https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/mandrels/6235662

It is not hard to make your own rivnut setting device. There are many different sorts of rivnut, countless thread types,materials, thin lip, thick lip, but the important thing is the grip length. If the griptenght is too small/short then the insert may well pull out. A 12.9 ht set screw can be used with a few greased washers and a couple of nuts as a simple setter. Once you understand how it works the setter can be as fancy or simple as you like – mine is hydraulic and is used on 12mm. Noel.

And yes ! I had a cheap one that broke, the hydraulic one I made  gives me about 5 Tonnes.

Edited By noel shelley on 17/04/2023 16:43:52

I would expect a lazy tong riveter would cope. I wouldn’t be wanting to do too many of the larger pop rivets with handles only that long – the scissor riveter would be out and in use!

This tool was supplied to RS by Eclipse-Spiralux then Advel. I have one and they did sell M6 and M8 madrels and nosepieces for them. I have a full set. The largere sizes are easier to set than the M3 which is very easy to break.

See photo for some part numbers. The 7488-9500 number is Advel.
https://www.farnell.com/datasheets/884973.pdf

They seem to have been taken over by Zygology http://www.zygology.com

I have the Spiralux tool which works well. I have a second tool made and supplied by a company called MEMFAST. The current tool designation Is RNHT48. I have their earlier version. I believe the later one uses caphead screws tro pull up the rivnuts and these are easily replaced if broken.

Colin

I have the earlier one too. It's excellent, which you would expect for the price. But it has always worked and easily sets M8 rivnuts, unlike the plier type it replaced. Using caphead screws as the mandrels is a definite improvement if you use it a lot.

Hi, I have two nut riveters, the first one I bought off ebay several years ago, which do 3, 4, 5 & 6mm nuts, but only aluminium ones. Several years ago I used it on a 3mm nut and had a senior moment, where I was expecting a snap, like you get with a pop rivet, and yes, that's exactly what happened.

Although I was rather annoyed with myself, I set the piece up in my collet chuck on my mini lathe, parted the broken piece of thread off and then drill and tapped it for a new piece of silver steel rod and thread-locked it in. Once set, the rod was cut to length and threaded.

This worked was just as it did from new.

My other one is an MFX 360S Blind nut riveter kit, which is much more robust and easier to adjust, and will do steel nuts.

I have used an 8mm steel nut, by using a socket head bolt with a nut a couple of washers, with plenty of oil on the threads, but it was slow going and a bit awkward to do, but it was successful.

Regards Nick.

Edited By Nicholas Farr on 18/04/2023 08:21:02