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Tinsmith Avenue - Tinner's rivets and wired edges

whitesmith - Feb 04, 2005 - 08:38 PM
Post subject: Tinner's rivets and wired edges

2-04-05
Hey any of you old timers, or any of you fellas who have done this stuff before. A couple of questions regaurding " old school " sheet metal/ tinsmithing.
1. I make a lot of stuff out of 16 oz. (24ga. I think) copper. Most of the things that have handles, I rivet to the body (tankards, pitchers, scoops, cups, ect). I've been using 2 and a half or 2 lb. copper tinners rivets.
However, it seems that I have to snip off about an eighth of an inch or so off the end of the rivet before I can "set" it with the hammer and the rivet set. ( You know in the old books, draw together, flatten, then round up the end.) If I don't cut the end off and try to mushroom it out , it usually sort of wallers over to the side and the rounding up process looks a little on the slopply side. Could I be using too large a rivet ?

2. I've been tyring my hand at wired edges lately. This is 12 ga. or so wire that is inserted in a grooved bead at the edge of the metal ( like the top of a bucket). The things that have a straight edge to them are no problem.( the top of a tin cup or the handle of one). Most guys usually use the barfolder to make the groove with, insert the wire, close it with the wiring machine or creasing stake, and then finish forming on the rollers of a blowhorn stake. What throws me a loop, is the TAPERED stuff! Funnels, tankards, ect. have to be formed on the turning machine. This stuff can try a guys patience! If you don't set the gauge far enough in ,there isn't enough metal to cover the wire. If you set it too far in you wrinckle the metal. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks
R. Stone

pricer - Feb 04, 2005 - 10:56 PM
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I would like to know more about how to,

Quote
"I can "set" it with the hammer and the rivet set."

I understand the idea of how it is done. Were would you get a rivet set or a solid rivet. Sound intresting.

danski0224 - Feb 04, 2005 - 11:24 PM
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Solid rivets can be found here http://www.rivetsinstock.com/rivet10.htm ... there are "tinners rivets" and "regular" solid rivets. The specs are a little different.

Setting tools are for sale all the time on eBay, for example. Do a search for Pexto.

steve2 - Feb 05, 2005 - 04:57 AM
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I think the old rule was to allow 2.5 times the diameter of the wire being used in the edge.

amorton - Jun 01, 2007 - 02:05 AM
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I see this thread was from February, but if you are still looking for info on rivets, here you go. Rivet diameter should be 2.5 to 3 times total thickness for metal it will pass through. The length should equal total thickness of material plus 1.5 times rivet diameter.

amorton - Jun 01, 2007 - 02:06 AM
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Oh, February of 2 years ago, should have read more closely.

etonline - Jun 17, 2007 - 11:30 PM
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amorton wrote:

Oh, February of 2 years ago, should have read more closely.

Hey it was timely for me though. Thanks.

I'm trying to find more info about riveting and been looking all over for rivet sets. Was just joking last week that I wish I'd stole a rivet set from shop class in highschool Smile