At 01:16 PM 11/20/2004 -0800, Chuck Schmidt wrote:
>I've reriveted quite a few leather saddles with large copper rivets
>(only available from Brooks; I did an unsuccessful worldwide search
>years ago for large rivets). If the shaft of the rivet is too long it
>will fold over as you mushroom the end. Too short and the shaft does
>not mushroom enough to hold... it will pull through the hole in the
>steel frame. The trick is learning how much to shorten the shaft before
>you hammer the rivet to mushroom the end. A real trial and error
>process with emphasis on the error part in my experience.
>
>I use the anvil portion of a small vice to get inside the nose piece and
>I also use a drift with the end ground concave. Hint: you can hammer
>on either end of the rivet and you want to use many smaller whacks
>rather than one mighty whack. I've always accomplished the riveting by
>myself without someone's help...
>
>Chuck "self-taught" Schmidt
>South Pasadena, Southern California
I looked at my local supply of rivets today, and began to wonder if the Brooks ones might have FATTER shafts as well. I will order some and try them; It might be that the problems I have encountered are largely due to the amount of hammering necessary before the copper rivet fills up the hole in the steel frame.
Jeff Slotkin
Goose Creek, SC