Need Rivet squeezer advice.

Would someone please give me information as to EXACTLY which yokes to purchase with the Avery Tools rivet squeezer? The squeezer I purchased from ATS was a big mistake and caused a small amount of damage because of poor yoke design, and my inexperience using it in a tight area. Well, nobody else would notice the damage but I know it's there! I should have purchased the Avery Tools rivet squeezer but at the time thought that all squeezers were the same. For sure I'll need the Thin Nose squeezer yoke, but which one? How about the Longeron Yoke? Is that something I'll need? Any other yokes I should get?

Doug Rodrigues said:

Would someone please give me information as to EXACTLY which yokes to purchase with the Avery Tools rivet squeezer? The squeezer I purchased from US Tools was a big mistake and caused a small amount of damage because of poor yoke design, and my inexperience using it in a tight area. Well, nobody else would notice the damage but I know it's there! I should have purchased the Avery Tools rivet squeezer but at the time thought that all squeezers were the same. For sure I'll need the Thin Nose squeezer yoke, but which one? How about the Longeron Yoke? Is that something I'll need? Anything other yokes I should get?

Click to expand...

Doug--

I have the 4" no-hole thin nose, the 3" regular, and the longeron yokes. The 3" came with my tool kit from Cleveland, the other two I found to be VERY useful--purchased them to do all the rivets around my rudder brace (didn't need to use any pulled rivets) and have found various uses for all of them since. My favorite all around is the 3", but the other two are essential at times. They are expensive but they can always be sold when you're done, probably for not a whole lot less that what you paid for them.

Good luck.
Steve

Main Squeeze

Doug, have you considered the Cleveland Tools Main Squeeze? This is the one I am going with. I had the opportunity to try it at Oshkosh and the design is very well thought out. It makes use of leveraged cams so Cleveland claims that the force required to squeeze with it is about 35% of that required of traditional squeezers. I don't know if that figure is correct or not, but it was definitely much easier to squeeze than the traditional design. I apologize for not answering your question directly but since you are buying a new one you may want to take a look at the Main Squeeze. Short of a pneumatic squeezer, which is about $300 more, I think it is the best hand squeezer out there. The folks at Cleveland can help you decide which yokes you will need. Good luck and keep us posted.

Besides what Steve has, I have a 1" no hole yoke. I highly recommend a pneumatic squeezer. I was going to get the Main Squeeze, but Bob Avery gave me a deal on a pneumatic with a yoke for the same price as the MS with a yoke. Also get the quick change pins and an adjustable set holder. Also the pop rivet dimple dies are nice as are the vice grip dimple die tools.

I do not own a hand squeezer, BTW. Never used one on my 7A.

Roberta

I have a "main squeeze" and found that I never could get the hang of hand squeezing a rivet (I know, I'm a wuss). I changed to a pneumatic squeezer before I even started construction. I'm now into the fuselage, all slow build, and don't ever really plan on figuring out the trick to hand squeezing a rivet.

I totally agree with 4" no hole/thin nose, 3", and longeron yokes.

The above yoke advice is right on the mark. Buy them all, you will need and use every one.

As for the pneumatic vs. arm strong squeezer, I did my -9 slow build by hand and let me tell you, there are a LOT of rivets in a -9 wing that require squeezing. Would I buy a pneumatic squeezer? Maybe, it all depends on the price. I don't mind squeezing them with my Avery's squeezer.

I've used the Tatco hand squeezer at work alot. 3/32 are no problem, but if i had to squeeze many 1/8th i'd go for the pnuematic. How many of these rivets could be bucked instead of the squeezed? I prefer bucking.

My mind is now make up.

Okay, I'll go with the Avery hand squeezer and what ALPINELAKESPILOT and SCARD recommended. I'll also put the ATS squeezer to the grinder and remove that radius that is too wide around the dimple dies. Such a poor design. I won't even consider another pneumatic squeezer since accidentally punching a hole where it didn't belong while "speed" dimpling. Besides, the air hose seemed to get in the way and the tool was unconfortable to hold and use the trigger. Hand squeezing 3/32" rivets is a breeze after squeezing so many 1/8" rivets! Yup, screwed up and installed 1/8" rivets into the HS! So much for NOT reading instructions!

The wing kit should arrive on or about 10-10-05. I'll not do ANYTHING until reading the instructions and completely understanding the process. That's why I asked for recommendations on the squeezer and yokes. Didn't want to step into the pile of cow pie again and get the wrong tools!

rivet squeezer

Get the foot control with the pneumatic squeezer from Avery too. Well worth the money. It really helps to avoid those miss aimed oops and saves the thumb from geting tired.

Doug Rodrigues said:

...Besides, the air hose seemed to get in the way and the tool was unconfortable to hold and use the trigger.

Click to expand...

Doug,

Put one of these swivel's on the end of your air hose. That will help keep the hose out of the way when you are working with air tools.

ATS Aircraft Tools

I wrote a mild complaint letter to ATS informing them of the problem I had with their hand squeezer yoke. My intention was that perhaps they could correct that flaw in the design so no other builder would have the same problem. I got an immediate response and apology. ATS now has Specialty Yokes not available before for their hand squeezer . I had the full intention of purchasing the Avery Squeezer and yokes, but ATS made me an offer difficult to refuse: A good discount off the already discounted price because of the problem I had. I purchased the 1-1/2" and the 3" deep Close Quarters No-Hole Yokes, the Longeron Yoke, and the Bench Mount Assembly Kit. Too bad I didn't have the smaller Close Quarter Yoke before. That would have prevented the problem I had.