Re: [VACList] Rivets re:bucked tail diameter, etc

["T Meeker" <tmeeker@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Chris,

It's always nice to have willing 'students'. ;)  Glad you find this topic
interesting.  One thing I learned a long time ago was that "if you don't
ask, you dont' get."  And that's still true today isn't it?

Did you know that at times you can countersink the metal where the tail
would come through the metal and then using a softer rivet you can actually
"shoot the tail" instead of the rivet head?  Sometimes you have to do what
you have to do to get the job done.  This is NOT recommended practice but it
works in that one odd situation where nothing else would do IF doing so does
not compromise the strength of the finished product.

There are other fasteners you could use in tight situations other than
rivets; but rivets are inexpensive which is why they were developed in the
first place especially considering how strong and light in weight they are.

In working with metal like aluminum more rivets isn't good either.  Overkill
in the amount of fasteners in a prescribed area can make it weak.  The whole
idea is to get maximum strength with the least amount of weight and
fasteners.  The more holes drilled means there is more chance for metal
fatigue which is not what we strive for.

Tom