"Veeduber" wrote in message
...
To Any Homebuilders Still Out The

If you've seen the recent sale brochure from Harbor Freight for 500
'regular'
pop rivets for $2.49, you may have wondered what they were. (The brochure
didn't say and the nice young lady on the phone didn't know.)

They are dome-head ALUMINUM poppers with a plated STEEL mandrel. (Jus'
like it
sez on the lid of the box.)

Length is a nominal .250 but the diameter is a scant .1225 - .123, meaning
you
should use an eighth-inch bit. The diameter is a bit odd (keep in mind
these
are Chinese goods). Poppers from most other manufacturers... Marson, USM,
etc
run .1245 - .1250, meaning you'd use the normal #30 drill bit, as for real
rivets (ie, -4's)

Cursory inspection of two boxes didn't turn up any obvious QC problems --
no
deformed rivets nor loose mandrels, etc.. They did seem to have a bit
more oil
on them than some other brands but that shouldn't be a problem since
washing
poppers with MEK or lacquer thinner before installation is SOP.

I only tested two. Single shear, with the mandrel driven out, both tested
about 80 pounds, a bit less than a real AD3 rivet but equal to other
aluminum
poppers.

If you'll check around I think you'll agree that half a cent per each is a
pretty good price for poppers.

---------------------------------------

Sorry for the intrusion. I'll let you get back to bashing Barnyard Bob
an'
other important stufff.

Ah, no. Whacking the BB just makes him that much stubborner.

-R.S.Hoover

Thanks for that delightful information, Veeduber. Do you know where good
shrinkable polyester fabric suitable for a homebuilt can be obtained? And
no, I'm not talking about Polyfiber or Ceconite, but a cheaper alternative.
Somebody here used to buy it in large bolts, but we have lost the source for
it.