PAINLESS RIVETING
When the paint had cured and it was time to reinstall all the name plates and decorative pieces, I used POP rivets (aka blind rivets). POP rivets are really simple; they’re made of two pieces, the “hat” and the “mandrel.” Rivets are inserted into predrilled holes and set using a rivet gun. The gun pulls the mandrel through the hat, mushrooming the end of the mandrel. The mandrel is then sheared off, leaving just the rivet head showing. The length of the rivet is important. It needs to be twice its width plus the thickness of the material. So, if you're using 1/8-in. rivets to join 1/4-in. material, the rivet needs to be 1/2 in. long. Handheld rivet guns are common, but I always feel like I need a third hand when using them. I was dreading riveting by hand, but then I found the Milwaukee M12 battery-powered rivet gun. It handled all the rivet sizes I needed to use, and I could even use it single-handedly. At $230, the bare tool isn’t cheap, but it makes this job much easier on your hands.