Buck rivet bits1/11/2024 ![]() ![]() The rivet gun very quickly hammers the rivet, pushing it inward and squashing the tail against the bucking bar, which causes the tail to get shorter and wider. This fills the hole and locks the two pieces of aluminum together very strongly. The inside installer holds a shaped metal tool called a “bucking bar” that is pressed against the tail (or stem) of the rivet. How to buck a rivet-The outside installer holds an air-powered rivet tool, which is sort of a miniature jackhammer that pounds on the mushroom head of the rivet. To install these requires a team of two people working together like dance partners. This bond will last the life of the Airstream, unless damaged in a collision. ![]() These very strong rivets hold two panels together, or fasten a panel to one of the trailer’s internal ribs. They start life as little mushroom-shaped bits of aluminum. Most of the rivets you see on the exterior of your Airstream are “bucked” (solid) rivets. Most of the contestants are lucky to get about half the rivets in correctly even with some practice. At Alumapalooza we have held Rivet Masters contests for several years, where attendees get a quick lesson on how to put in a rivet properly and then compete for the fastest times. Those two people had to practice relentlessly and demonstrate their skill on practice sheets before they had the ability to repeatedly install rivets with speed and precision. In this age of robotic vehicle assembly you might be surprised to learn that each one of those rivets was placed on your Airstream by hand by a pair of skilled workers at the factory in Jackson Center, Ohio. Take those 5,000 rivets away and you’ve got a floppy pile of soft metal. Your Airstream is made of aluminum, but rivets are what make it strong. ![]()
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