Air hammer for rivets...

I have 3/16" (Gunnels) and 1/4" (Floor) rivets on my boat. Can anyone recommend an air tool to replace some rivets? Will this one do the job? https://www.harborfreight.com/professional-medium-barrel-air-hammer-56990.html ...I've done a lot of reading and it seems that an air hammer is not designed for solid rivet installation? ...is this correct? Thanks, Joe.

Well, FWIW I've riveted > 600 rivets and 1/2-dozen boats so far using the $20 one from Harbor Freight ... and not one rivet has complained so far!

I use 1100F alloy rivets from Jay*Cee Rivets online and the correct Brazier head tool for the gun, with a bucking bar. I see no need to 'upgrade' ...

I just ordered mine from Lowes last night, cheapest they had. very good reviews with a couple "look out for this screw coming loose" but otherwise seems like a solid unit. Couldn't argue with $40 shipped to my door in remote South Dakota.

Thanks for the replies..soooo what is the difference between a 20 dollar air hammer and a 200 dollar air rivet gun? .. other than 180 bucks? ..

from what I gather is its longevity. if I'm using an air hammer daily for my profession, no way I'd get a cheap one. Same reason why I don't own a golf cart. I golf once every 2 years maybe, and I rent a cart every time. but investing in one seems foolish because I'd be paying a lot extra for something that just sits there most of the time. my experience using it would be the same, why pay more?

I should have made my question clearer...what is the functional difference between a plain ole air hammer/chisel and an actual rivet gun? Thanks for the replies, Joe.

basenjib123 said:

... what is the functional difference between a plain ole air hammer/chisel and an actual rivet gun?

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The major differences are in the trigger control, power regulation, and anti-vibration or handling of recoil features. Cheap air hammers are either ON or OFF, with little control of power (less turning down your air supply) or # of impacts. Whereas premium pneumatic rivet gun have progressive triggers, for power of strike and/or duration of # of hits; offering more response throughout the whole power range, with control down to an individual impact.

With that said, for my tin boat use the air hammers work perfectly fine. I do suggest you get some test pieces or pick an easily accessible spot ABOVE the waterline to 'tune' your setup to. I found I could pulse the trigger to deliver ~5 hits in a burst, more hits if held, less if quick off the trigger. Setup is key, especially keeping the bucking bar SQUARE to the rivet tail, as recall the one with the air hammer is hammering on the domed head. To me, the one on the tail end of the rivet is the most critical element. When my 12-year old re-riveted her 12' skiff, she wanted to use the air gun and that was fine with me, as I had control of the bucking bar and to me, that has the most bearing on the results even when the tool/setup is optimized.

With earmuffs on, we'd bang the hull for communication. Once aligned for the next rivet, I'd tap the hull as a "Go' signal and she'd try to to deliver a ~5-shot or so burst. A single 'bang' on the hull meant, hit is again for a short burth. A double 'bang' meant hit it again for a longer burst. Many 'bang's meant OK or hold up, then we'd remove muffs and discuss.

Using a pancake compressor, we had to be patient to ensure the power built back up to the level I wanted. When I re-riveted that enire Starcraft stern (> 30 rivets alone), I used a huge 100-gallon air compressor, but with the same tooling. The point it, with either air sources the results were perfectly mushroomed rivet heads - and that is the goal - regardless of how you get there.

The difference is trigger control and being able to vary striking force. Dale said it better than me.

I bought this set for doing my boat. I like to have good tools.
https://www.yardstore.com/aircraft-sheet-metal-tool-kits/rivet-gun-kits/air-capital-red-box-kit-with-3x-rivet-gun

Prior to working on my boat I have never had the need to buck a rivet, not even that many pop rivets. But I wanted to do the boat correctly. I did have the advantage of being able to talk with a couple of people who make their living doing sheet metal work on helicopters. For them being able to control how much the rivets are bucked is essential.

I did find that once I decreased the strike impact on the gun that it was easier to buck the rivets and they looked more like they should. I still tended to over buck them though. Standard is to buck them to 1.5 times the diameter of the rivet, my eyeball measurement told me to make them more than that. On my boat I was more comfortable over bucking them a little than not enough.

In wood working you can put up trim with a 3 lb sledge or a 16 oz framing hammer, doesn't mean it will give you the best end result though.

Thanks for all of the replies.... I have a small HFT 3 gallon compressor. If I use that to rebuck the rivets do I just use it at full power or should I adjust the air flow? Guess I'm asking how do I know how much force to hit the rivets with? Thanks again, Joe.

basenjib123 said:

Thanks for all of the replies.... I have a small HFT 3 gallon compressor. If I use that to rebuck the rivets do I just use it at full power or should I adjust the air flow? Guess I'm asking how do I know how much force to hit the rivets with?

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Well Joe, not the answer you want to hear ... but enough pressure to form a good mushroom shape about 1.5X the diameter of the rivet tail you're using in one good burst.

So ... start LOW on the pressure, maybe 50#s, and build up. That's why I recommend that one finds test pieces or a convenient spot on the hull where one can't screw up (but if one did, it's above the waterline and in a place easily accessible to drill it out and start over) as you need to find out what works best for YOU!

My value is higher than that, but I hesitate to give you or anyone, my real value ... as your setup & tooling could be quite different than mine.

Great information...thank you to all for the replies, much appreciated!!