[TheForge] Rivets

Sat Mar 29 06:59:01 2003

Norm,
 No need to apologize.  Things like this is what makes this list worth
reading.  Makes me feel like I'm at a hammer-in.

Thanks.
Ralph Macey
Wood 'n Iron
Warrenton, MO
----- Original Message -----
From: <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, March 28, 2003 12:52 AM
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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