Bay Supply Blog - Rivets, Fasteners, and Tools | Tips & Tricks

When we think about constructing ships or airplanes, we may visualize large industrial equipment and machinery compiling sizable masses of metal. However, the smallest pieces of hardware can make a big difference in the functionality of these common commercial products.

In terms of structural stability, the installation of the right fasteners often has a huge impact on product quality. Naturally, delivering premium results requires the appropriate development methods and materials.

On-the-job safety is everyone’s concern, but when maintaining a safe workplace or job site, it’s up to management to implement policies and procedures to keep everyone safe. Much of on-the-job safety stems from common sense, but without guidelines or protocols, common sense is not enough. Everyone needs to adhere to an established set of safety rules to promote an injury-free job site.

With some projects, finding a fastener that works with thin or brittle materials can seem impossible. This is where rivet nuts, which are also known as a blind nuts, blind rivet nuts, or threaded inserts, come in. A variation on the standard rivet, the rivet nut has a tubular round, splined, square, or hexagonal body that is internally threaded and counterbored. As a blind fastener, the rivet nut is installed in instances where only one side of the workpiece is accessible, making it incredibly versatile.

Solid rivets are perhaps the oldest known fastener. Rivets have been found in archaeological sites and are still used in construction, manufacturing, aerospace, automotive, boat building, and for hundreds of other applications. Rivets outperform screws, bolts, and even welds, but rivets must be properly installed to create a tight and lasting joint.

For fasteners to deliver maximum performance, you need clean, precise holes to accommodate them. Blind rivets, threaded inserts, lockbolts, and other fasteners should fit snugly in a clean hole to prevent pullout, fatigue from movement, and other problems. To drill precise holes, you need precision drill bits.

Choosing the best cutting tools for the job is always a consideration, whether you are setting fasteners in the factory or the field. That includes choosing drill bits from leading manufacturers, such as Champion Cutting Tool Corp.

When it comes to finding the right fasteners for any job, you have many choices, especially when it comes to rivets. Often, it’s difficult to decide if you want to use a blind rivet, a pop rivet, a solid rivet, or some other type of rivet.

If you have bought fasteners before, you have probably heard of Cherry rivets. The original application for Cherry rivets has been all but forgotten thanks to the many times the brand has changed hands, but they were actually created for aircraft manufacturing.