Another two carriers roll off the production line

[martyn]

Hi had a quote back from the rivetting chap sounds like hes a bit of a rip off merchant so back to plan A were doing it! have found some tools and we are making some sample plates to practice on then if were happy bite the bullet and crack on. will take photos as were doing it and post them soon should be under way in a couple more weeks.
cheers martyn

[kevin powles]

Martyn, Good luck with the riviting. I think you wont regret it, best to do it yourself and then you know its done right. Did you get those parts i left at Shauns place?.

[RichardT10829]

Martyn i will have an ask about with a few contacts up here in Newcastle (being a ship building town and a small community) someone will know someone if you catch my drift ! I will go down to the yards tomorrow it will keep your options open.

can i have a rough idea of how many need doing, and what gauge etc the rivets are.


Rich

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by martyn

have found some tools and we are making some sample plates to practice on

Here's a handy tool for rivetting tanks

[Ledsel]

Do you notice that they aren't wearing any ear protection? Or eye for that matter. but they do have gloves.

[cantankrs]

Originally Posted by Hanno Spoelstra

Here's a handy tool for rivetting tanks

Hi Hanno,

Great picture and I really appreciate you finding and posting it here. That's the kind of squeezer I was talking about (M3 Medium tank too). The one I've seen in a bit of movie footage of a similar arsenal only had a narrow throat maybe 4", this one has a huge thoat it appears. I've read that a 3/4" hot rivet requires 28ton (Google should locate a calculator). But Martyn's only talking 1/4 - 3/8th" at a guess so doesn't have to be so hefty. If a frame could be fabricated along with suitable rivet snaps, and an electric-hydraulic powerpack and a suitable jack to match could be borrowed from some place like a truck or other heavy equipment workshop, or even hired from any hire shop, then that would be far less effort than bashing them. The hull would generally be riveted from bottom working upward so with planning a wide throat may not be necessary. A couple of days with the right gear and it might all be done!

That makes it all sound so easy - but gauging the right amount of pressure would require some practice on something less important.

And Ledsel is right re the minimal safety gear. I've hardly ever seen eye protection in old pics except in the super high risk jobs. They might have used some cotton wool stuffed in their ears.

Regards

Alex

[Grant, Val, Ferret, WM20, CMP's]

[Lynn Eades]

Kevin, Can you post a better quality picture please. Alex, My guess is that this is a "rotary riveter" I have a gun(C.P.) which can do a good job, but easily smears the rivet sideways, if the operator is not square on.

[cantankrs]

Originally Posted by Lynn Eades

Alex, My guess is that this is a "rotary riveter"

Hi Lynn,

Thanks for the possible clue but I can't find much info on a rotary riveter. Does it simultaneously compress the rivet and have a rotary action at the forming end that slowly spins down the head to form?

I've seen other footage of an M3 Medium tank hull lower side plate which is roughly 2' high and about maybe 1.25" thick being riveted to the bottom angle and there appear to be 2 additional hot rivets already situated in two holes ahead of the squeezer. The footage only shows one guy and he's using what looks like a foot control cos he's kind of pumping it up and down (his action looks like he's using a big version of a pneumatic tyre foot pump) but assume he's feathering a foot valve to control the pressure/power similar to trying to get a fuel bowser up to a round dollar with your hand. And the 'jack' on the squeezer looks like about a 3-stage jack even though each stage only appears to be about 6" in extension. I'm presuming a very quick action to set the rivets and to reposition the squeezer (which would have significant mass) for them to have additional hot rivets waiting. I think the rivets are hot because they appear whiter than anything else in the B&W footage.

Regards

Alex

[Lynn Eades]

I think the rotary idea, is so that the rivets end up symetrical, and yes they will be hot. That way as they cool, they pull up tight,as well as spreading to fill the holes, so that there is no movement in shear.

[martyn]

Hi we had a trial run at rivetting on friday and found out that you can use a kango braker or two and thats enough to do the job were having a bit of difficulty guaging the lenth of the rivet and getting a good finsh but that will come with practice have got a few photos of us messing around hope you find them as funny as it was trying this for the first time.