How to Use a Pop Rivet Tool

A pop rivet is a fastener that consists of a pin-style shaft that is mushroomed on one end and a flared hollow rivet that as a smooth conical shaped head. Pop riveting guns pull the pin into the back of the rivet. There are both manual and pneumatic pop rivet tools and the only difference between the two is the mechanism that draws the pin into the rivet. A manual pop rivet tool uses a handle to mechanically pull the pin, while a pneumatic pop rivet tool uses air to force the pin into the rivet.

Things You'll Need

• Safety glasses
• Drill motor
• 1/8-inch drill bit
• Two pieces of scrap sheet metal
• Self-locking pliers
• Manual pop rivet gun
• 1/8-inch pop rivets

Instructions

1. Don your safety glasses.

2. Secure the 1/8-inch drill bit into the drill motor.

3. Overlap the two pieces of sheet metal at least 1-inch and hold the pieces of metal together with a pair of self-locking pliers.

4. Lay the clamped overlapping sheet metal flat on a firm stable surface.

5. Drill a 1/8-inch hole through the two pieces of clamped sheet metal; keep the drill bit rotating as you remove the drill bit from the metal to eliminate the chances of the drill bit binding and distorting the shape of the drilled hole.

6. Place the pointed side of the pop rivet pin into the forward end of the pop rivet tool. Ensure that the conical head of the pop rivet rests firmly against the holding tip of the pop rivet tool.

7. Apply light pressure to the handle of the pop rivet tool to hold the pop rivet in place.

8. Slide the mushroomed end of the pop rivet pin through the hole you drilled through the two pieces of sheet metal in step five.

9. While applying pressure toward the sheet metal, pull the handle of the pop rivet tool. Release the handle. Make sure that the pop rivet gun is tight to the head of the pop rivet and pull the handle a second time. Repeat the process until the pop gun makes a loud pop and pulls free of the secured pop rivet.

10. Flip the pop rivet tool over and watch that the pin ejects from the head of the pop rivet tool before you install another pop rivet.

References

• Pop Rivet Gun Article with Video