The Armour Archive

I think riveting was done cold as well. I was just presenting the other side of the argument.

Steve S. wrote:I have only briefly looked at the linked article, but I'm skeptical on the heat-during-riveting idea.

That's easily remedied, though I've been pondering the findings for 30 years. I have no doubt that riveting can be done cold, but some links clearly show decarburization in the rivet join area, something which can only be accomplished by localized heating to a rather high temperature. How this was accomplished is unknown, although Williams suggests blow torching the overlap. Why it was done is debatable. The fact that it was sometimes done seems indisputable.

This is a fantastic conversation! Has anyone here worked with wrought iron for any purpose?

Andeerz wrote:Has anyone here worked with wrought iron for any purpose?

Thomas Powers probably has the most experience with bloomery iron around here.

That's easily remedied, though I've been pondering the findings for 30 years. I have no doubt that riveting can be done cold, but some links clearly show decarburization in the rivet join area, something which can only be accomplished by localized heating to a rather high temperature. How this was accomplished is unknown, although Williams suggests blow torching the overlap.

Could the rivets have been heated by themselves for annealing purposes and decarburized before being inserted and set?

The fact that it was sometimes done seems indisputable.

That's what he said about forge-welded solid European rings, too, as I recall.

Steve

Steve S. wrote:

That's easily remedied, though I've been pondering the findings for 30 years. I have no doubt that riveting can be done cold, but some links clearly show decarburization in the rivet join area, something which can only be accomplished by localized heating to a rather high temperature. How this was accomplished is unknown, although Williams suggests blow torching the overlap.

Could the rivets have been heated by themselves for annealing purposes and decarburized before being inserted and set?

Williams continually notes the decarburization occurs "around", "near", or "in the vicinity of" the rivet joint, and not solely (if at all) in the rivet itself. This seems to have been done with medium carbon steels with carbon content in the 0.3-0.4 range, about twice that of modern tie wire.