A riveting plot...

[Lorien]

a thread about rivets. Here's a captivating story to start things out;

I had to make some rivets to go through a really thick sheath because I had none long enough on hand. I found a decent length of 12ish gauge pure copper wire from a jobsite, and made my own dang rivets.

The end.

I'd like to see your rivets, if you use them or have sheaths with them. Rivets are like the hammer of the fastener world, it doesn't get much more basic. Well, a knife might be more basic, but rivets are pretty amazing, too.

 

[jideta]

I like rivets!
Allows me to sort things out fast; will it work?



From there I can see what is working and what sucks and why it sucks.
Fast fabrication!
Then I can move on:



Ammo box



shell holder



Faster than stitching for I don't have a machine.
Glue and rivets!



For sheaths now it's more for decoration.
I'm using 8/9oz now so my rivets barely work. Need to find some longer ones or like you, fab some.

 

[jideta]

Another one I just started...well actually I started it a while back just haven't got around to finishing.



Finally got my leather dye in so I suppose I should get on it.
I think using rivets is a design decision; does it work? what look are you going for? does it match the knife?
Going for something more rustic here...

 

[Lorien]

here's a cool sheath, (and knife) made by Rick Marchand

 

[jideta]

That sheath I needed to finish:



Wanted to get some symmetry with the rivets.
Not that it mattered once I added the strap:


I like this dye stuff! I need to order a couple more colors.
I forgot to cut the strap so that you can wear it vertical; I'm mostly a horizontal anyways.
Rivets are a nice contrast against darker material as they pop and catch the eyeballs.
Ooops I also forgot to add a conch I had.
Next one.

 

[oldblu]

Those are pretty nice rivets you made Lorien, can I ask how you made them?

 

[Lorien]

Those are pretty nice rivets you made Lorien, can I ask how you made them?

of course! The question is, can I explain it properly?

-drill a hole about the size of the wire through a 3/8" chunk of annealed steel
-split the chunk of steel down the middle, bisecting the hole I drilled, with bandsaw
-tape the two halves together
-taper and smooth out one end of the copper wire and clamp in the fixture I made at a consistent height
-clamp fixture with wire in it in vise, using a section of small diameter steel tubing to keep fixture from moving under blows
-holding a small cold chisel with a flattened face I start pounding it with a hammer starting at the middle of the wire and work my way around in a spiral from there, gradually mushrooming the end
-once the head of the rivet is shaped the wire is clamped in the drill press at the other end
-holding a file to the spinning wire the taper is ground in
-the excess is snipped off and then the rivet is installed as per the usual

 

[oldblu]

Thank you, I had no idea it would be that complicated and labor intensive. Now I have a full appreciation of how nice the rivets really are!

 

[Lorien]

Thank you, I had no idea it would be that complicated and labor intensive. Now I have a full appreciation of how nice the rivets really are!

it's a huge pain in the butt, although a lot of it was trial and error. Next time, if there is one, should be easier

 

[freefalltheyounger]

I fabbed some rivets for a knife handle out of a piece of copper ground-wire. Drilled a hole the wire would just fit through through the a railroad spike, countersunk the top of the hole and clamped the wire in the vise with the spike sitting atop the jaws with the wire stick up a fat 1/8" above the surface of the spike. Tapped the center of the wire with a center punch to start it swelling homogeneously then peened it down with a 1 lb ball-peen hammer. Cut wire to length and repeat.

 

[Lorien]

oh yeah, I forgot to mention countersinking the hole

 

[Lorien]

here's the fixture I came up with

 

[thebrain]

There are commercially available rivet dies for copper. They have the multiple holes and some are hinged. I have been eyeing them for a while , they definitely make it easier to form a rivet in reasonable time. A very small ball pein hammer is the best tool to mushroom out the head. YouTube has many videos on making copper rivets, apparently they are popular in costume making.