Are mortals supposed ...

Well me ol mate -- what are you using to rivet with?

The best tool I ever made was an old leather punch. I fitted a 12mm square flat to one jaw and drilled a starter hole to cature the rear head. The other regular punch tool I braised over the end and drilled this out to a shallow bowl shape. Thereafter it was down to hand power.

Despite having had some training and experience as an instrument maker I quickly realised that the manufacturers machines were cleverer than me! The advice which I had from Comet was to cut a dress making pin to length (from the head end) and insert it into the holes . Fix with superglue on the inside. Mine never needed repair.

regards

Peter

I like the chap from Comet - got a good sense of humour and no side. read about his dress pin but not with superglue, if he says its fine then can use it with a Comet rivet. Hurray can move on.....thanks.

cheers, Simon

I solder the rivets rather than try to "mushroom" the heads. This isn't as difficult or risky as it sounds - what I do is to poke a rivet-sized hole in a piece of thin paper (Rizla, for instance), place the rivet head down on the bench, put first bit of valve gear over the rivet then the paper then the second piece. Put a tiny drop of oil on the paper (to block flux/solder), a tiny drop of Green Label flux or whatever on the exposed shank of the rivet followed by a dob of solder. One quick sizzle later, file/grind down the remaining rivet shank, remove the paper and there you go! Also there is no mushroom to potentially give clearance problems.

Believe me, the process is a darn sight quicker and easier to do than to describe. Give it a go, but you might want to practise on some scrap bits of fret first to prove to yourself how easy it is.

One can solder the rivet to the rear-most element, or, optionally add a thin washer before the soldering, the pin being soldered to the washer. Depends on clearances, but it can work in the smallest of places with practise (2mm finescale, Scalefour, etc.).

The better kits seem to include various washers on bits of spare etch. They often have multiple uses. Or they can be purchased on etched sheets.

- Nigel

Most kind, I do believe have 2 good rivets in place and piston sub assemblies complete ! Was especially useful as one of the pistons has a very poorly formed hoop that wouoldnt have survived a hammering. That is solder repaired at the same time.

Am very tempted to do the rest like this, its probably as quick to do, although not as quick as you - took 10 mins to get paper on rivet first time ;-)

Thanks, Simon

All that is required is to link the two valve gear parts together with enough slack that they move in relation to each other. Rivetting is great for ships and jeans etc where you don't want the parts to move in relation to each other. HO v/g rivets can be workable where the rivet has a countersunk end BUT hit them too hard and the shortening/bulging can occur anywhere on the rivet shank. Hit it crooked and you destroy the v/g parts. Hit it too soft and it holds just long enough to get the loco finished before it falls apart.

I prefer to crush the tail of the rivet on the edge of my block of steel plate using a nail punch with the end ground to a rectangular shape. I use a sheet of paper between the two v/g parts for clearance. (airmail letter writing paper) Pull it out after. I then grind down the rivet tail with the Dremel cut-off disk. (count fingers before and after)

I wouldn't use superglue because I normally glue everything together and to my fingers, but that's just my opinion.

Greg.P.

Leicestershire railway modeller digs hole in garden and unearthed folder marked 'Crewe Works :- Restricted Access Only' with documents and set of drawings showing Bowen-Cooke completed the first Claughton with inside cylinders !

cheers, Simon

Think have found proof of the fifth dimension - its the final one to be considered in order to completely assemble valve gear. When first looked at Claughton, thought it would be half way valve gear with inside valves like RODMidland compound, but no, tis just the valence hides it on some photos. Its full set of Wally gear.

Now I suspect everything is joined where should be, but next question :- What if anything needs to be fixed in position (either solder or glue). Suppose main contenders are slide bars to cylinders and motion bracket to frame?

All advice welcome. cheers, Simon

ps interesting someone asked same question about rivets on RMweb same day as me !