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Pop Rivet Debris....

Ironflight

Ironflight

VAF Moderator / Line Boy
Mentor
I was finishing up some pop riveting (flap brace to rear spar) on the RV-3 last night, and looked at the couple dozen pop-rivet mandrels on the floor. For some strange reason, the question "popped" into my head - what the heck are all the RV-12 builders doing with ALL THOSE pop rivet mandrels?! :rolleyes::p

Paul
 
Good question Paul - I actually was saving mine (not sure why!) for a while, until the cup I had them in tipped over! What a mess... I'm still finding them. The -9 has a lot of pop rivets in the flaps. Now I throw them away!
 
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Well, I have a strong magnet on wheels that I use to pick them up. Just about every night I would have to stop and clean up the floor, they get everywhere.
 
Geico266 said:
Well, I have a strong magnet on wheels that I use to pick them up. Just about every night I would have to stop and clean up the floor, they get everywhere.
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The stems would make nice axels for "Soap Box Derby" cars. Saves cutting the head off a nail?

I've used a couple as small "punches" to clear holes. I'm sure we'll all think of a million uses right after we toss 'em and the trash truck is leaving. <grin>
 
Don't ask me why, but for fun I saved all of mine. I threw them in a 5 gallon bucket. When some one asks how many rivets in a 12, I hand them the bucket of empty stems. It always surprises them.
 
Mark Henderson said:
Don't ask me why, but for fun I saved all of mine. I threw them in a 5 gallon bucket. When some one asks how many rivets in a 12, I hand them the bucket of empty stems. It always surprises them.
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OK Mark,

Now count them, all of us would be interested in the total!!
 
You could probably find one of these "industrial" artist types that would take them.
 
I got the perfect thing

I use large chocolate covered almond containers lke the kind you get at BJs or Sams Warehouse Clubs. My mother in law love the things and has been saiving the containers for me for awhile. They have screw top lids and are the perfect size to hold all the clecos, all the rivets, and all the used mandrils. All 10,000 rivets fit in six and a half containers. I figure the madrils will fill a couple of containers. The screw top lid prevents them from fodding the workshop. I am keeping the mandrils just to see how far they stack up when the whole thing is done and how much they weigh. Maybe they will have some recycling value.
 
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Fundraiser

Maybe someone who saved them all could provide them for a contest to guess how many are in the bucket. Sell guesses and offer a prize. Maybe could be used as a fundraiser at some flyin to help a good cause.
 
Fundraiser

Grandy said:
Maybe someone who saved them all could provide them for a contest to guess how many are in the bucket. Sell guesses and offer a prize. Maybe could be used as a fundraiser at some flyin to help a good cause.
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.....with that thought in mind. I wonder if the Ronald McDonald House would be interested in them. For many years they have had a program where they accept soda can tabs and sell them for scap to help their cause.
http://rmhc.org/how-you-can-help/other-ways-to-get-involved/pop-tab-collections/
 
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Danger, Danger !!

There is not as many pop rivets in a 9 as in a 12, but still we use them in various places. After finishing a job, I make sure I end up with one stem for every pulled rived and then toss them in the bin.

Imagine one of those stems left in the fuselage somewhere, gets forgotten about and later on starts corroding away in an unaccessable area, or moves about and blocks your controls, or bridges a couple of wires (spark-spark-smoke), or gets thrown around under the cowl, or...........(fill in whatever nasty things you can think of, by yourselves, here).......... :eek: And don't forget the extra weight either! :rolleyes:.

Also I make sure they are not left on the garage floor, because they make a perfect tire puncher! I Would hate to have to drive out, to help the wife change a tire, some day, finding a pop-rivet stem in there! :eek: (yeah, yeah, I know, those days my car is outside anyway :()

Take care, Tonny.
 
Ok all, I habe 10.7 kilograms of used mandrels. I'll be happy to send them to anyone who wants to use them for , well, what ever. Freight collect of course
 
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