The Armour Archive

What is A good type of rivet for general plate armor use? Ive noticed different kinds such as couter-sunk and round and flat top rivets. Just wondering which would be best

round.

Half way between pan-head and round head. 1/8" shank - wide head (like a pan head).

That may be a bit rare.... but it is the most correct for most periods.

It seems that heads got taller as time went on, but they were almost always about 1/8" for both lining and articulation.

By the 16th c. they were often putting brass caps on them (which makes them look bigger).

Wade

But for learning how to work with rivets, round-headed, sometimes called "mechanics' rivets" and the flat-headed or "tinners'" rivets will do, and are readily available from RJ Leahy or other suppliers. Flush/countersunk rivets are a bit on the high-tech side, but if you are trying to make a rivet vanish they have their uses. Tinners' rivets are particularly suited for riveting great helms and spangens together, if you put the head inside and pein the shank on the outside. A rivet set, commercial or homemade, will neaten up such rivets' shop-heads' appearance. The "shop head" on a rivet is the upset you hammer into it in your shop.

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"The Minstrel Boy to the war is gone..."

My general use rivet is a round head 3/16 diameter, 3/8 length.

I have other rivet sizes and such for other uses... but the above is my "all purpose" rivet.

Same as Otto for me.

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