Pop Rivet Removal - School Me

[Bcone1381]

Lets talk about Pull Rivets, or Pop Rivets.

First, A pull rivet has two parts, a body and a mandrel and these to part may be fabricated from different materials. The mandrel is often times harder. In fact, Spruce offers no pull rivets that are 3/32" DIA that are all aluminum, and only offers one rivet that is 1/8" DIA that has both an aluminum body and mandrel.

The stronger rivets have dis-similar metals used for the body and mandrel. An all aluminum pop rivet is not strong. An aluminum body with a steel or stainless mandrel is common and stronger.

I lean towards using all aluminum rivets and avoid using an aluminum pop rivet with a steel or stainless mandrel because I can use a drill to remove it. I lack the knowledge and skill to remove an aluminum body/steel mandrel rivet.

If I drill out this rivet, the softer aluminum body will accept the drill and the harder mandrel will resist the cutting action of the bit. So, We can't drill it out unless we mess up the original hole. So School me....How do I remove it without enlarging the hole? There must one another way.

Second...... Will a stainless pop rivet used in aluminum cause dis-similar corrosion issues?

[Mark Goldberg]

Pop rivets with steel mandrels are indeed harder to drill out than all aluminum rivets. But by no means impossible to drill out. All aluminum rivets are a little harder to find but certainly available. I buy from Hanson Rivets in California. They have pretty much all the pops you might want. Round or flush head, all aluminum or SS.

I have used some CCC-32 stainless rivets in place of a driven rivet or two where I could not get at the rivet tail with a bucking bar. No problem. After a lot of years. Mark

[S Lathrop]

Removing an aluminum rivet with a steel mandrel is easy. I grind a small punch to fit inside the hole left from the mandrel. I use this punch to drive the mandrel out of the rivet or at least below the material that holds the rivet. Drilling is now easy because there is a pilot hole for the drill ty follow. This even works for Cherry Max rivets.

I try never to use stainless rivets for 2 reasons. 1 Even with the mandrel out, stainless rivets are very difficult to drill and will frequently spin with the drill. I also have found that the stainless rivets loosen and then are nearly impossible to drill out. I find a Cherry Max or a Cherry Q rivet a much better option.

This is just my opinion after using pull rivets in structural applications for nearly 40 years.

[Rollie]

I just drill deep enough to get the head off, then use a spring loaded center punch to knock the rest of the rivet through the hole. It is very rare that it messes up the hole.

[JBC]

If you are drilling out a pop rivet and it begins to spin in the hole use a Rivet Removal Tool (ACS p/n 12-00817). It has teeth surrounding the drill bit which keep the rivet from spinning.

John Ciolino
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