solid rivets using only hand tools? Your experienced advice requested

[Macintosh]

I am re-riveting on a gunwale that popped a few rivets. I have aluminum brazier-head rivets of the appropriate length (3/8" length), but I do not have access to a compressor. I have found a few references here and elsewhere from people saying they have installed rivets by hand using a hammer on one side and a sledge or bucking bar on the other. For those who have done this, what worked best? Sledge on the round side and bang on the tail with a normal-sized hammer? Or sledge on the tail and bang on the rounded head with a hammer? Or? Did you find a heavier or lighter hammer worked better? I'll practice on a couple, but any tips to speed up the learning curve would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

[DaleH]

Larger/heavier metal or buck against the head, dimpled if at all possible, even a ground little dot works to help hold the position. Hit the tail as 'square' to the shaft as you can ... Also works best with 2 people and wear hearing protection. But I'm sure others might have success doing it the opposite way.

Regardless, you need a much heavier buck than when doing it with pneumatic tools, so that all of the transmitted force squishes the rivet tail.

 

[Macintosh]

Thanks very much, I have a giant sledgehammer, about 3x normal size, I can use that for a buck.

 

[thill]

What Dale H says above.

If you have a Dremel or a die grinder and a round stone, put a dimple in the side of the sledge and press it against the outside, and then peen from the inside. A regular, 16-24 ounce hammer will be fine on the inside.

 

[Pawatch]

You think about maybe taking the boat to a sheet metal shop to have the rivets put in?
It might not cost that much...just a suggestion.

 

[Macintosh]

Already did it, advice above worked perfectly (thank you!). It was really easy, certainly not something I would bother paying for in the future for a few rivets.