Anyone have experience with the Avery pneumatic squeezer? I'm borrowing one from a friend and it won't squeeze those longer (5+) 470 rivets. I'm pretty sure it did when I first started using it. Does Avery rebuild them?
You've probably already done this, but double check your regulator(s)pressure setting. I had a similar issue once when I had turned down my regulated pressure for painting and forgot to turn it back up before squeezing.
The power come in the last 1/8". So if you don't have the adjustable "ram" set correctly you are not using the mechanical advantage offered by the squeezer.
Try using the handle to close the dies, then take a rivet and adjust the dies so that they are 1/16" tighter than rivet. Then try it again. You will then need to adjust the ram for the correct shop head size you need.
Yes, Avery does rebuild then, but usually it is operator error. Don't ask me how I found this out.
Are you using the thinnest dies possible? When doing long rivets, I use dies that are about 1/8" thick. With 100#'s air and an adjustable set I can do -6's easily.
As mentioned, the maximum force is exerted at the end of the riveter's stroke. I've found that I have to set the rivets in two increments - the first half-way and a second "finish" setting. I have both a Cleveland and an Avery riveter and the both do the same thing.
To set the longer rivets you'll need to find the sweet spot. The sweet spot is a combination of the size of the rivet and the size (thickness) of the rivet sets. Longer rivets require thinner rivet sets in order to get the "ka-chunk" your looking for. I bought this set from Averys and it made my work much easier:
You'll find the that "sweet spot" overall length is a very small area where the pneumatic rivet squeezer will function properly. The trick is getting the right combination of rivet and rivet sets. There are times, however, where you will need to take two whacks at the longer rivets to get the finished product, doing an initial set and then decreasing the gap for the final set. Here's the other necessary ingredient for "fine tuning" your desired set, an adjustable set holder.
I think the original question was answered in parts, but it is a fairly common problem. The squeezer should squeeze rivets up to a -7 in one stroke if set up just right. The problem is so common that we posted this link on our website: http://www.cleavelandtool.com/instructions/sn214_troubleshooting.pdf
If you go to the product page you can see other instructions and some older videos on how to use the tool.