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Adjustable ram/set

Pskluz

Member
I bought an adjustable ram/set for with my Pneumatic squeezer I got from Isham. He recommends against it and says not to use it on "3/32 rivets due to slight thread play may cause longer rivet shank to bend over" Furthermore his info sheet for it states "Do NOT use for dimpling as it will damage the set holder" It looks like other builders do both of these with their adjustable ram/set. Has anyone found these warnings to be true? Are his adjustable sets really any different than those that Cleaveland or other tool suppliers sell? Should I go back to using the fixed rams and washer shims?
 
Well...I've been using mine on -3 rivets and for dimpling, so far so good. For rivets, any technique can cause a bent shank (clinching). I haven't found that the adjustable ram by itself has any notable effect on how often it happens, most often it's a rivet that's too long or I've applied the squeezer at an angle or I could have selected more suitable sets. For dimpling, I've just been adjusting the ram to finger-tight and a quarter-turn more. No indications of stress...in fact I just took my ram apart to inspect the threads, and they show no signs of undue wear. So FWIW.

Edit: As HFS points out, not all else is equal. I bought my squeezer and adjustable ram from Isham, which is the question at hand.
 
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liability phrase…..

This is what it is in my opinion.

I squeezed and dimpled everything and everywhere with my pneumatic squeezer and adjustable ram set when it fit …….

If you are in doubt, do some trials of your own on some scrap or junk pieces of aluminum and do your own judging of wether using it or not.
 
All Adjustable Rams Are Not "Equal"

Without clear knowledge of the quality of the Isham adjustable set holder, in relation to others available, it may not be appropriate to compare them.

I just looked up "adjustable set holders" in all the aviation tool catalogs I have, and none of them (don't have Isham) had qualifiers about their use.

I have made my own adjustable holders for many years now, have used them equally as long, and have never had any issues doing so.

YMMV - and probably will.

HFS
 
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