[TheForge] Re: Rivets

[Mike Spencer]

> For a while I worked in a riveting gang which consisted of four
> people--the heater, a catcher, a bucker, and a driver.

Great post, Norm!  Thank you.

Maybe you're the person who can tell me about a tool I have.  I'll
describe it.  I've always thought it was a riveting tool for doing the
kind of work you described.  Maybe you'll know.

This thing looks like a cross between a sledge hammer head and one of
those railroad spiking hamers.  It's 6 pounds, 7" long, ca. 1 3/4"
diameter.  The eye would take a helve somewhat thinner than a
typical sledge.  It's more like old set tool eyes.

One end is forged octagonal and looks like a normal hammer face.  The
other end is forged round in a two-piece die (you can see the sprue
lines) and is cupped on what would be the hammer face, 1 1/2" dia. and
slightly shallower tham a complete hemisphere.

It's a brand new Atha tool.  The only mark other than the Atha
A-in-a-horseshoe and name is the fraction "3/4" stamped in.

I imagined this was a rivet header, used as a set tool and struck by a
second guy with a sledge.  But from your description there was only
one guy on that end of the rivet.  Maybe there were 5 guys on a gang
before the advent of riveting guns?

What do you think?

- Mike

-- 
Michael Spencer                  Nova Scotia, Canada 
                                 
mspencer@tallships.ca            
http://home.tallships.ca/mspencer/