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Drilling out rivets

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JeremyR

10-21-2007 08:25:30

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I have a few hundred aluminium rivets to drill out of fiberglass. I have used pilot points before free handed but it was bear keeping them centered. These are old fiberglass ladders that are busted and I'm recycling the al. I do have access to a drill press and the rails are cut in to shorter pieces.

Jeremy

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Slowpoke

10-23-2007 23:56:35

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Re: Drilling out rivets in reply to JeremyR, 10-21-2007 08:25:30

Get a 4 1/2" grinding disk for non-ferrous metals. Dewalt DW8404, $3.00. You'll still need to punch out the rivets.

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T_Bone

10-22-2007 00:20:27

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Re: Drilling out rivets in reply to JeremyR, 10-21-2007 08:25:30

Hi Jeremy,

A sharp cold chisel and hammer and you'd already be done.

A drill press using a drill bit 1/16" larger than rivet bore would let you drill them without center punching first. Saves the hammer arm.

T_Bone

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BigMarv1085

10-21-2007 17:27:35

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Re: Drilling out rivets in reply to JeremyR, 10-21-2007 08:25:30

Just use a smaller drill bit or a center punch to make sure you are on the center of the rivet. Then make sure use a drill bit the same diameter as the rivet. Should be able drill the rivet head and snap off the rivet head once you get the hang of it. Or just sand the rivet head off flush with the fiberglass and knock out the rivet.

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JeremyR

10-21-2007 11:14:31

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Re: Drilling out rivets in reply to JeremyR, 10-21-2007 08:25:30

I've tried the grinder before but on th inside u shaped rail it hit the fiber glass and is really messy. I don't have an air chisel yet my be a good excuse to get one but it may over tax my oilfree compressor. I have about 20 of these ladders to take apart right now and more to come.

Jeremy

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Gerald J.

10-21-2007 09:15:23

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Re: Drilling out rivets in reply to JeremyR, 10-21-2007 08:25:30

3/8" diameter punch, perhaps slightly hollow to match the rivet heads and a big hammer. Bash the rivet through the fiberglass. Saves more metal and is faster than drilling. You aren't saving the fiberglass so bash it out of the way.

Maybe sawzall from each edge of the fiberglass close to the rivet so it breaks from under the rivet head.

Gerald J.

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Hal E Burton

10-21-2007 09:12:35

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Re: Drilling out rivets in reply to JeremyR, 10-21-2007 08:25:30

Use an air chisel with a pointed bit.

Brrrrr apt, wiggle, remove, next!

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Maark

10-21-2007 08:43:04

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Re: Drilling out rivets in reply to JeremyR, 10-21-2007 08:25:30

Why not use a 4" grinder and grind the rivets off?

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Stan in Oly, WA

10-21-2007 08:38:30

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Re: Drilling out rivets in reply to JeremyR, 10-21-2007 08:25:30

Hi Jeremy,

Do the rivets attach larger pieces of aluminum to the fiberglass, or is it the rivets themselves you are after? What are the approximate diameters of the of the heads and the bodies of the rivets?

All the best, Stan

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JeremyR

10-21-2007 08:42:06

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Re: Drilling out rivets in reply to Stan in Oly, WA, 10-21-2007 08:38:30

They hold the rung flangs. the rivits are about 1/4" with about a 3/8" head on them.

Jeremy

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Stan in Oly, WA

10-21-2007 09:20:38

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Re: Drilling out rivets in reply to JeremyR, 10-21-2007 08:42:06

Hi Jeremy,

I was going to suggest using a spade bit because the sharp point might bite into the rivet heads without you having to center punch them, and the horizontal cutting edges might chew the metal away faster than the drilling of a conventional bit. However, I'd be more inclined to give Maark's suggestion of using a 4" grinder a try first. Several times I've taken apart large numbers of metal bedframes using a grinder to take the heads off the rivets that held them together and the studs that served as pivot points. Grinding was very fast even though they were steel. Aluminum should take almost no time at all unless it fills the abrasive and slows down or stops the process. Maybe an abrasive cutting disc on a grinder or die grinder would work better.

All the best, Stan

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Ron in Nebr

10-21-2007 10:33:28

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Re: Drilling out rivets in reply to Stan in Oly, WA, 10-21-2007 09:20:38

One thing about grinding, aluminum will clog a normal grinding/cutting wheel or stone. I've read it will render the wheel unsafe, but I've never had a problem...yet...just doesn't grind metal very well for awhile till the aluminum is cleaned out. There are, however, special grinding/cutting wheels available for aluminum.

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JoeK(WI)

10-21-2007 13:22:07

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Re: Drilling out rivets in reply to Ron in Nebr, 10-21-2007 10:33:28

How about a small hole saw with the pilot bit slid back,effectively drilling out the rivet along with the"washer" of glass it sits in? A tubular drill,so to speak.

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Stan in Oly, WA

10-21-2007 14:07:32

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Re: Drilling out rivets in reply to JoeK(WI), 10-21-2007 13:22:07

Great idea, Joe! I have a suggestion that might make it even easier. When you want to enlarge a hole with a hole saw, you have a situation that is effectively identical to drilling w/o the pilot bit in place. The way you deal with that is to clamp a piece of plywood or 1" stock with a hole the size you want to drill over the smaller hole to keep the pilotless saw from wandering. It might be possible to do the same thing here, and the fiberglass might be soft enough that the piece of wood would be held in place adequately with a pinch clamp (I initially thought of suggesting holding it in place by hand, but realized that if that didn't work the way you would find out would be the hard way.)

All the best, Stan

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