A pop rivet may be the fastener of choice if the back side of the work to be secured cannot be accessed. Pop rivets may be used when installing automotive trim parts onto the vehicle body where the back-side sheet metal is not reachable. The grip range --- which is the blind side of the rivet --- is inserted into a hole drilled into the work. A pop rivet tool expands the grip range to make it larger than the hole, which secures the two pieces of the work together.
Instructions
- 1
Drill a hole through the work at the desired attachment point with a power drill that has a drill bit installed equal to the diameter of the grip range of the pop rivet --- which is the larger diameter end of the rivet. Ensure the length of the grip range is equal to or longer than the thickness of the parts to be riveted together.
2Compare the mandrel --- the narrow end of the rivet --- with the small hole in the nose piece of a pop rivet gun. Ensure the mandrel fits into the hole in the nose piece snugly. Choose a different size rivet if the mandrel does not fit into the nose piece correctly.
3Insert the rivet mandrel into the nose piece of the tool until the grip range comes into contact with the nose piece.
4Insert the grip range of the rivet into the drilled hole in the work. Push the tool against the work to ensure the rivet stays fully inserted.
5Pump the handles of the tool until the excess length of mandrel inserted in the tool is cut off. Remove the tool from the work. Open up the handles of the tool and turn it over to allow the excess length of mandrel to fall out of the nose piece ---this way the tool is ready to be used again.
