RIVETING
MAKING A PAIL FROM A TIN CAN—CUTTING AWAY THE SURPLUS TIN AT
THE RIM—FORMING THE LUGS FOR THE HANDLE—RIVETING THE LUGS IN
POSITION—FORMING A WIRE HANDLE
Riveting is one of the most useful operations connected with metal
working of all kinds, and it is very frequently used in tin working where
it is not advisable to join the metal with solder; or riveting may be
employed in connection with a soldered joint to strengthen it and to
prevent the joined pieces from melting off, such as the lugs or handle
holders on a pail used for cooking, etc.
Riveting is a very simple operation. The rivets are usually made with a
flat or rounded head attached to a short cylindrical shaft or shank. A
hole is punched through each piece of metal to be joined. The pieces of
metal are placed together so that the holes are in line and a rivet shank
slipped through these holes. The head of the rivet is then rested on a
flat iron or steel anvil and the headless end is hammered over until it
forms into a second head and thus holds the two pieces of metal tightly
together.
The pail offers a very simple problem in riveting and it is very easy to
make a substantial pail from a tin can.
=Making a Pail.=—Select a large, clean, round can for the pail. A
one-gallon fruit or vegetable can makes up into a very useful pail. Use a
can opener to cut away the remaining tin of the lid but take care not to
mar the rim of the can. Rolled rim cans make the best pails.
When the lid is cut away a jagged edge usually remains near the rim and
this must be trimmed away and the remaining tin hammered down close to
the rim. If more than ¼ inch of the tin of the can lid remains next to
the rim of the can it should be trimmed away with the metal shears until
a strip of tin remains next to the rim about ¼ inch wide.
=Cutting Away Surplus Tin at the Rim.=—(A pair of curved metal shears are
very useful for making circular cuts of this nature if you have them, but
the surplus tin may be trimmed away with the straight shears if small
cuts are taken with them.) Cut into the tin next to the rim with the
shears—the cut should be made at right angles to the rim and extend in to
the rim. Now take a pair of strong flat-nosed pliers and grasp the tin
firmly with them to the right of the cut and with a quick downward motion
of the plier jaws start to break away the tin next to the rim as shown in
Fig. 36. The tin will break away at the angle of the lid and the rim and
should peel away easily with a series of quick downward movements of the
plier jaws—a fresh grip should be taken for each downward movement of the
plier jaws and the ends of the plier jaws should be pushed up against the
rim each time that they are moved into a new position.
[Illustration: FIG. 36.]
When the tin is trimmed away place the rim of the can on the end of the
maple block and use the rounded end of the forming mallet to hammer the
tin down tight to the rim, see Fig. 37. The pail is then ready for the
lugs or handle-holding pieces at the sides. These are to be soldered and
riveted in place.
=Forming the Lugs for the Handle.=—Cut two pieces of tin, each 1½ by 3½
inches, fold over ¼ inch on each of the long sides of these two pieces,
then double over each piece with the folds outside, as shown in Fig. 38.
Snip off the corners, then place the lugs on the maple block and punch
three holes in about the position shown. See that the holes are slightly
larger than the shanks of the rivets to be used, but do not get the holes
very much larger than the rivets.
Rivets are supplied by the hardware stores in plain soft black iron
and also tinned. The tinned rivets are best for tin work as they may
be easily soldered to the work if necessary. These tinned rivets are
used for representing faucets, try-cocks, etc., in making tin can toys.
Several dozen or a box of No. 14 Tinned Rivets should be purchased.
[Illustration: FIG. 37.]
[Illustration: FIG. 38.]
=Riveting the Lugs in Position.=—Solder the two lugs in position on each
side of the top of the pail. These two holes should come below the rim.
Place the pail over a round log of wood held in the vise and punch the
holes _A_, _B_ through the tin of the pail, using the holes previously
punched in the lugs of the pail as a guide.
Remove the log of wood from the vise and place a large piece of round
pipe in it for an anvil on which to rivet. Push a rivet through the
hole _A_, and place the pail on the pipe in such a manner that the head
of the rivet rests on the iron pipe. Take a small riveting hammer or a
small machine hammer and hammer down the small end of the rivet that
projects above the work, see Figs. 39 and 40. Hammer rather gently using
many light quick blows instead of a few smashing heavy ones. The light
blows tend to form a better head on the rivet and to hold the metal more
securely in place.
[Illustration: FIG. 39.]
[Illustration: FIG. 40.]
After you have had some experience in riveting, you will find that the
ball peen, or rounded end of a machine hammer, is better to rivet with
than a flat-ended hammer.
When two rivets are placed in each of the lugs the pail is ready for the
handle.
=Forming a Wire Handle.=—Pail handles may be made of ⅛-inch galvanized
wire or any piece of strong, stiff wire that is handy. The galvanized
wire is best as it will not rust.
Cut a piece of wire 14 inches in length. Do not try to cut this wire with
your metal snips but use a heavy pair of wire-cutting pliers if you have
them. A simple method of cutting wire is to place the wire in the vise
and use the corner of a file to cut through it.
[Illustration: FIG. 41.]
[Illustration: FIG. 42.]
Trying to cut heavy wire with the metal shears will ruin them; besides,
you can’t do it.
Mark off 1¾ inches from each end of the piece of wire you have cut for
the handle and bend each end down at right angles from this mark, see
Fig. 42, _A_.
This may be easily done by placing the wire in the vise so that the mark
for bending is held exactly at the top of the vise jaws, then use a
hammer to bend the wire over at right angles, see Fig. 41.
Place the wire over the pipe held in the vise and use a wooden mallet to
round it over to the form shown in Fig. 42, _B_. Slip the ends of the
wire handle through the holes punched for it in the lugs on the pail and
then turn the wire up at the ends with a heavy pair of pliers until it
looks as shown in Fig. 42, _C_, and the pail is completed.
If the pail described above is made of a rolled-rim can it may be safely
used for camp cooking, as there is no danger that it will melt apart over
the fire. When a spout and a lid are added to the pail, it will serve
as an excellent coffee pot. A coffee pot and other cooking utensils are
shown in Fig. 95.