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5x rivet gun for -6 rivets?

speyers

speyers

Well Known Member
Will a 5x rivet gun handle AN470AD-6 rivets? Anybody with first hand experience driving these, I would like to hear from you. The 3x gun I have wont do it, and the 4x I borrowed just barely makes it on full shop air pressure (120 psi).
-David
 
To the best of my knowledge, rivets of that size will require special, very heavy-duty riveting equipment. I doubt anyone could control a hand-held pneumatic rivet gun that will drive that size rivet.
 
I only set a few size 6 rivet in my life. it was to close a tooling hole in the fuel tank ribs. I had no problem using my 3x rivet gun.

I done a fair share of size 5, don't ask me why....

Size 5 and 6 are easier to set as they do not fold over unless you really are going for it...

My 6 setting:
http://www.mykitlog.com/users/display_log.php?user=N741BN&project=2288&category=9329&log=189531&row=192

I do use a tungsten bucking bar, it could be a light bucking bar is the problem.

Also maybe the rivets are work or age hardened ? First time I tried, I used 20 year old rivets I got from from my technical councilor, they were really hard to set.
 
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A 5X gun should handle driving rivets up to 0.25 in. They do require larger 0.498 rivet sets though so your existing 0.401 sets won't fit. However, the gun in the link has a 0.401 adapter.
 
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I use a 4x on -5 rivets so a 5x should be fine on -6. I've use my 4x on 1/4" rivets before and it barely worked, but i would't use it on anything critical (I was filling holes on an aluminum fishing boat.)
 
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I have built several spars with size 6 rivets. I use a 4x rivet gun and it drives them easily.
I have also used a C-frame and a 3 lb hammer, which also works well.
Good luck.
 
Vans rents a large pneumatic squeezer for those large rivets. I?ve used it twice. $400 refundable deposit and $10 a week plus shipping. It?s well worth it. I also have a bunch of extra spar rivets if you need them. I think they are AD470 6-30.
 
thanks

Thanks for the replies. Access was limited on this job so they have to be driven with a gun and bucking bar only.
Like I said the 4x gun on full pressure shop air and a tungsten bar worked, it was just at the limit of its capacity for these AN470AD6-10 rivets.
 
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