Are you in the know when it comes to riveting? If you have a love for creating green jewelry, it's an awesome cold connection technique. Rivets are used to join materials that can't be soldered together or are otherwise fragile. They are commonly used decoratively or to create movement between two or more materials. Join me as I walk you through a step by step riveting tutorial.
First things first...Collect the treasures that you want to piece together. Decide how you would like your finished piece to look and choose the appropriate rivet type. There are several types of rivets. I will show you how to make a simple decorative tube rivet.
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| Colorful Tube Rivets |
A tight fit is very important! Select a drill bit or punch that fits the rivet exactly. After your hole is drilled or punched, you can use a round file, reamer or scribe to enlarge the hole to the correct fit.
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| 18.5 Gauge EuroPunch |
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| Metal Clay is soft enough to use a punch. |
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| Remember...Only file enough to create a tight fit! |
Using a rivet hammer or a ball peen hammer, rest your piece on an anvil and spread the rivet by striking it on one side and then the other.
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Strike the rivet evenly on each side until flush.
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If the materials to be joined are soft or fragile, be sure to use a piece of felt or leather between your design and the hammer.
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| More metal clay rivets! |
Please use your imagination because the sky's the limit when it comes to variations on riveting techniques!
