For what it's worth, I've pulled #8 Rivnuts with the combo pop-rivet tool
from
Harbor Freight. Worked fine, but there is little adjustment on the threaded
mandrel, so one has to be careful not to over-squeeze the rivnut and pull
the
threads right out. Usually takes me 1 practice rivnut to get it right, and
I get
to practice drilling that one out, too!

HF's tool was about $15, if I recall correctly, which is way less expensive
that the "real" rivnut tools. The "real" ones, as Mike says, are adjustable
so you don't have to practice. But for no more than I use 'em, I get by.

As for coming loose, I've only used the keyed rivnuts, which are something
of
a pain to install unless you have the notcher to cut the little notch for
the key.
One of the tool suppliers had a half-off special on that little jobbie this
year,
so I brought one home with me, and it was worth every penny. I had been
cutting the notch with a small needle file, and it took a bit of fiddling to
get it
right.

HF also sells a version of the blind threaded fastener (they're not rivnuts,
so I won't call 'em that). I recently had occasion to try using some #6s
of those, and found that my fancy puller wouldn't work, because the #6
mandrel was .010 undersize, and just ripped out of the insert's threads.
I measured the mandrel diameter vs a #6 screw, and found the mandrel
was smaller by .010, which is what causes the problem. So, this tool isn't
going to work for #6 blind threaded fastneners or rivnuts, assuming that
both are sized to hold a real #6 screw. But, the #8s, which is what I
really
needed, worked fine. Ahh, the joys of "bargain-priced" tools...

Henry Bibb


"mike" wrote in message
news:kgilb.835925$YN5.926388@sccrnsc01...
it may be. The anvil in all the tools Ihave seen is made of a very hard,
high-grade tool steel.
I cant see the anvil stretching if thats what you are saying.