Bay Supply Blog - Rivets, Fasteners, and Tools

“Plastics.”

This is perhaps the second-most famous quote from The Graduate, right after “Mrs. Robinson, you’re trying to seduce me!” This advice on what Dustin Hoffman’s character should focus on his future was played for a few laughs, but was also sage: Five decades later, plastics are everywhere, including industrial applications.

Your tools first and foremost must be reliable no matter what line of work you're in. They should perform consistently and be intended to make the job easier for the consumer. Ergonomically designed to reduce fatigue on the body, and longer use on the job site — the Goebel Riveting Tool Family provides this.

In 1934, an aircraft manufacturer approached the George Tucker Eyelet Company with a challenge: Could it design a rivet that could be set from one side, particularly if there was no access to the other side of the material? The company was up to the challenge and developed the first pop rivet—so named because of the popping sound made during installation.

For some applications, a tight seal plugging a hole isn’t a luxury—it’s mandatory. Leaks of air or fluid are simply not acceptable, and you must have confidence that the seal you supply will perform as expected, even if you don’t have access to one side of the hole during installation.

Blind rivets provide outstanding fastening functionality in places where you don’t have access to one side. But what if your application requires something a little less permanent than a rivet? What if you want to be able to undo bolts, but keep your options open to reinsert them as needed? And what if you can’t see the other side of the surface you are working on?

In modern manufacturing, especially in transportation, lighter is the becoming the new standard.

Vehicles that aren’t as heavy tend to get better mileage and fuel efficiency (including getting more from the charge on electric vehicles), are better for the environment, reduce structural fatigue, and can even improve performance. Increasingly, manufacturers are deciding lightweight manufacturing is smart business.

With their impressive formability, strength, and durability, steel rivets are one of the most common—and long-lasting—fastening materials on the market. According to Assembly magazine, they’re also one of the oldest blind rivets: “The first steel blind rivets were developed for use in the auto industry during the Great Depression.”

Whether you’re installing an LED sign or repairing a boat, knowing the differences between open- and closed-end rivets is vital. Here are some of the crucial differences to be aware of so you can pick the right blind rivets for your job.

Copper rivets are well-known as rustproof, heavy-duty, and permanent fasteners that can hold together countless materials. The first copper reinforcing rivets were invented in 1873 and were crafted specifically to reinforce the pockets on work pants.

Although fasteners might seem like nothing more than a small piece to a much larger project, they’re actually an incredibly critical part of any machine or structure. These pieces of hardware usually join two or more materials together, either permanently or temporarily, so start by asking yourself some basic questions: