[Harp-L] Arbor press for rivets?

[David Pearce via Harp-L]

Does anyone know if an Arbor press could be used to press harmonica reed rivets?



Best Regards,
David Pearce

[Vern]

Coincidently, I just ordered a $3 gadget that may do the job out of the box or with some modifications.
I can afford the cheap price to find out if it will work. The throat of the “C” frame may not be deep enough.

See https://www.ebay.com/itm/351789004917?ul_noapp=true <https://www.ebay.com/itm/351789004917?ul_noapp=true>

I’ll report on it when it arrives.

> On Sep 25, 2018, at 12:06 PM, David Pearce via Harp-L <har...@harp-l.org> wrote:
>
>
> Does anyone know if an Arbor press could be used to press harmonica reed rivets?

Conditioned yes.

A drill press or an arbor press could be used. The tip of the punch is the critical part. It needs to be about .035” Dia, (a bit smaller than the rivet shaft) .05” long, (a bit longer than the reed plate thickness), and of hardened steel (to avoid buckling or mushrooming). The backing behind the reed plate is also important. It should provide a hole through which the head can pass but provide support so that the plate doesn’t bridge on the adjacent rivets and bend when you apply force. If you wish for the rivet to remain in the reed, then a clearance slot behind the plate is required.

The shank of a #65 twist drill cut off or chucked upside-down in a drill press may work. As backup You might use a piece of an old comb. The shape and size of the parts that touch the rivet and the plate are important. Get them right and almost anything that will push them together will work.

I’m sure that you wanted a shorter answer. Forgive me if I filled in so much background that the foreground went underground.

Vern

[Joseph Leone]

> On Sep 25, 2018, at 3:59 PM, Joseph Leone <3N...@COMCAST.NET> wrote:
>
> You would need a pin about 1/16th.” in dia with a spire point. As soon as the rivet makes it HALF way out of the plate, remove reed by taking a small pen knife to pry the reed out.
> To SET reeds you need a nail filed flat on the tip at least 1/8th.” in diameter.

Also, professor Vern Smith has come up with a ridiculously inexpensive tool, which, with a bit of adjustments and small blocks of wood will put ALL the tool makers out of business.

smo-joe

[Vern]

Admittedly nit-picking…

Rivets and their holes in the plate are about .040” in dia. Thus, a 1/16” punch (.0625”) is much too fat. You want a punch that is as fat as possible for strength but will pass through the hole without damaging it.

That is why I suggested .035” or the size of a #64 drill shank.

To avoid pin buckling, it should be as short as possible…the .040” thickness of the plate is all the length that you need.

Buckling load is inversely proportional to column length squared. According to Euler’s famous formula, halving the length gives four times the load capability of the punch pin. For more than you want to know about buckling, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buckling <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buckling>.

Vern

>> On Sep 25, 2018, at 3:59 PM, Joseph Leone <3N...@COMCAST.NET> wrote:
>>

>> ……..You would need a pin about 1/16th.” in dia with a spire point. ……..

[Joseph Leone]

I did say spire point, and I did say push the rivet HALF way out and then pry the reed the rest of the way. Nit-picking excused….lolol
I actually use a sewing machine needle snapped off about 1/16th. inch (.0625) from where it flares into the shank that fits into the machine.
Yes it is true that the tools I use are crude compared to dedicated tools. But they work and they cost nothing. The wife breaks needles like
some cooks break spaghetti. (Btw, never break spaghetti. Make it hard to twirl on your fork.) :)

If you look at your watch band tool you may see a similarity of the push pins used to a clipped shortened sewing machine needle.

smo-joe

[Wilbur Euler]

I agree.

Sent from my iPad