Can I Use a Ordinary Blind Rivet Puller for CherryMax Rivets

I am going to replace some very bad set 1/8" rivets on my HS. I think that if I try to use normal rivets again, I will just mess them up again. Perhaps if I had a 3X gun. Anyway, someone on the forum recommended using CherryMax structural rivets in their stead. In the Acraft Spruce catalog, it mentions using the G-27 rivet puller to set them. Has anyone set these with a normal rivet puller (Stanley from Avery Tools)? I would hate to have to buy a $100 tool that I am only going to use a couple of time (hopefully).

Thanks in advance.

Joe Hutchison
RV-10 Tailkit

Yes...

attackpilot said:

I am going to replace some very bad set 1/8" rivets on my HS. I think that if I try to use normal rivets again, I will just mess them up again. Perhaps if I had a 3X gun. Anyway, someone on the forum recommended using CherryMax structural rivets in their stead. In the Acraft Spruce catalog, it mentions using the G-27 rivet puller to set them. Has anyone set these with a normal rivet puller (Stanley from Avery Tools)? I would hate to have to buy a $100 tool that I am only going to use a couple of time (hopefully).

Thanks in advance.

Joe Hutchison
RV-10 Tailkit

Click to expand...

Joe... the 1/8 ones will pull with a good quality "pop" riveter.

If you are replacing existing rivets, use the oversize CherryMax ones and drill the holes out 0.015 larger. The CherryMax will not expand sideways like the driven rivets, so a cleaner, well sized hole is required.

gil in Tucson

Cherry rivets, yes!

I have done sheet metal work for years, and yes...pop rivet gun will work. Even a cheap one. I would not spend the extra money for a new one if you have one in the shop.
Two things to do:
1. Buy extra cherry rivets. Pull one in a scrap chunk of the same thickness. If the stem breaks just below, level or a tad high...you are good to go. Extra cherries are nice to have.
2. Great idea on the over sized cherry. Remember to get a #27 drill to clean up the hole for the over sized -4 rivet. If the #27 drill is just too big to go in the hole...it might be better to stay with the standard size.

Oh...one last thing, keep your fingers out from between the puller levers. When that stem breaks off and you pinky finger is in the way there is only pain.

If you need a drawing of the stem limits or if you need to know how to remove a cherry...email me and I'll see what I can do.
Kel

A pop rivet gun should work well with Cherrymax rivets since they are supplied with a washer/anvil on the stem to ensure a clean insertion of the lock collar regardless of the state of the nose on the puller. (Older and slightly cheaper Cherrylock rivets without the washer need a special nose on the rivet gun to ensure this.) In general though you should aim to use solid rivets. They are MUCH cheaper and lighter, and set tighter and stronger than just about any pulled rivet.

Don't worry about "ugly", the main thing is that solid rivets are compressed and expand or "barrel" as they are set in order to fill the hole. Use as short a rivet as is needed to create a shop head that looks like it won't pull through the hole. Note that most rivet joints are designed to act in shear so it doesn't take much of a shop head to keep them in place. If the rivet tail is too long it will bend over or "cleat" more easily without compressing the main body of the rivet and expanding it in the hole.

As you gain experience with drilling out ugly rivets you will realize that the truely badly set ones fall out easily. Those that are hard to remove were probably good after all, regardless of how bad they look. After a while you'll get a feel for which is which as you set them.