Oval Rivets Article.pdf

Oval Rivets

Mark Aspery School of Blacksmithing

Springville, California

This style of rivet came from a desire to replace

a heel tenon for a rivet in the upper rail of a

pedestrian gate, but still keep the look of a

riveted heel tenon.

Figure 1 shows the heel tenon with igure 2

showing the substitution.

Figure 3

I then went on to complete a commission

where I needed a number of these oval rivets

and wanted the tooling to be a bit more user

friendly.

Figure 1

I remembered a farriers vice I had used some

years ago. I think that it was called a “Green

River #3” It had a step operated closing device.

To the rear of the vice was a bolt-heading tool

with an adjustable depth capability.

It looked rather like a frame that contained two

small swage blocks. Each block had a number

of half round depressions on its surface of

varying sizes. Thus, when put together they

made a round hole that could be split.

Not having a mill, or the desire to do a lot of

bench-work, my problem was putting in a half

oval depression in two blocks.

Figure 2

Due to only needing one of these rivets at the

time, I didn’t put a lot of effort into the tooling.

I made a heading plate by slot punching and

drifting an oval eye and then held that over a

spacer (an end cut of pipe) of the correct depth

as I headed the rivet from one side prior to

applying it to the gate. This method can lead to

the rivet binding in the tool.

Fig 3 shows the initial tooling.

I could punch and drift an oval eye and then cut

the block in half. The problem with that method

is that the edge of the stock would get distorted

and I needed to be able to hold it in a frame

( a bit of heavy wall square tubing) I had seen

Francis Whittaker demonstrate a method of

punching a hammer eye that gave virtually no

distortion to the outer edge of the stock.

Francis would drill two holes close to each

other and punch out the web in-between.

The examples in igures 4 and 5 (hexagonal

stock shown) demonstrate the method and the

lat ended tool required to punch the web

The result of the drilling, punching and inally

sawing in two is shown in Figure 6.

Figure 6

Figure 4 above and 5 below

Figure 7, below shows the tool contained in the

square tube. What you cannot see is the angle

iron spacers required to keep the top of the tool

the correct distance from the anvil surface.

I had some 2-inch square pipe 1/8th-inch wall

and some A36 solid bar that would it inside it.

The oval hole needed to be made oversized in

either the X or the Y- axis to compensate for

the saw cut that would split the stock. My rivets

would be made from 3/4-inch round stock.

The irst job was to forge the stock to the size

of rivet I wanted. Once I had that information

I would then know what size of holes to

drill in my A36 and the dimensions of the

corresponding tool shown in Figure 5.

Figure 7

Once I had the tool made and had run a couple

of test rivets through it, I could gauge how long

to cut my stock prior to heading the rivet up.

Step 1 Forge the 3/4 round bar to an oval of

the desired size and length. I did this a couple

of feet at a time using a gas forge and my 33 lb

Anyang hammer with lat dies.

Step 4 I put a ive clout head to the rivet, as I

do with my heel tenon rivet heads.

Figures 8 and 9 below show the rivets applied.

Step 2 Cut the stuck to length and heat the end

to be headed. Consider quenching if the heat is

too long.

Figure 8

Step 3 Hammer the rivet head lat

Figure 9

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