Hollow rivet

Enginears · **on:** January 30, 2024, 05:11:24 PM

Who has done work with the hollow rivet? I want to try it out and was looking at tube stock.

Is it as simple as cutting the tube to length and bending out/down?

What are the dimensions (ID, OD) of the original soldier hollow rivets?

Thanks in advance.

tattoosteve99 · **Reply #1 on:** January 30, 2024, 05:51:06 PM

We are trying to do the same thing. When I said bail I meant hollow rivet. Now we can both be on this journey together

Enginears · **Reply #2 on:** January 30, 2024, 06:05:45 PM

Excellent. I have found a lot of tube that is unavailable right now. I am looking at capillary tube that is stainless and it looks to be .9mm thick, which seems too thin? I will hunt around more and update anything I find.

tattoosteve99 · **Reply #3 on:** January 30, 2024, 06:24:46 PM

Quote from: Enginears on January 30, 2024, 06:05:45 PM

Excellent. I have found a lot of tube that is unavailable right now. I am looking at capillary tube that is stainless and it looks to be .9mm thick, which seems too thin? I will hunt around more and update anything I find.

I have 3 different sizes coming in today and some stainless to make the actual bail itself also. The last one I ordered was to small. It had a wall of .4mm which is to small so I ordered .5 and .6mm wall size. One of those will be the correct size as the .4 was just slightly bigger.

Enginears · **Reply #4 on:** January 31, 2024, 04:08:40 PM

I have some different sizes coming in tomorrow, and I am going to hopefully be able to piece together a 93mm Recruit. I will keep you posted.

tattoosteve99 · **Reply #5 on:** February 01, 2024, 04:02:13 AM

I’m fairly certain syph made one. I can’t find the thread anymore or even know what to search for

AzteCypher · **Reply #6 on:** February 01, 2024, 04:34:45 AM

I'm interested in knowing what y'all end up going with. I have some SAK-A-Likes that I'd like to fix up a bit but they both use hollow rivets.

magentus · **Reply #7 on:** February 01, 2024, 05:03:03 PM

I did one on an alox Farmer or Soldier quite a few years back now, and used 2.5mm brass. Can't remember the inside dimension but I think it was 0.9mm thick. Cut it to size and used a fluted Allan bit to gently widen the exposed rivet to fill the countersunk scale. Then I used a ball peen hammer to flatten it all out. Took me a couple of tries as it was a tricky process.

Can't find any pics but I believe I sent it to a member of the forum - maybe they still have it and could post pics.....

Enginears · **Reply #8 on:** February 11, 2024, 09:28:08 PM

Alright so here is my first try.. I was going to do some tests to practice but figured I would just jump in and try this first. It is a 93mm recruit with 2 hollow pins. Turned out functional but quite ugly.

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Here you can see one spot where I split the tube as it hammered out and down.

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Cleanser · **Reply #9 on:** February 14, 2024, 09:41:34 PM

If you are trying to add a bail - why not peen a bail on (like a 1950s 91mm)?

Enginears · **Reply #10 on:** February 14, 2024, 10:14:04 PM

Quote from: Cleanser on February 14, 2024, 09:41:34 PM

If you are trying to add a bail - why not peen a bail on (like a 1950s 91mm)?

Hey cleanser, confusingly enough we have a similar thread going where we are discussing this https://forum.multitool.org/index.php/topic,91934.0.html
I guess I am chasing the hollow rivet because I want to have something lower profile than a permanent bail, like a cord/lanyard directly through the pivot. Add to that I have never been able to have a hollow rivet knife and they seem cool.

kimchi · **Reply #11 on:** February 16, 2024, 10:53:11 AM

I used to make fixed blade knives and the best method I found for making hollow rivets was to cut the tube fractionally longer than required and anneal it. Then find two countersunk headed screws with shanks that fit into the tube while leaving the heads outside and trim so only a short bit of shank remains on each one. Insert the tube into the handle and place one piece of screw in each end of it then slowly tighten in a vice. The countersunk heads will flare the tube consistently and gently so you can get it just right, then carefully file flush. It might be a struggle with the diameters you are talking about here but it does make nice tube rivets if you can find countersunk screws in the right size.

Sent from my SAK using Tapatalk

tattoosteve99 · **Reply #12 on:** February 17, 2024, 01:55:33 AM

Quote from: kimchi on February 16, 2024, 10:53:11 AM

I used to make fixed blade knives and the best method I found for making hollow rivets was to cut the tube fractionally longer than required and anneal it. Then find two countersunk headed screws with shanks that fit into the tube while leaving the heads outside and trim so only a short bit of shank remains on each one. Insert the tube into the handle and place one piece of screw in each end of it then slowly tighten in a vice. The countersunk heads will flare the tube consistently and gently so you can get it just right, then carefully file flush. It might be a struggle with the diameters you are talking about here but it does make nice tube rivets if you can find countersunk screws in the right size.

Sent from my SAK using Tapatalk

That’s an excellent idea. Thanks for sharing! In my thread which is about the same as this one, I have pics of some flaring tools. I might have to give your idea a try.

kimchi · **Reply #13 on:** February 17, 2024, 09:33:36 AM

I should have said, although it's obvious, that the tube hole in the scale needs slightly countersinking too so that the tube has something to flare into

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SteveC · **Reply #14 on:** February 27, 2024, 07:43:31 PM

Enginears · **Reply #15 on:** March 12, 2024, 02:22:47 PM

Yesterday I posted a sak mod and afterwards had some issues with the scale cracking slightly. I had to take it apart for reassembly and my brass bail broke

it was super thin around the pin.

So I took the opportunity to risk the whole mod and attempt the hollow rivet in a wooden scale. So far it is doing well, I removed the lanyard string for the pics, and will make a bail to clip in soon.

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kimchi · **Reply #16 on:** March 12, 2024, 02:45:37 PM

Very nice! How did you fit the rivet?

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AzteCypher · **Reply #17 on:** March 12, 2024, 03:01:48 PM

Very nice!

Why did the scale start cracking if you don't mind my asking?

Enginears · **Reply #18 on:** March 13, 2024, 06:00:43 AM

Quote from: kimchi on March 12, 2024, 02:45:37 PM

Very nice! How did you fit the rivet?

Sent from my SAK using Tapatalk

I will post a pic of the tool I made from a broken punch tomorrow, but I sawed off the tube so it was just above the surface, and started slowly working it with the tool to expand it out. Then alternated in hits with my hammer to flatten as it expanded out.

Quote from: AzteCypher on March 12, 2024, 03:01:48 PM

Very nice!

Why did the scale start cracking if you don't mind my asking?

It cracked from the outside at the site of the solid pin. I think I was working with too much material and it mushroomed out too much causing the crack. It immediately had play in the blades and I figured if I kept going it would just shred it. On the fish knife mod it worked so much better with way less material to hammer on.

To start again I epoxied the wood to the scale, and used less material. Crack is visible, but I have no play and everything feels solid. I may wipe some epoxy in the crack just for ongoing security. This probably wont be a heavy user anyway.

Enginears · **Reply #19 on:** March 13, 2024, 02:31:54 PM

Pic of the tool I made.

IMG_6446-compressed.jpg (Filesize: 255.22 KB)

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