How to Remove a Mounting Rivet
Mounting rivets join two pieces of metal together, much like sheet metal screws. Drive rivets are the most common rivet to mount two pieces of metal together. You will find drive rivets on boats, auto body parts, motorcycles and around the home. When the rivets become loose, replace them. Before you can replace the rivet, remove the mounting rivet without damaging the hole the rivet is holding. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
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1
Grind the head of the rivet as flat as possible with a grinder. You do not want to damage the finish of the material the rivet is holding together. Attempt to flatten the tip of the pin in the middle of the rivet.
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2
Place an appropriate size punch over the pin in the middle of the rivet. Hold the punch straight and tap the top of the punch with a hammer. When choosing a punch, use one that has a punch tip near the size of the pin. You do not want to damage the hole the rivet is going through.
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3
Drill the center of the rivet with a drill bit only slightly larger than the pin hole. You want to drill through the rivet to remove the pin from the rivet completely.
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Change the drill bit to one that is the size of the rivet in the hole. The rivet size is where the rivet head begins to curve up or the thickest part of the head. Drill straight down so that you do not make the hole any larger. When you drill through the rivet, back the drill out and the rivet head will be around the drill bit.
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Tips & Warnings
Use a chisel to remove the head of a rivet. This distorts the hole the rivet is in and is not recommended. If you remove the head with a chisel, drill the pin out of the rivet first.
