How can i remove rivets

By choosing I Accept , you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. How to Remove Rivets. By Charles Bickford. Pinterest Email Pocket Flipboard. Typically used by aircraft mechanics, the tool consists of a drill bit and guide that positions the bit over the center of the rivet. Insert the tool into a drill, position the guide onto the rivet head, and drill the head off and the rivet out.

The rivet should fall apart. Option 3: Use Brute Force A third method is crude, but it works. Repeat until the rivet head is detached. Usually, the rivet can then be easily removed. Occasionally, a punch may be required to push the rivet out. There are several reasons why rivets break. As we said in the introduction, rivets are a permanent fixing solution, designed to stay put. However, rivets that do break, typically are as a result of a second-rate installation.

It could be that the person putting the rivets in was too aggressive with the rivet. Driving down on the rivet too hard will increase the strain on the metal and cause it to shear off. However, a rivet with too little pressure applied is likely to come loose. Perhaps the construction worker was using the wrong tool or in a hurry to get the job done. There are any number of variables that could cause your rivets to break.

There is a strong chance that if a couple of rivets have failed, others are likely to follow suit. Before you undertake any drilling, you would be wise to locate all the rivets first. Pop rivets are found in guttering, guttering straps and any other thin sheet metal used in the construction of your house. Most rivets have a small hole in the center. Offer up your drill bit to check the size. If the drill bit fits in the hole, it is too small.

Typically, a drill bit of 0. When you are happy that you have found the correct size, secure it in the chuck of your cordless drill. If you are working high off the ground, place the ladder against the wall of the house, making sure that you firmly wedge the feet in the ground to avoid the ladder slipping.

Once the rivet is within reach, offer up the drill to the center hole of the rivet. Keep the drill straight and press the trigger. Go very slowly, because drilling out a rivet is about the pressure you apply rather than the speed you work. At some point, you should hear the drill bit change pitch as it bites through the shank of the rivet. When the head comes loose, the rivet will detach from the hole.

We frequently install them in multiples to keep these components from shifting. Examine the area from multiple sides and determine how many rivets are present. Determine what role each one plays in holding the assembly together.

Also, many components that get riveted tend to be several feet off the ground, often up near a fascia or roofline. Make sure you have safe places to lean a ladder—and keep it well grounded—to reach the areas.

Select a titanium drill bit of the appropriate size. Pop Rivets have a small hole at their center. This hole determines the size, or thickness, of drill bit that will be required to remove the rivet.

Simply select a drill bit and hold the point up against the rivet hole. If the bit passes into the hole, it is too small. You want a bit that is just slightly too large for the hole. Carefully place the tip of the drill bit into the hole at the center of the rivet. Now, holding the tool perpendicular to the fastener, begin to drill. You bore through metal with pressure, rather than speed.

Maintain a low speed while keeping fairly firm pressure on the bit. You need to drill straight in. This is the bit digging its way through the metal wall. Back off some pressure to prevent jabbing the bit through with heavy force. When the head of the rivet is cut loose from the wall, the bit punches the body of the fastener the rest of the way through. You are left with the small hole that was originally drilled for the rivet to sit in. In my project, I was removing a strap that held a downspout to a structural column.

You can clearly see the pass-through hole for the old rivet in both layers of the strap. Drill out any other relevant rivets, and pry apart the components.