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Hand squeezer on an MS20470AD4 rivets
- Thread starter Seattle
- Start date
Screw the lower die shaft
The shaft that holds the lower die screws in and out when you close the handles and twist the shaft with your fingers to allow you to adjust the spacing between the heads and thereby adjust the tool for the the thickness of the material being riveted and the corresponding rivet length. If when you squeeze the handles they don't come all the way together and produce a properly squeezed rivet it isn't adjusted correctly or you are not squeezing the handles hard enough. If at all possible it would be a good idea to attend one of the introductory sheet metal training classes because there are a lot of little things that one needs to know to produce a good airplane. It is not hard but the techniques and proper tool usage are essential. I went to one for a couple of days in 1996 and it made all the difference.
Bob Axsom
The shaft that holds the lower die screws in and out when you close the handles and twist the shaft with your fingers to allow you to adjust the spacing between the heads and thereby adjust the tool for the the thickness of the material being riveted and the corresponding rivet length. If when you squeeze the handles they don't come all the way together and produce a properly squeezed rivet it isn't adjusted correctly or you are not squeezing the handles hard enough. If at all possible it would be a good idea to attend one of the introductory sheet metal training classes because there are a lot of little things that one needs to know to produce a good airplane. It is not hard but the techniques and proper tool usage are essential. I went to one for a couple of days in 1996 and it made all the difference.
Bob Axsom
rzbill
Well Known Member
JAWS - not the shark movie
Just to add a point to Bobs note above, there are some combinations of hand squeezer jaws that I can't really use for AD4 rivets because they are too flexible. I have both a 3" and 4" deep throat jaw and neither will squeeze an AD4 rivet well because they flex open. The rivet tail will frequently mush sideways when the jaws flex. The short throated jaws work fine (like 1-1/2" throat), although it is quite a workout to do a lot of AD4s in a row. I made handle extensions out of a couple of long bolts that would slip onto the squeezer handles
Just to add a point to Bobs note above, there are some combinations of hand squeezer jaws that I can't really use for AD4 rivets because they are too flexible. I have both a 3" and 4" deep throat jaw and neither will squeeze an AD4 rivet well because they flex open. The rivet tail will frequently mush sideways when the jaws flex. The short throated jaws work fine (like 1-1/2" throat), although it is quite a workout to do a lot of AD4s in a row. I made handle extensions out of a couple of long bolts that would slip onto the squeezer handles
BrentHumphreys
Well Known Member
The squeezer makes a difference.
The tatco and avery squeezers are very good, but I am really impressed with the cleaveland main squeeze. I did a side by side comparison at oshkosh, and was really impressed.
The tatco and avery squeezers are very good, but I am really impressed with the cleaveland main squeeze. I did a side by side comparison at oshkosh, and was really impressed.
Another thing I never knew
That must be frustrating! I bet that flexibility is the problem. I bought my squeezer from Avery tool and it handles the 4s with no problem. Theirs is a custom squeezer as I recall and I bought the head with the most reach (they are changeable but I only bought the one) and there is no detectable flexing. If the problem originally described is due to the tool flexing I would take the money hit and buy a new squeezer from Avery Tool. You are going to squeeze a lot of rivets when you proceed to the the airplane riveting.
One comment about the clenching rivets - if that happens with the Avery Squeezer it is probably because the rivet is too long.
Bob Axsom
That must be frustrating! I bet that flexibility is the problem. I bought my squeezer from Avery tool and it handles the 4s with no problem. Theirs is a custom squeezer as I recall and I bought the head with the most reach (they are changeable but I only bought the one) and there is no detectable flexing. If the problem originally described is due to the tool flexing I would take the money hit and buy a new squeezer from Avery Tool. You are going to squeeze a lot of rivets when you proceed to the the airplane riveting.
One comment about the clenching rivets - if that happens with the Avery Squeezer it is probably because the rivet is too long.
Bob Axsom
Problem solved..... for now
Thanks for the replys. I hadn't thought about the impact of flexing. The good news is that because it's consistant I just start my squeeze a bit tilted. By the end of the stroke I have a fairly straight squeeze. The other thing I learned is that I'm not going to break the sqeezer.
Thanks for the replys. I hadn't thought about the impact of flexing. The good news is that because it's consistant I just start my squeeze a bit tilted. By the end of the stroke I have a fairly straight squeeze. The other thing I learned is that I'm not going to break the sqeezer.
Squeezing no.4 rivets
I have the cleveland squeezer w/the cam in it, making it much easier. But, when I can't squeeze a rivet, I back off the adjustable die a little until I can get some squeeze, then adjust it back a little, etc., until I get the rivet squeezed as much as I want.
I have the cleveland squeezer w/the cam in it, making it much easier. But, when I can't squeeze a rivet, I back off the adjustable die a little until I can get some squeeze, then adjust it back a little, etc., until I get the rivet squeezed as much as I want.
