Riv-nut tool
- Thread starter Malcolm
- Start date
David Morton
Lifetime Supporter
Malcolm,
I've got a manual one you can borrow. I've no experience of an air driven one and having used rivnuts for a while it seems to be a case of softly softly very much feely as you put them in. Air operated might be a bit of overkill. It's made by Eclipse and its called a Spiralux. Inserts (RIVNUTS) vary in quality and my experience is the ones with vertical grooving are slightly harder to pull but do a better job and never seem to fail where as the other 'non grooved' ones can rotate quite easily on very thing gauge panels - but thats not a problem as you just reverse assemble the tool again and pull them a bit tighter. The thinnest of the mandrils (4mm ) can also easily shear off if you don't know your own strength.
Dave M
I've got a manual one you can borrow. I've no experience of an air driven one and having used rivnuts for a while it seems to be a case of softly softly very much feely as you put them in. Air operated might be a bit of overkill. It's made by Eclipse and its called a Spiralux. Inserts (RIVNUTS) vary in quality and my experience is the ones with vertical grooving are slightly harder to pull but do a better job and never seem to fail where as the other 'non grooved' ones can rotate quite easily on very thing gauge panels - but thats not a problem as you just reverse assemble the tool again and pull them a bit tighter. The thinnest of the mandrils (4mm ) can also easily shear off if you don't know your own strength.
Dave M
David Morton
Lifetime Supporter
for thing on line 6 read thin. My keyboard doing its own thang ....
Malcolm, check McMaster Carr. I got mine from Bolhoff back when they had a distribution center nearby in New Hampshire. It looks like a pop rivet tool and you can change mandrels depending on the thread size of the Rivnut you're using. I would also think a pneumatic one would be overkill for anything other than a production environment.
Malcolm,
Try this Blind Rivet / All Safety Supply - Product Catalog
look down the page to item 39213. This is the one I built my RF with, a search shold give you a cross section of priceing.
I also agree with everything said here as to typ and use of the Riv-Nuts.
Peter
Try this Blind Rivet / All Safety Supply - Product Catalog
look down the page to item 39213. This is the one I built my RF with, a search shold give you a cross section of priceing.
I also agree with everything said here as to typ and use of the Riv-Nuts.
Peter
Malcolm,
Davids spot on with his advice.
I,ve been using rivnuts for years without any problems. I ALWAYS use the nurled variety and you will have no problems in pulling them by hand. I think you would be ill advised to use air tools, if in fact you can get one, because riv-nutting requires a certain feel that only the wrist action can give. It is not just sheet metal that they can be used with and if you need any other advice you can always call me.
Graham @ GTA.
Davids spot on with his advice.
I,ve been using rivnuts for years without any problems. I ALWAYS use the nurled variety and you will have no problems in pulling them by hand. I think you would be ill advised to use air tools, if in fact you can get one, because riv-nutting requires a certain feel that only the wrist action can give. It is not just sheet metal that they can be used with and if you need any other advice you can always call me.
Graham @ GTA.
Malcolm
As david said the grooved rivnuts are harder to pull, but definitely hold much better. Also stay away from the aluminum nuts, they are good for a few ins and outs and then become loose, or don't hold well right from the start.
You may want to look on the web for Lawson Products. They have a distributor in the U. K. and they make a super well holding rivnut (IMHO), also they have a couple of nice installation tools including a hand operated hydraulic unit that really takes the effort out of pulling them up tight...and you can control the tension which is not the case with the pneumatic tools. By the way, the hydraulic tool will also pull pop rivets even stainless up to 3/16 with minimal effort.
Cheers
Phil
As david said the grooved rivnuts are harder to pull, but definitely hold much better. Also stay away from the aluminum nuts, they are good for a few ins and outs and then become loose, or don't hold well right from the start.
You may want to look on the web for Lawson Products. They have a distributor in the U. K. and they make a super well holding rivnut (IMHO), also they have a couple of nice installation tools including a hand operated hydraulic unit that really takes the effort out of pulling them up tight...and you can control the tension which is not the case with the pneumatic tools. By the way, the hydraulic tool will also pull pop rivets even stainless up to 3/16 with minimal effort.
Cheers
Phil
Brett James-McCall
Moderator
Malc,
I'll send you a pic of what I bought when I get home. Its a hand variety but pretty good.
Brett
I'll send you a pic of what I bought when I get home. Its a hand variety but pretty good.
Brett
Brett James-McCall
Moderator
Hi Malc,
Here's a picture of my manual Rivnut tool that I have had for a few years. The handles fold down to allow you to get into smaller spaces. The only issue I have had with it is not knowing my own stength... when using the M4 mandrel, I have at times pulled the handles together a little too quickly and snapped the mandrel... but altogether I've found it good, and it saves the forearm
Brett
Here's a picture of my manual Rivnut tool that I have had for a few years. The handles fold down to allow you to get into smaller spaces. The only issue I have had with it is not knowing my own stength... when using the M4 mandrel, I have at times pulled the handles together a little too quickly and snapped the mandrel... but altogether I've found it good, and it saves the forearm
Brett
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Brett James-McCall
Moderator
Sealey will charge you an arm and a leg. Mine is made by a company called NCT. ANyway, I got it from my local engineer supply shop a few years back. It was only £30 then (to me anyway)
Brett
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