I have been getting requests for rivet presses, press kits and guidance since we closed PinRestore in 2021. Here are the instructions along with some suggested parts sources.
Build your own Rivet Press
First, buy a ½ or 1 ton Arbor Press. These were available from Harbor Freight but they seem to have been dropped from their lineup. I bought most of mine from MSC Direct.
½ Ton Arbor Press:
https://www.mscdirect.com/product/details/09511106
1Ton Arbor Press:
https://www.mscdirect.com/product/details/09511114
1. Take it all apart, I always throw out those ratty black bolts. The tolerances are horrible. I replace them with new, quality bolts and nuts. I don’t use the adjustment shoe so I just toss them into the scrap bin. If you want to replace your fasteners you will need six M6x1mm 25mm long and two M6x1mm 30mm long. You also need four m6x1mm nuts.
2. Clean it well. Get all that cheap grease off there. Scrape off the mill shavings, casting slag, mold sand, and whatever other crud is stuck to it. Also, check for crud stuck to the bottom. I’ve had them with globs of stuff stuck to the bottom that kept them from sitting flat on the bench.
At this point you have 2 choices: You can keep the loose-fitting roll pin that serves as a pivot or replace it with a solid steel dowel. I made mine out of 5/16” round steel one inch long, but you can buy them at McMaster-Carr. They sell a 25-pack https://www.mcmaster.com/98381A583
3. Remove the roll pin from the round arbor plate. The tolerances of the arbor plate pivot are sloppy. I’ve found the easiest way to remove the roll pin is to clamp the pin in a bench vise with the split pointing out sideways. Then, using a big screwdriver or pry bar, just pry upward on the arbor plate, leaving the pin still clamped in the vise.
4. Drill out the arbor plate pivot hole. Turn the whole press upside down and drill out the arbor plate pivot hole with a 5/16” drill bit. The whole press sits nice and flat on my drill press table upside down. Also, drill out the hole in the arbor plate that the roll pin came out of, again 5/16”. There is a 5/16” solid steel pivot pin in your kit. Don’t drill all the way through the arbor plate, just go to the same depth as the roll pin hole, maybe a 1/16th or two more. We want the top surface of the arbor plate to remain unbroken for looks and for strength. Cast iron, when used in this type of application, can easily crack if that hole goes all the way through. It’s much stronger with ¼ or so of the plate depth intact and
undrilled.
Glue the Pivot Pin into the Arbor Plate. Depending on your drill bit, your Pivot Pin may be very tight, or a little loose. If it’s tight, I grind the rougher tip (end) of the pivot pin just a bit to give the JB weld something to hold on to. If it’s loose, I grind around the circumference a bit within ¼” of the rougher end. Clean the pin with alcohol or naphtha to remove any oil. Mix up a small dab of the JB Weld, a pea-sized amount is plenty. Dab the JB Weld onto the pivot pin in the scratched up areas. Put the pin into the Arbor Plate hole and push it all the way down. You can scrape off any excess JB Weld that is laying around the base of the pin with a razor blade. Let this set overnight to cure.
I’ve also had good results with using Super Glue place of the JB Weld. This joint is not under any stress, we just want to make sure the pivot pin stays put in the arbor plate.
8. Drill the locating pin hole. Line up one of the fatter lobes of the Arbor Plate under where the Ram will descend. Drill a 3/16” hole in the right-hand lobe and all the way down into and through the bed of the press. You can either drill this hole at an angle from above with a hand drill, or you can turn the whole press upside down on your drill press table and drill from below all the way through the press bed and the arbor plate. Then try the locating pin. If it won’t go in with just your fingers, ream it out a bit with the drill. There is no easy way to drill this hole straight down, the arch of the press is in the way. Angled is fine, just make sure your hole bites down through the milled flat portion of the bed. You might want to use a couple small screwdrivers as leverage around the plate lobe to keep it from turning while you drill this locating pin hole. Install the locating pin.
9. Drill the Ram end. Using a drill press vise, or something else that will keep the Ram perfectly straight up-and-down, perpendicular to the drill press table so you can drill a straight hole down into the end of the Ram. Mark the center of the end of the Ram, either end is fine. Drill a 3/16” hole ¾” deep into the end of the Ram to accept the mounting pin on the Rollover Die. Test fit the Rollover Die into the end of the Ram. It should just push in with your fingers. Don’t force it or you can ruin the spring retainer. If it won’t go in fairly easily, ream the hole out a bit with your 3/16” drill bit.
10. Put the Ram cap back on. Bolt the Ram Cap on with four 25mm bolts and lock washers. Get it comfortably tight, don’t torque it down like a cylinder head! Install nuts on the remaining two 25mm bolts and two 30 mm bolts. The 25mm bolts go into the Ram Cap. The 30mm bolts go into the head of the press from the left side. Install the Adjustment Shoe by holding it in place against the Ram Cap adjustment bolts from below with your finger. Install the Ram from above with the teeth facing the rear. Adjust the Ram Cap adjustment bolts and the side adjustment bolts one at a time until the ram is snug but still moves up and down freely.
11. Drill the Arbor Plate for the head die. With the Rollover Die installed into the end of the Ram, put a dab of paint on the rounded button in the center of the Rollover Die. A paint pen works great for this. While the paint is still wet, let the Ram drop easily down onto the Arbor Plate. Pull the Ram back up and you should have a small paint dot indicating where to drill the hole for your cupped head die. Take the Arbor Plate out and either fasten it in a drill press vise, or mount it onto a piece of square, flat wood with a 5/16” hole drilled to accept the Arbor Plate Pivot. Center punch the paint dot and drill a 3/16” hole all the way through the Arbor Plate. Put the Arbor Plate back in the press and install the cupped head die into the mounting hole.
13. Mount the Pinion Gear. Lube the teeth and the bearing areas of the Pinion gear as well as the teeth and the sides of the Ram. Insert the gear and handle assembly into the press and secure with the lock collar. Install the wing bolt to cinch the handle in position.
Rivet Dies:
You can buy rivet dies from Hanson Rivet. The standard rivets used in pinball are 1/8" diameter, truss head rivets in nickel-plated brass. The dies I made were equivalent to Hanson dies CA2004-14 and CA2005-14. All you really need to do is drill the die mounting holes in the arbor plate and the ram, that will make a functional rivet press. The other steps enhance the stability and performance.
https://www.hansonrivet.com/tools-machines/riveting-accessories/riveting-squeezer-dies-2/
Santa Ana, CA
Leduc, AB
