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Flush rivet appearance quality?

Larry DeCamp

Well Known Member
I purchased a project with ALL skin rivets that LOOK like they were back riveted. I cannot reproduce these results. My ATS gun with high pressure and throttle valve closed as much as it will, still runs fast NOT THUMP THUMP. The rivet head looks shiny ( too much hitting? ). The project I purchased, the factory head looks like it came out of the bag and the little dent looks like never struck, and transition to skin is beautiful. What am I doing wrong ? What rivet gun will do better ?
 
Gun is old ATS

I dont know what model ( 2x,3x, ?? ) I turned pressure up high, 80 lb+ thinking it would deform the rivet without "pecking" at a high frequency, but the the throttle valve is closed and it still hammers fast and I think is hardening the rivet in the process.
 
Rivet gun

The gun should have markings. Post them. One of us should be able to decipher them.
Try a good mini regulator set at about 25 psi for #3 rivets. The little HF regulator is ok.
A good shop head on my Sioux takes about 2 second pulse. Also, try a strip of heavy packing tape over the factory head.
 
Larry,
I use 22-25 psi with a 3x gun. I have a 2X but find it hits lighter and faster and requires more hits than the 3x does. The little knob thing on the handle just controls air flow, not pressure, so set your regulator. That is with 426-3 rivets, 470 takes a little more psi. If you are back riveting, it will take more pressure usually about 45 psi , I think, but that will vary with the back rivet thing, longer ones need more pressure. When you do 470 rivets try the little plastic things that go on the set, they help a lot.
 
35-40 PSI is what I use on 3/32 rivets. About 60 PSI on 1/8" rivets. 80 is waay too much.

Larry said in the OP that he has the throttle valve closed. Perhaps a test with the throttle valve fully open and less psi might be in order?

If it's a slow thump-thump I'm also wondering if the rivet gun is really an air hammer...
 
Larry said in the OP that he has the throttle valve closed. Perhaps a test with the throttle valve fully open and less psi might be in order?

If it's a slow thump-thump I'm also wondering if the rivet gun is really an air hammer...

I saw that, but I'm not familiar with a throttle valve.
 
Tape

Always use tape, that prevents the shiny look of the set rivet.
This made a world of difference for me. With simple clear plastic packing tape over the rivet, it ends up looking great. I can use the same square of tape about 4 or 5 times, then just grab a new one. I did find that the tape has a bit less friction, so I need to hold the rivet gun firmly and carefully perpendicular to the rivet head.
 
Regulator

I use one of those cheap HF flow valves on my rivet gun. I keep my compressor regulator on 80 psi and I have a mark on the the HF valve for -3 and -4 rivets. This combo produces very good repeatable rivets for me. And this beats going back and forth resetting the regulator on the compressor.

Joe
 
A small lightweight regulator is your friend. Mine stays with my rivet gun. Quickly and easily adjustable as rivet diameter and/or lengths change. Saves lots of trips to the compressor to adjust the main one, and, even better, saves you from accidently smashing the krap out of a #3 rivet with 90 psi.

FP12082013A0002L.jpg
 
I've got two regulators manifolded to my compressor. One is at 90 psi and the other, used mostly for riveting, is at 25 to 30 psi. They have different-colored shop hoses to help me avoid using the wrong pressure.

Dave
 
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