocDoc ... I know it's not very original. Was looking at the PreCambrian rocks in Walyunga National Park, near Mogumber in the north and down south at Harvey). I visited again in 98, 2003 and then 2006 ... oil company stuff ... training courses. All very far removed from restoring a rusty old firebox on a 70 year old Seahawk!
| tmuir wrote: | Yes it is. 
I live in Perth in a suburb called Kalamunda which is up in the hills but I work in East Perth just 200m from the river |
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tmuir
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| Posted: Tue Feb 27, 2007 2:27 pm Post subject: |
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Ok enough 
Just a thought rather than rivetting aluminium to the steel can you clean the rust back to a shiny surface and silver solder a brass sheet to it.
That would be less obvious than rivetting once painted but would be more work.
For really bad rust I've used electrolysis to remove the rust and was very happy with the results and it quiet easy to do with a car battery charger, some scrap steel, bucket and washing soda.
Here is a website that explain electrolysis quiet well.
http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/andyspatch/rust.htm
although I'll expect you already know a fair bit about this with your work background.
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Mamodman123
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| Posted: Tue Feb 27, 2007 3:50 pm Post subject: |
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| SPOKESMAN wrote: | | Pop rivets would be ideal for this operation. |
Pop riveting should be fine!
They will stick out slightly. Can't see soldering a brass sheet to it is worth the trouble, i'm still trying to fully work out what exactly you are trying to do 
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RocDoc
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Location: Lincolnshire
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| Posted: Tue Feb 27, 2007 8:01 pm Post subject: |
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I'm trying to repair the corroded part of the firebox close to the front legs (there is a photo in the Seahawk restoration section - page 2). On the side shown in the photo, the rust has caused the side to split completly from the leg. The other side of the firebox is not too bad but still has several rust holes. The back of the firebox is fine, no rust.
| Mamodman123 wrote: | | SPOKESMAN wrote: | | Pop rivets would be ideal for this operation. |
Pop riveting should be fine!
They will stick out slightly. Can't see soldering a brass sheet to it is worth the trouble, i'm still trying to fully work out what exactly you are trying to do |
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Wallace
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Joined: 19 Jul 2006
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Location: New South Wales, Australia
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| Posted: Wed Feb 28, 2007 1:55 am Post subject: Re: How to rivet ... for beginners |
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| RocDoc wrote: | Hi everyone,
Back from my travels ... and back to the Seahawk restoration. I would like to keep as much of the original firebox as possible but obviously I need to add some 'splints' to hold the rusty bits together (for photos, see my post in the restoration section)
Please excuse my simple question ... does anyone have any hints and tips on how to rivet aluminum sheet (0.032" thickness) to a rusty old firebox? Would you use washers and rivets or just rivets? Could I use a thinner sheet (0.016")?
Thanks
Pete |
The best tips for using rivets is to use the right size in regard to depth/length of the rivet.
The other thing, for a neat finish, is make sure you use the correct fitting for the gun, and don't use cheap rivets if you are worried about looks. Cheap ones won't snap off neatly.
I don't know what metals react, but try use the same metal as what your firebox already is. I know with cars, using certain metal to patch holes, can actually corrode when touching the sheet metal, and make things worse.
But I'm pretty sure metal and aluminium is ok.
Good luck
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SPOKESMAN
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| Posted: Wed Feb 28, 2007 6:13 am Post subject: |
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RIVETTERS ARE QUITE CHEAP - about £6 over here, they come with 4 different sizes of rivet and rivet heads. I recently renovated this SR1 with new ones around the firebox and engine frame.
Copper rivets must be used on anything that attaches to the boiler though. |
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Wallace
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Joined: 19 Jul 2006
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Location: New South Wales, Australia
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| Posted: Wed Feb 28, 2007 7:18 am Post subject: |
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That's a great job on that one Mike.
Sorry to get off topic, but how did you bring the chrome up? Fine Wet and Dry?
Oh, ant to the original poster, I forgot to add. Washers can be used on appropriate side for rivets, if the metal is too corroded.
The only thing is, if you are worried that when you put a rivet it, it may not hold/and or break the corroded metal, would washers be enough to help over come the problem?
Good luck
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SPOKESMAN
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| Posted: Wed Feb 28, 2007 12:16 pm Post subject: |
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| Wallace wrote: | That's a great job on that one Mike.
Sorry to get off topic, but how did you bring the chrome up? Fine Wet and Dry?
Oh, ant to the original poster, I forgot to add. Washers can be used on appropriate side for rivets, if the metal is too corroded.
The only thing is, if you are worried that when you put a rivet it, it may not hold/and or break the corroded metal, would washers be enough to help over come the problem?
Good luck |
Fine wet and dry Wallace. |
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