Getting Attached: Rivet Making Revealed
Learn one of the most versatile and strong connection methods and leave
that glue in your drawer! Whatever the materials used, hand-made rivets
can often be employed to strengthen and enhance your assemblage work
or jewelry. Recommended for the Precious Little students and for anyone
interested in attaching objects securely. Get it together and keep
it together...
REQUIRED TOOLS:
The tools below are things you will beusing in the workshop, and to avoid having to wait for a communal tool to become available, you should plan on getting them for the class. Note: I have updated many of the links to guide you to the items that can be purchased via Amazon, as the links tend to change less and a large amount of items can be bought in one go.
• a small power drill <here> If you already own a power drill, corded or cordless, bring that so you don't buy another (as long as it has an adjustable chuck on the end, rather than the hexagonal 'quick-change' tip). But in the last few years battery technology has allowed this new generation of compact drills to emerge. The one I've linked to is very inexpensive and it will be a wonderful tool for working with - well worth the expense! If you simply can't afford it, in a pinch you can even use a hand-crank manual drill, such as the Fiskars model, seen here.
• General purpose drill bit set. Here is a cheap and simple set. Don't bring 'pilot-point' bits, or wood bits, but they should look like the ones pictured in the link.
• Two extra 1/16" drill bits <here>
• Piece
of scrap wood to drill into
• Small piece
of beeswax or even the stub of a dinner candle or tea light will do.
•
Small (4oz.) Ball Pein hammer. Available here.
• 'Re-bar tie wire' <here> (also found in most hardware stores
in the construction materials section, near the cinder block and chain-link
fencing. IMPORTANT: make sure it is steel or iron wire, NOT galvanized!...it
should be dark grey-black). If you are travelling light, snip off about
8 feet of wire which should be plenty. No need to bring the whole
roll...it's heavy!
• roll of 19 guage 'dark annealed' steel wire: <Here>
• 2 bar clamps (this 6" size is perfect - <here>) A pair of those, or one 6" and a mini clamp is great - the mini is <here>.
• spring-loaded, or 'automatic' center punch. Great one here, or I'll have some available in class for sale.
• Vise Grip pliers (4 inch). This is the smallest of the Vise-Grip line, and can be purchased here or at many local hardware stores. The slightly larger 5 inch model is fine as well (here), but try not to bring the full-size 7 inch model.
• Flush-cutter. An
absolutely brilliant pair of cutters can be found here. If you mention my name you'll get 10% off these. If
you cut wire with any frequency, these are more than worth the money.
I covet my pair, which I paid way too much for ($70!), but even so,
I wouldn't give them up for anything. However, if you want a cheaper alternative, these will do.
• small steel bench block. This is a steel anvil surface for you to hammer on. Here's a tiny and very inexpensive one.
• Sharpie marker (fine point)
• A handful of metal things to rivet together.....anything from large coins to sheet metal will do. Grab a bunch of found objects and you're bound to have rivet-able stuff.
Please email me with any questions you might have that this page didn't address.
See you there! Keith
