[TheForge] Rivets

Fri Mar 28 07:02:00 2003

Gee Id love to see a video of that in action. Why did it take so long for
bolts to come into mainstream use in heavy construction? by the 50's they
were common as dirt, was it the metallurgy that improved or manufacturing
techniques made them cheaper?
----- Original Message -----
From: <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: 28 March, 2003 5:22 PM
Subject: [TheForge] Rivets


> It must be 3 - 4 years ago now when I made a fairly long post to theforge
about
> riveting on structural steel.  I worked as an ironworker in the early mid
50's around
> the southern end of Lake Michigan.
>
> For a while I worked in a riveting gang which consisted of four
people--the heater, a
> catcher, a bucker, and a driver.  All the rivets I worked on at the time
were .75 dia
> by whatever length needed.  The heater would keep a half dozen or more
rivets in
> his forge being heated and the catcher would hit his catch can with his
pickup tongs
> indicating he wanted a rivet.  The heater would pitch the rivet up and the
catcher
> would catch it in a funnel and put it in the hole with his pick up tongs.
The bucker
> would put the head of his bucking tool ( which was called a horse cock and
usually
> had an offset head) on the rivet and the driver would drive a head on the
rivet
> before it cooled too much.
>
> The riveting gang was set up on a "point"--a place where a beam is
attached to a
> column.  There would be two "floats" (pieces of 3/4" plywood with 2 x 4
framing
> underneath that sticks out from the plywood and ropes are attached to the
four
> corners.  These pieces of rope are lashed around the beam and the "float"
is made
> horizontal and tied off.  The driver stands or kneels on one float and the
bucker and
> catcher are on the other float.  Sometimes you just sit on the beams and
work off of
> them.  Usually not though since this "point" might require maybe from 8 to
20 or
> more rivets and all the holes must be "good" before  any rivets are
driven.  Barrel
> pins are driven into some of the holes to line the iron up and the point
is bolted tight
> in some of the holes usually with an impact wrench.  As rivets go in bolts
and pins
> come out until the "point" is all rivets.
>
> The catcher's job is easiest since all he has to do it catch the rivets
and put them in
> the hole.  The heater's job is also easy and no doubt the most skilled job
in the
> gang.  The bucker and driver are earning their money.  Normally, the
catcher,
> bucker, and driver change off during the day to split up the work.
Everyone gets
> paid the same.
>
> When bolts came it seemed like it changed overnight where I was at.
Rivets one
> day and bolts the next with rivets never to be seen again. Riveting takes
four guys
> in a gang and bolting up only takes two and you can stick more bolts in a
day by far
> than rivets.  I'm sure that the change didn't take place the same way in
all parts of
> the country and that rivets were probably used in the boilermaking and
other trades
> for a lot longer than on structural steel.
>
> If I remember, we had riveting guns that were called numbers 60, 70, 80,
or 90--
> getting larger as the numbers go up.  You don't want to use a number 90
since it will
> wear your ass out.  The riveting head (called a "snap") was actually loose
but was
> held on with a piece of wire.  But it was possible to pull the trigger and
shoot it off.
> Also inside the gun was a plunger that was loose and could also shoot off
if not
> careful.
>
> I'd be in the market for a riveting gun of the smaller sizes if anyone
knows where
> there might be any.  If fact I'm interested in any original riveting
equipment (except
> a forge) as it used to be used.
>
> Sorry for rambling on for so long.
>
> Norm Larson
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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