(Topic ID: 295206)

How to Make/Install New Ramp Flap

By Jason_Jehosaphat

2 years ago


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  • 13 posts
  • 5 Pinsiders participating
  • Latest reply 2 years ago by LTG
  • Topic is favorited by 9 Pinsiders

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#1 2 years ago

1. What You Will Need:

* Drill and assorted drill bits
* Rivet press and assorted rivets
* Small’ish (5x5”?) sheet of blued spring steel, 0.006-0.008”
* Scissors, pencil, and photo-mount spray adhesive
* Tin snips
* Sheet-metal punch and assortment of dies
* Sandpaper – 150 grit, then a series of fine grit – 600, 800, 1K, 1.5K, 2K, 2.5K
* Page-size plank of wood
* Metal polish

(Most of the above was loaned to me for this project by the ever-generous LTG. Thanks, Lloyd!)

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#2 2 years ago

Steps:

1. Drill Out the Old Rivets

Lay your ramp upside-down on a plank of wood. Use a drill bit that is roughly equal in diameter to the flared end of the rivet you intend to remove. Drill straight down if possible and lean with your shoulder on your drill. You may go all the way through – which isn’t anything to be worried about, as long as you have scrap beneath the ramp on your bench. Take care to remove the rivets completely from your flap. You may have to coax them out by squeezing their flared ends with side cutters. And take this opportunity to sand/polish your stainless ramp while it’s flapless. Use a range of sandpapers and finish with metal polish.
(Ramp pictured is the "Lock Shot" ramp from TZ and is not installed with ramp-flap screws typically.)

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#3 2 years ago

2. Make a Stencil

Lay the flap on the corner of a sheet of white paper and affix it with a short strip of tape. Turn it over and press the paper firmly against the flap – dirty fingers help – and the holes/edges will faintly appear. Sweep the side of your pencil tip back and forth over the paper to bring the silhouette out.

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#4 2 years ago

3. Adhere the Stencil to Your Spring Steel Sheet, Cut Out/True the Flap

Mist the back of your stencil with the spray adhesive. You don’t need much. Be sure to orient your stencil bearing in mind the “grain” of the blueing of your new spring steel. It should be vertical. Use the tin snips to cut out the flap. Ignore the holes. At least two of your edges will be hand-cut and ragged. Stand the flap up in your fingers on a large’ish sheet of sandpaper laid flat on a flat plank and push it – the flap – back and forth – like the blade of a skate – sanding it until true. Do this on all four edges, then lay the flap in the ramp to be sure you’re satisfied with the shape. If your flap needs rounded corners, use the snips to start the corners and then sand them, the flap stood on edge as before, using the same sheet of sandpaper laid on a flat board.

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#5 2 years ago

4. Punch Your Holes

Select the appropriate punch dies from your kit. Match one to the shank diameter of your rivet, the other to either of the second pair of holes/notches in the flap.

(Note: I’m electing to omit the second pair of holes in this example because in this case they aren’t functional. If you are cutting a flap with a notch, use the die whose diameter matches the notch pit, then cut from the edge to the hole and you will have your notch.)

Do not rush the actual punching. Look carefully to align the die tip with the stencil’s “holes” before you squeeze. If you’re not sure of yourself, do a faint/partial puncture (second photo), then inspect, then adjust if necessary, then truly punch.

Remove the adhered stencil and strip glue residue with Goo-Gone if necessary.

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#6 2 years ago

5. Fit Your Rivets

Select a rivet that is long enough that its shank emerges about 3mm from the bottom surface of the ramp. Lay your rivets in the holes and secure them with a strip of masking tape. Turn the ramp over and lay a washer over each protruding rivet shank and then secure said washer with another strip of tape. (The tape is handy just to keep things together/orderly while your futzing about with the rivet press in the next step.)

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#7 2 years ago

6. Press Your Rivets

Install the press dies so that you convex die is above and the flaring die is below. I only suggest this for purposes of clearance. Hold your “stack” of rivet/ramp/washer in place between the dies and lightly press until they marry properly. Check and double-check the marriage before you truly throw the handle and press the rivet. In the case of this press, it’s necessary to really lean on the handle with much of your weight. I favor this to throwing the lever quickly/violently. Be careful not to collapse the rivet too much as it could cause the flap to acquire an unsightly buckle beneath the rivet. Last photo shows pressed rivet on left, unpressed on right.

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#8 2 years ago

7. Inspect Your Work

Take the ramp out of the press, then take hold of the flap and force it up/down/side-to-side. If it moves at all, return the ramp to the press and re-press, this time with a bit more pressure. If you don’t like your results, you can drill out the rivets and start again.

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#9 2 years ago

Nice work and excellent tutorial.

I would round the corners of the new flap so it isn't razor sharp and just waiting to rip into someones finger!

#10 2 years ago
Quoted from pins4u:

Nice work and excellent tutorial.
I would round the edges of the new flap so it isn't razor sharp and just waiting to rip into someones finger!

Thanks for reading it, Pins4U. I appreciate the kind words.
Had to look up Gaborone. I know almost nothing about South Africa. Sorry.

#11 2 years ago

I trace the old ramp with a sharpie.

You can also use stainless spring steel.

The hole punch gives clean holes without deforming the flap — strongly recommended! If you want the real deal: https://www.roperwhitney.com/our-products/no-5-jr-hand-punch-in-kit/

If you want a knockoff check Amazon

#12 2 years ago

following

#13 2 years ago

Rivet press and dies came from Chicago Rivet and Machine Company. Same model they made for Lionel service stations years ago.

Rivets from pinrestore.com

LTG : )

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