Rookie Rivet mistake....

[tonynoriega2]

So piddling around the garage Saturday night... I decided to see how difficult it would be to drill out a rivet.

Thankfully it is in an inconspicuous spot on one of the transom support braces.

So.. first thing, I think I drilled from the wrong side. Do I want to drill from the rounded head side, or the flat bottom side?

I drilled from the flat bottom portion...Annnnnd I drilled all the way through.

So at this point I have a hollowed out rivet.

Great... Oh, and I had a few beers at this point.

The drill bit was slightly smaller than the diameter of the rivet so I have just a sliver of rivet material in the hole.

Uhhhh... what the hell do I do from here?

Can I just try to use a punch tool and knock it out?

Yes, you can laugh... wouldn't be the first time, and wont be the last.

 

[nlain]

Re: Rookie Rivet mistake....

You should have drilled from the rounded head side, used a drill bit that would cut the head off, then punch it out. Is there any of the flattened part still on the side you drilled from, if so you may be able to work that over in the hole and punch it out that way. Cut the head off and maybe you can pull it out the other side, if there is some thing to hold on to with pliers. Good Luck.

 

[jigngrub]

Re: Rookie Rivet mistake....

Grind the heads off of rivets and push them through the other side with a center punch.

Use the next size bit up the scale to redrill your hollow rivet.

 

[tonynoriega2]

Re: Rookie Rivet mistake....

I went home on my lunch break and figured it out... got two done in about 10 minutes just to see if I could do it... As you stated, I needed to step up the size of my drill bit. Should be good to go... gonna disappear into the depths of the garage tonight.