Tools:
Astro Pneumatic Tool ADR14 XL Blind Rivet Adapter Kit
www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...
Aluminum Rivet Assortment
www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...
Aluminum Rivet Assortment (Black Core)
www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...
Transcript:
Hey, I’m Donald Bell for Cool Tools and today we’re taking a look at an adapter for your drill that makes it easier to use rivets. If you’re interested you can find a link to it down in the description.
I’ve always loved the look of rivets. They’re hard wearing. The aluminum ones won’t rust -- so they’re great for things that live outdoors. And unlike a screw, they don’t leave any sharp, pointy bits on one side.
The problem with rivets is that they’re literally a pain to use. When you’re starting out, you usually get one of these hand operated riveting tools. You place the rivet and then squeeze the handles like you’re trying to pull excalibur from the stone.
My hands hurt after doing just a few of these, and if you’ve got any hint of arthritis you’ll swear off ever doing this again.
Now, the best tool for riveting -- as I currently understand it -- are pneumatic rivet guns, or some of the newer electric, cordless options. But I’m not set up for pneumatics, and I don’t use rivets enough to justify the expense of the electric ones, which are hundreds of dollars.
Fortunately, there’s a useful gadget that meets us halfway. This is an attachment that chucks into any drill or impact driver.
It’s made by Astro Pneumatics, a company that makes some great pneumatic rivet guns. It runs around 70-80 dollars, and you can get versions of it that cover just about every rivet type imaginable.
This ¼-inch one handles the types of blind pop rivets I typically use, and includes different nose pieces that you can swap out for different gauges.
With this, I can let my drill do all the work. Once the rivet pops, I just reverse the motor to eject it. I can do this all day long.
The only downside is that it may actually take me all day long. Compared to the more expensive options, I’m not really saving any time with this thing -- just hand fatigue. But it’s enough to make riveting not feel like a chore.
And even though I could crank up my drill speed, I recommend against it. At high speed, it tends to jam, and has trouble ejecting the leftover bit. At least that’s what I found.
Another tip for using this is to make sure you keep your drill speed down to its slowest setting. Your first instinct is to want to go full blast, but that will jam it up. I guarantee it.
The good news is that you can fully disassemble this thing and pull out anything that might get stuck. It’s all machined aluminum and made to last.
The trick to unjamming it is to loosen it up, take off the nose, and then push back on the jaws while you pull out the pin.
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Another small downside worth mentioning is that the heavy duty construction makes it literally heavy. When it’s in my drill, I can’t set it down without it tipping over. Yes, I can technically rivet one-handed, but this weight, you’ll probably want to use both hands for support.
I should also mention that before I bit the bullet on this particular model, I’d spent months looking at cheaper, plastic rivet drill adapters. They’ve been out there for awhile under dozens of brands, but the reviews were all terrible, so I stayed away.
It wasn’t until this name brand Astro model came through that I decided to give it a shot, and I’m glad I did. But I would still recommend that people steer clear from the $20-$30 plastic adapters out there. From what I can tell, they wear out very quickly.
So there you go, that’s the Astro Pneumatic ADR14 XL Blind Rivet Adapter Kit. You can find a link to it down in the description, along with a link to these black rivets I’ve been using recently. And you can find thousands of reader recommended tools like these at cool-tools.org.
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