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Vintage threads from the first ten years

Rivets for eyelets?

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7/13/2000 5:10 PM
JaySG	Rivets for eyelets? Can pop rivets be used to add a few eyelets to a Fender board? Any warnings? The board has the room and the mods would benefit from 4 or 5 new eyelets.

7/13/2000 5:52 PM
Les	i've built many boards using pop rivets... make sure you use plain steel rivets, (don't use aluminum or stainless steel.. won't solder). knock the "nailhead" out after you pop 'em in... (they come out real easy). Les

7/14/2000 5:17 PM
Eric H	Les, what's a good, average size? This seems like a great method. -Eric

7/14/2000 6:31 PM
Les	I've always used the 1/8" long ones...

7/15/2000 3:16 AM

Les:

I've been looking for ways to add a few eyelets to a stuffed Fender eyelet board without having to disconnect all or most of the wiring. The idea of using steel rivets sounds like a winner. So how much clearance do you need under the top board to punch the rivet "nails" through?

Steve Ahola

P.S. For making new eyelet boards I've been using an unpowered 8" drill press with the staking kit from Mouser. Just pull the lever down slowly and the eyelets are set perfectly everytime... BTW Bruce Collins had mentioned also using larger 3/16" brass eyelets (available from your local fabric store... when you are shopping for some nice material and patterns for a new dress!

) These larger eyelets are good when you are trying to connect more than 3 or 4 leads.

7/15/2000 4:31 AM

Steve, my application is also a Fender amp and I don't want to pull the board. One of the mechanical techs at work gave me a better idea today:

I'm going to rivet...what to call these terminal things...essentially solder lugs, to the fiberboard. These terminals have an O on the end instead of being U shaped. I played around with aluminum and steel rivets and decided that I wouldn't be able to clear the hole in a steel rivet without a lot of force, and then the cleared hole wasn't very big anyway. The head was pretty easy to knock loose on the aluminum rivet, so I'm not using them in case one comes loose in the amp.

The rivets I picked are about 1/4 inch before being squished. I don't have one to measure.

7/15/2000 4:51 AM
Rick	i'd say about 1/8" or so... the "nail" is just the head... i usually just use the shank part of the nail to knock them out... less wear & tear on the tools... Les

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