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PRP-26A Rivet puller won't grip rivets

J

JimMac

Active Member
I bought a new PRP-26A rivet puller for my RV-12 project and after pulling less than 30 rivets it will no longer grip the rivets. I took it apart once and cleaned and brushed the gripping jaw and it worked for a few more rivets, but then started slipping again. Does anyone know a remedy for this? It seems like a $65 rivet tool should work for more than 50 rivets.
Thanks,
Jim
 
Might need internal adjustment

I had trouble with mine until I realized I needed to adjust it:

http://www.avraero.com/blog/?p=203

You might see if a similar adjustment is needed for yours.

edit: I see now that the PRP-26A is a manual puller, so there may be no such adjustment.

Alex
 
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Do exactly the opposite of what you'd expect. Oil it with a light machine oil.
Should take care of the problem.

Steve
RV-12 120255
 
Jim,

I had the same problem. Took it apart and cleaned it like you did. I looked for parts and could not find them. Then I did something that made it work for the rest of the project. It was about a year ago and i don't rememeber for sure, but I think I lubed the angle on the back side of the grip. I remember thinking that what I did was not completely logical, but it worked. I may have just sprayed the mechanism with WD-40.

I'm sorry my pea brain does not remember these things. I hesitate to post such a lame answer, but we are among friends.

Luck with your project.
 
Thanks Little Joe,
I'll put some oil or grease on that angled part and try it again. When I assembled it I did dry everything off thoroughly because I didn't think it should have any oil on the jaw that grips the rivet stem. But after reading your comment, it does make sense that the part of the jaw that slides on that inclined part might need some lubrication.
Thanks, I'll try that.
 
Yes, it's completely counter-intuitive but oiling is more important than cleaning it. I had a similar problem after a few hundred rivets. After applying Break-Free, the puller worked fine ever since.
 
Oiling Works!!

Wow... What a time saver this post was for me. I had the exact same problem (except I've been using my PRP-26A for several years). Added a little 3-in-1 oil and BAM! Success. Thanks all for this thread!

Mike
 
I couldn't get lubrication to work. I disassembled the puller and there is a small Philips head screw that appears to provide tension on the spring. Mine was loose enough to turn by hand. I tightened the screw, reassembled, and it worked great! NOTE: I was pulling 3/32" rivets...
 
I find the the PRP-26A is great for pulling LP4-3 and similar rivets, but won't pull similar size Cherry rivets even after lubrication. Fortunately I have a cheap rivet puller bought from a DIY store that works great with Cherries.
 
In case anyone has been searching to purchase one of these tools, the cheapest price around is through a vendor on Amazon but their ad has it listed as PRG-26A, so you need to use that in a search to find it.
 
rvbuilder2002 said:
In case anyone has been searching to purchase one of these tools, the cheapest price around is through a vendor on Amazon but their ad has it listed as PRG-26A, so you need to use that in a search to find it.
Click to expand...

Dangit...where were you with this info a week ago when I was paying ATS $320 for it!?! :)

I bought mine specifically for the Cherry rivets that it won't grab. Been on the fence about returning it or just keeping it. At $40 less, keeping it would be easier to decide.
 
Curious… how well does the Milwaukee M12 Rivet Tool work with CherryMax rivets? Would love to have a tool that removes the requirement of hauling an air hose around the shop
 
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