I read something online about size of rivets:
- 3/16 in diameter
- 1/4 inch length for riveting 2 pieces; 3/8 in for riveting 3 pieces
I was wondering, for the diameter, does this mean the shaft diameter or the head diameter? What dimensions do you guys typically use?
What rivets do you use and where do you buy them?
Re: What rivets do you use and where do you buy them?
Shaft. Stick with 3mm (1/8"). 4mm is not used in armor. Use weak iron where you can, you want to rivet to break and not the armor.
Most people use **carpet tacks for finger articulation (nice flat heads) and **3,2mm roofing nails for everything else, especially for connecting leather to plate because of the large head. You just clip where needed case by case.
3x9mm (dxl) Dome-head rivets for plate-to-plate articulation...don't know. Usually obtained in special orders. Some blacksmiths sell them
Most people use **carpet tacks for finger articulation (nice flat heads) and **3,2mm roofing nails for everything else, especially for connecting leather to plate because of the large head. You just clip where needed case by case.
3x9mm (dxl) Dome-head rivets for plate-to-plate articulation...don't know. Usually obtained in special orders. Some blacksmiths sell them
Re: What rivets do you use and where do you buy them?
1/8 inch for shaft diameter? Or u mean the length?
Re: What rivets do you use and where do you buy them?
3mm (1/8") shaft diameter, although most rivets throught plates won't be much longer than that either. But: Put the rivet through your pieces, then you just clip where needed case by case. Don't fixate on a length before.
Unless you can custom-order a few hundred...then...thin ice. Someone else needs to answer that.
Unless you can custom-order a few hundred...then...thin ice. Someone else needs to answer that.
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Matthew Amt
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Re: What rivets do you use and where do you buy them?
Behold, rivet smorgasbord:
https://www.mcmaster.com/products/rivet ... ype~solid/
Yes, it's standard to refer to rivets by the diameter of the shaft, and 1/8" are typical for most work, as far as I know. Now, most of what I've made over the years is ancient stuff, so I get to use copper and bronze and brass rivets, which are easier to cut and peen than steel. (For bronze I use silicon bronze annular ring nails from places like Jamestown Distributors.) Not sure how common actual brass rivets are in medieval work--I know brass-*capped* iron rivets got real popular in later stuff... And regular roofing nails seem to be the go-to when you need a big flat head for riveting in leathers, or coats of plate, etc. (I always sand or file the modern galvanization off the head, first.)
I tend to go with a shank length of 3/8", and clip to length as I work. By the time you finish your first Roman lorica segmentata, you know more than you want to about riveting!
Matthew
https://www.mcmaster.com/products/rivet ... ype~solid/
Yes, it's standard to refer to rivets by the diameter of the shaft, and 1/8" are typical for most work, as far as I know. Now, most of what I've made over the years is ancient stuff, so I get to use copper and bronze and brass rivets, which are easier to cut and peen than steel. (For bronze I use silicon bronze annular ring nails from places like Jamestown Distributors.) Not sure how common actual brass rivets are in medieval work--I know brass-*capped* iron rivets got real popular in later stuff... And regular roofing nails seem to be the go-to when you need a big flat head for riveting in leathers, or coats of plate, etc. (I always sand or file the modern galvanization off the head, first.)
I tend to go with a shank length of 3/8", and clip to length as I work. By the time you finish your first Roman lorica segmentata, you know more than you want to about riveting!
Matthew