Tinner Rivet

Tinner Rivet

A tinner’s rivet is a type of fastener that is traditionally used in the sheet metal trade, especially in tin-smithing. These rivets are typically made of soft metal such as tin or copper and are used to join together pieces of metal, such as those used in making ductwork, gutters, and other metal containers or structures.

The structure of a tinner’s rivet is simple:

•Head: One end of the rivet has a preformed head.

•Shank: The body of the rivet, which is a straight, cylindrical shaft.

•Tail: The opposite end from the head, which is deformed with a hammer or a rivet setter to create a second “head” after the rivet has been inserted through the two pieces of metal.

To use a tinner’s rivet, a hole is drilled or punched through the two pieces of metal to be joined. The rivet is then inserted, and the tail end is hammered or otherwise deformed to hold the pieces together. Because the metals used for these rivets are relatively soft, they can be installed without pre-heating and can be peened (flattened and spread) easily to create a tight joint.