Found on rec.aviation.homebuilt by veeduber via google groups... http://tinyurl.com/y8qfao or http://preview.tinyurl.com/y8qfao Riveting 101 http://tinyurl.com/se4pd or http://preview.tinyurl.com/se4pd Riveting 101 - continued (Part 2 of 3) http://tinyurl.com/y7ql2r or http://preview.tinyurl.com/y7ql2r Riveting 101 - Part Three of three. QUOTE/ Riveting 101 ...or Meet Mr. Smiley :-) Wanna learn how to rivet? Go down to the hardware store -- or whatever passes for a hardware store in your community -- and buy yourself a packet of COPPER rivets. They come in different lengths and copper washers are usually included in the packet. Now find yourself a small hammer (...no, smaller than that... about 8oz). Have you got an old shoe? An old LEATHER shoe? Okay, then howzabout an old handbag. Or even some heavy canvas. Okay, good... use that. (I never thought of riveting cardboard... I usually just weld it... ) What are you going to use for your anvil? (And yes, an anvil makes a good anvil. But real anvils are kinda thin on the ground this season.) No, wood won't work for an anvil, not even lignum vitae. (Yep, it makes good prop-shaft bearings for aircraft carriers. But it don't work worth spit as an anvil.) Well-made bench-vise... that oughta work. Face of a sledge-hammer will do too. You work it out. Last thing you need is a HOLE to put the rivet in. Lotsa folks forget that the hole is part of the process. When you're riveting leather, canvas or cardboard the hole isn't a very important part of the process -- not like it is when you're riveting metal -- but you can't rivet without a hole so go make one. Make it as big around as your rivet. You can make it with a punch or an awl or a drill. Got it? Okay, put the rivet through the hole, put a washer on the rivet and squeeze the rivet down tight against whatever it is you're riveting. How much of the rivet's shank is sticking up? That's too much. You only want two diameter's worth of the rivet's shank sticking up past the washer, so cut it off. Now hit it with the hammer. (Okay, then hit it again!) Keep hitting it until the shank is hammered into a button about twice as wide as the shank. Do a couple more. /QUOTE