How to remove rivets?

In cases where it is required to organize strong and reliable fasteners, craftsmen often prefer to use rivets. The use of rivets is very convenient, but it is impossible to remove them when it is necessary to disassemble the structure without damage. This is the main difference between this method of fastening from connections, for example, bolts or screws. which can be unscrewed with the appropriate tool and then used again.

There are several ways to remove a rivet from metal, plastic, or other surface. They are used not only by professionals, but also by beginners. In this case, special equipment is not needed, as well as special skills. It should be borne in mind that the work will be very slow.

It is quite possible to rivet products without a rivet. To remove rivets, in some cases you only need a hammer, screwdriver or chisel, depending on the size of the rivets. In other cases, a grinder or a drill, as well as a riveting nozzle, may be useful to the user.

To pull out any rivet, you will need to grind or cut off its head to open the shank. The work must be done sequentially. First, the dimensions and material of the parts are found out, which are connected using such fasteners. At the same time, the material from which the rivets themselves were made is determined. Once these characteristics are known, suitable tools can be selected and the maximum force that should be applied to remove the fastener can be estimated. The impact method with a hammer and chisel is not recommended to be used in cases where the material of the fastened products is very thin or fragile, since these products can be easily damaged and destroyed.

To remove rivets, you can use a variety of tools, which we talked about above. Let's consider some of the methods in more detail.

A drill is in the arsenal of almost every man, so quite often they decide to simply drill a threaded or ordinary metal rivet. Before starting drilling, set the power tool to the minimum number of revolutions of the chuck. As a result of this action, the work will be carried out not only with high quality, but also with a good speed for such conditions.

The tip of the drill is placed in the recess in the center of the head, and the axis of the drill is located perpendicular to the surface of the fastened elements. In the process of work, it is necessary to carefully monitor so that the tool does not slip, otherwise damage is inevitable.

The fastener collapses the moment the drill passes through the head of the hardware. Sometimes the rod will not fall out on its own, so you need to use a hammer and punch to remove it. Usually 1-2 blows to the surface of the fastened structure are enough to remove the rivet shank. The force of impacts must be appropriate for the situation, taking into account the material of construction.

If you are careful, the work will not affect the integrity of the surface, so you can not be afraid of damage. After removing one rivet, you can tackle the next.

You can cut the product with an ordinary grinder.The work is carried out as quickly as possible, however, experts note that this method is notable for the risk of injury.

With the help of a grinder, you should cut off all the heads on the rivets. The remains are removed with a screwdriver. The heads have to be removed at an angle, so it is very easy to damage the material. In addition, you should take care of your own safety, using the necessary protective equipment.

Most often, exhaust fasteners are made of mild steel or non-ferrous alloys. That is why the head of such a rivet can be easily removed with a chisel. To do this, the cutting edge of the tool is carefully placed under the edge of the head, after which it is hit with a hammer until the top of the rivet is sheared off. The remainder is removed using a punch.

This method is not suitable in some cases. For example, if the surface is painted, it is recommended to refuse it. The fact is that in the course of work to remove fasteners, the paint will inevitably be significantly damaged.

This tool has been gaining popularity in recent years, and you can easily find it in specialized stores. The riveting nozzle is designed directly for removing fasteners. In fact, it is an attachment for an electric drill.

The principle of operation does not differ significantly from using a conventional drill, but in this case it turns out to achieve maximum speed and accuracy. With the help of such a device, the drill is placed exactly in the center of the head, and the setting allows you to strictly limit the depth of penetration, which is enough to remove the upper part of the fastener.

However, there is a disadvantage that there is no universal adaptation. For hardware of different diameters, you will have to use different attachments. For this reason, experts recommend using the product only when a sufficiently large amount of work is to be done, as well as for removing rivets in extreme conditions.

Removing the rivets is not a difficult procedure, but the masters give some recommendations. First of all, they advise using a high-quality riveter that will fully cope with its functions. Cheap Chinese tools can damage the product.

A it should also be borne in mind that the embedded heads can be of different shapes. Semicircular products are most often used. Often, after disassembling a structure, it becomes necessary to assemble it and select new fasteners. The new fastener should ideally have characteristics similar to the previous version. However, it is not always possible to find completely identical rivets, therefore, it is primarily worth choosing them according to the strength of the material - it should be no worse than past indicators.

In some cases, tearing of the material of the fastened elements may occur. A rubber gasket comes to the rescue, which will need to be carefully installed. Experts recommend not to give up this product.

How to remove rivets, see the video below.