Garden Railway Forum

I also need a couple of rivet snaps to fit 1.8 mm round heads

The smallest I can find are 1/16 th shanks

Steph

Try these, they are slightly smaller than 1mm but might be the closest you can get. Can't help with the small snaps I'm afraid but it may be possible to make some.

dizzysteamer:123116 wrote:I also need a couple of rivet snaps to fit 1.8 mm round heads  :?

The smallest I can find are 1/16 th shanks  

Steph

What sort of work do you want them for? Metric rivets and snaps aren't commonly available through the model engineering trade. More likely to be available in Europe if you speak the lingo(s)....

For cosmetic detail I use 3/64" and 1/32" brass solid rivets, 1.2mm and 0.8mm respectively. For long runs in things like water tanks, I prefer to use a press tool to form them in the sheet, otherwise I'd end up in the rubber room.

The mob below list small metric rivets down to 1mm. Not sure what they define as supplying small quantities, or whether they sell the appropriate setting tools.

http://www.sapphireproducts.co.uk/bs4620.htm

There are instructions around on making the tools for setting rivets, but making them for rivets this small might be 'interesting'. K. N. Harris has drawings that could be scaled down in his book 'Model Boilers & Boilermaking'.

Regards,
Graeme

https://knupfer.info/shop/index.php/deu ... upfer.html

They deliver to UK. If you need help with translation let me know.

Thanks guys, I was beginning to think I would have to make them

GTB its for the frame work and chassis on my kerr Stuart Loco

Going to be busy later this week breaking down old bearings looking for 1.8 or close too dia steel balls to make a couple of snaps.

Now it's down to quantity verses price

Regards Steph

You sort of beat me to it Steph, I have at least half a dozen home made snaps generally made of 3/8th MILD steel rod, and formed by drilling a 1/16th. or there abouts hole not very deep, and then driving the appropriate sized ball bearing into the end. WEARING SAFETY GLASSES.
I find mild steel to be more durable than commercial snaps I have which are tempered too hard and tend to chip. As you should rotate the snap as your forming the head, if there are slight imperfections they are evened out by the rotation.
Grant.

LNR:123134 wrote:You sort of beat me to it Steph, I have at least half a dozen home made snaps generally made of 3/8th MILD steel rod, and formed by drilling a 1/16th. or there abouts hole not very deep, and then driving the appropriate sized ball bearing into the end. WEARING SAFETY GLASSES.
   I find mild steel to be more durable than commercial snaps I have which are tempered too hard and tend to chip. As you should rotate the snap as your forming the head, if there are slight imperfections they are evened out by the rotation.
Grant.

Hi LNR Thanks for the tip I would not have given that a thought tbh

I have some small dia silver steel here I will give that a try but let it down a fair bit after I will make up a mild steel snap to and give that a try I have a lot of rivets to snap lol the neighbours will think we have a wood picker in here

Regards Steph

As a boat builder shipwright by trade and in modeling, if I had a dollar for every rivet I've set I'd be a very wealthy man. I use many steel rivets as well as copper ones ( just finished setting steel rivets before lunch!) and not found the need for anything harder than mild steel. It also allows me to knock the side off some sets to allow me to get right up close to another rivet or a corner etc. Some commercial snaps are very tapered, and have a very thin edge, and being so hard if you over drive or tilt the snap you can end up by damaging the parent surface. Just my ten cents worth.
Grant.

Busted Bricks:123126 wrote:https://knupfer.info/shop/index.php/deu ... upfer.html

They deliver to UK. If you need help with translation let me know.

Hi Busted Bricks thought I would let you know your web link came out on top for my purchase I bought enough for two of my own projects and some for my neighbour.
Many thanks for the info

Steph

Steph, glad to help. I knew having lived many years in Germany would come in handy some day

Michael

I ordered some brass snap head rivets from Noggin End Metals the other day and they came fast. Looking at the three sizes (1/32", 3/64" and 1/16") in the flesh they're perfick for my detailing needs,

and they also do them in copper as well, though not as small as 1/32" for that material.

https://www.nogginend.com/browse/Brass

Is there any particular advantage of copper over brass?

Softer and easier to rivet.
Looking at your photo, it looks to me as if your buffer beam assembly is a resin or 3D printed material which is quite soft in comparison to the rivet. I presume that your riveting is not structural just cosmetic, so why not glue the rivets in place? A lot easier and quicker and you won't end up with flats on the rivet head which is what happens if a rivet snap is not used.

Um yep it's one of PDF's Talyllyn/Dolgoch designs so purely cosmetic detailing. Afraid i'm not following what you mentioned about the rivet head becoming flattened though, the pics of the TR engines doesn't show up any flatness to the rivet heads if that's what you mean (cosmetic as they still are far as I know).
I did consider glueing plastic heads on but the ones provided were too big for a doing a proper recreation
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/6c/35/a5 ... d4cf01.jpg
and same with the Cambrian ones I got a while back concerning the more concentrated areas such as the saddle tank. On top of that PDF's products require a hellish amount of sanding and primes to get smooth, as the material is very tough and so I was apprehensive that any stick on rivets might fall off the semi-primed components or easily be lost during further touch ups or even when trying to remove any glue marks.
It does take a while to space out, drill and then nozzle glue the holes before slipping in the brass I admit but i'm fine with that if I know they're gonna last in the long run and i'm not aware of any stick-ons being as small and neat as the 1/32s anyway.