I need a riviting tool for the half etch rivets on my Etched brass kits. I would like the GW Models device, but would be more suitable for scratch building and is approx £100, while at the York show, I spotted the London Road Models - Riviting Tool and at £13 was worth a look at. It essetially is a drop hammer, insert the tip into the half etched hole, raise the drop weight to the top nuts, then let go. This will produce consistant rivets. If you look at the polished area on the brass strip above there are 3 rivets, these have been made on 0.4mm brass strip, half etched holes will make more prominent rivets. Keith was so impressed, he bought one as well. Paul
I started out with one of those drop hammers when I did my first kits. I have since bought a GW rivet press and actually took apart a half built Gladiator Duchess to set the rivets again and it looks far better now Not cheap but over the number of kits that we all have it is a good investment in my view
I agree with Alan, I did the same. If you are getting into kit building in a big way then the GW models rivet press is a worthy investment.
What have you done these on? (Worktop material wise?) I have an old think from a jewellers, I think it was designed for the pins in watch straps, but has an interchangeable (rotating) bottom so you can vary the size of the hole your denting in to, and a pin you knock down into your brass half etch. I’ll try and get a photo tomorrow.
I haven't got around to trying the rivet punch yet, but I'm sure I read somewhere that the best way to get more consistent rivets with this kind of tool is to do the rivetting with the brass sheet on an upturned computer mouse mat, as this is firm enough to support the brass being punched, yet with enough 'give' to produce a good mark with little distortion of surrounding metal. I was reluctant to spend around £100 on a 'professional' type punch not because I'm tight, but because I can't see me building many (if any) more brass models after the 'Fell diesel', so can't really justify that kind of outlay when I'd have little future use for it. I did consult with Paul (York) at the York show as to what He used/could recommend and the £100 GW models press was the one He suggested, and I do have a GW models wheel quartering tool which is an excellent piece of equipment, so I'm aware of the quality of those tools, but the price is more than the cost of the 'Fell' kit! I will need to do some test rivet punching on waste brass strip before I embark on the actual kit, but as I've no intention of turning 'Professional kit builder' like Rob Pulham, I'm rather hoping that this simple tool will give me satisfactory results. I had actually thought of using my spring loaded centre punch to do rivet punching, but hopefully this tool will be adequate for my needs........time will tell! Keith.
Hi Keith, Like you I initially thought of using a spring loaded centre punch and gave it a go on an old kit where the half etched rivet marks were over etched making it difficult to centre the punch using the GW models rivetter. I have to say the results were not pretty and I ended up drilling them out an replacing them with brass pins. This is the beasty Chassis for an LNER F8 (Slaters Rising Star Kit) after I replaced the rivets - still not my best work It's another of those sat in a box awaiting my attentions at some point builds.
