Pop Rivet Nirvana

[Howard]

If these guys don't have it, you don't need it!!!

http://www.hansonrivet.com/w18.htm

[Hirilonde]

It seems that all of the monel rivets use steel mandrels. Can/should the mandrel be removed after installation?

[Howard]

This Monel option has a stainless mandrel.

http://www.hansonrivet.com/w19a.htm

There has been some discussions in the past about Riv-Nuts. Hanson appears to have those too.

BTW, it has also come to my attention that McMaster Carr also offers a pretty good selection of pop rivets and rivet guns:

http://www.mcmaster....-rivets/=gzrpz6

[Phil Garland]

At Hall Spars we use SS rivets with SS mandrels as the strongest combination...with a proper length rivet for the material thickness the mandrel will break right below the head and adds to the strength. For fittings that are in tension like a turning block at the base of a mast, a rivet has superior holding power to a threaded machine screw.

[Howard]

At Hall Spars we use SS rivets with SS mandrels as the strongest combination...with a proper length rivet for the material thickness the mandrel will break right below the head and adds to the strength. For fittings that are in tension like a turning block at the base of a mast, a rivet has superior holding power to a threaded machine screw.

Do you have a preferred brand or style of SS rivets? A source?

Interesting you can get these in a lot of options. 18-8 Stainless, 316 and maybe 304. Some don't really say what they are.

Also, do you use something like Tef-Gel to isolate the stainless rivet from the mast? (Assuming aluminum).

Do you have a preferred style or brand of gun to install them with?

[Phil Garland]

I would have to check who our current supplier is, but for most applications a dome head rivet works best. Best corrosion resistance would be 18-8 or 316 although 304 is probably slightly stronger. We use Tef-Gel or Duralac (Zinc Chromate paste) to isolate the fasteners. For the larger size SS rivets we use an air gun but there are some hand rivet tools like the Big Daddy tool that work fine for 3/16" rivets which is a good general purpose size

[Frank Hagan]

Back when I was working for a manufacturer, we had occasional stainless failures due to mixed materials. We had stainless roll pins that had steel roll pins mixed in the batch. We tested them with a magnet as stainless is non-magnetic (except for some low grades of stainless).

[jhoppy]

Since you guys are sourcing rivets... This is where I get most of mine... Pretty good selection, quick free shipping, and decent prices.

http://stores.ebay.com/The-Rivet-Gallery

[MikeStevenson]

Great thread! Thanks for the info...