Rivets Rivets Rivets...

[HannahJewelleryDesigns]

Hello!
Am I geting something drastically wrong or is there a special technique to rivetting that I havent discovered yet? All my rivets seem to lean over to the side no matter which angle I hit it from. I use a ball pein hamer and a rivet hammer, drill and countersink but they still look drunk! Any ideas?
Thanks!

[ps_bond]

Use remarkably little force, a light hammer, work slowly and gradually shape the rivet working around the edges is what works for me.

A rivet set can help to tidy up the final shape, too; they're easy enough to make.

[Lindyloo]

Is it possible that your rivets are sitting to far out of the surface of your piece, hence bending to the side? You need a remarkably short tip sitting proud of the surface.

[Emerald]

are they a tight fit Hannah

[WitchfordSilver]

Sounds like there's a frog on the loose "Rivet rivet"

Could you be making them to long, allowing them to lean over?

[Ominicci]

are they a tight fit Hannah

Am doing trial and error pieces with rivets too and found that this is essential! Both tight in the hole through any metal and/or through any beads if being attached (e.g. spinner rings - if the bead rattles around too much on the bar/tube then the bar/tube will bend inside the bead when tapped).

[HannahJewelleryDesigns]

Hmm, no the last ones I did were a little loose as I broke my drill bit and didnt have a spare! I think I need to experiment with shorter wire as well by the sound of it. Ta very much!

[Dennis]

Traditionally rivets are made so that the part projecting is the same length as the diameter of the wire used. A cup burr that just fits is brilliant for rounding the finished end and will disguise a slight bend to a degree. Also bear in mind that it is sometimes safer to use very thin tubing because you only need to insert a scriber and wiggle it to spread the end. Kind regards Dennis.

[HannahJewelleryDesigns]

Hi Dennis,
thanks for the reply, do you know of any good online tutorials for tube rivets? I tried before and only managed to either split the tube or not get much movement in the metal- is that due to the wall thickness of the tube? (or am I just too weak?!)
Sorry for all the questions but lots of my ideas involve rivets but i cant seem to master it with any degree of accuracy or uniformity.
Many thanks for the replies

[mizgeorge]

Did you anneal the tube really well first Hannah? It makes a big difference