What size pop rivets?

I'm going to start doing my framing on my 1648 project soon. Having never done anything like this what size pop rivets should I be using? Mainly going to be using 1 1/2" tube and angle 1/8" thick. What do you suggest for diameter and length for the pop rivet attaching these materials to each other and boat? Thanks!

my line of thought goes to aluminum open-end 3/16" diameter and 1/4"
longer than the thickness of the two pieces being joined together.
1/4" diameter in high stress areas. Closed-End rivets where water intrusion might be an issue.
a good investment would be to purchase the same size drill bits as your rivet diameter
in high quality Titanium or Cobalt. Drilling a lot of holes with a dull steel bit is very frustrating.







.

And use all aluminum rivets.

Thanks guys! You both confirmed what I was thinking!

do you have a rivet gun yet ?
the simple common hand gun will do well for small jobs such as yours.
but, if you have the funds, the heavy duty guy is a great investment.

If you have a Harbor Freight near by that's where I bought my big rivet installation tool.

I have a regular one but was going to invest in a pneumatic one for this project. Anything wrong with that?

nope - nothing at all wrong with the pneumatic popper !!!!!!
I have only used it one time on a boat and it worked great.
I have used it for making aluminum sign faces and cabinets.
a large capacity air compressor makes the job go rather quickly.
the only reservation I had (that I can remember) is the hose
prevents getting into tight places vs the hand-held gun type.
other than that - it is a fine tool.

Johnny said:

nope - nothing at all wrong with the pneumatic popper !!!!!!
I have only used it one time in all of my career and it worked great.
the only reservation I had (that I can remember) is the hose
prevents getting into tight places vs the hand-held gun type.
other than that - it is a fine tool.

Click to expand...

perfect! because I still have the other gun if I need it. I plan on taking lots of pics and making a thread. I have high hopes for this build!

I've been working with wood my whole life and consider myself pretty skilled but this will be my first endeavor with metal!

Hard - looking forward to it !!

since you already have an arsenal of wood working tools,
most of those tools can be used in soft aluminum with no issues.
the only strong recommedation would be SAFETY GLASSES at all times.
a small chip of metal in the eye can send you to the emergency room.
a small wood chip gets soft with the tear water and is easily plucked out.
but metal stays hard and sharp and imbeds itself into the soft eye covering
and can cause a LOT of damage in a very short time. (same with ceramic tile).
(ask me how I know this )

a short pop rivet video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAWPo8F-gXc&t=183s

good luck in your journey !!

I'd just like to confirm recommended rivet length. If I'm joining 2 1/8" thick pieces of aluminum together then I should use 1/2" long rivets?

Norm, try it on some scrap pieces and see how it works for you.

When you order the rivets they should say what the min and max reach is. As an example if your working with .250 of total material you want a rivet that has a reach of .200 to .300.

Picked these up at Lowe's today and thought it may
shed some light on the size - - - -

so the 1/2" size is from the outside of the button to the end of the stem.
the actual stem is 7/16".

I've bought rivets at Menards. With their 3/16" x 1/4", 1/2" and 5/8" rivets the 1/4" 1/2" and 5/8" is the max grip range.
Read the packaging description.

Okay guys. I've played just a minute with the rivets in my shop. And it looks as if there is a ball that gets pulled through the rivet to tighten it up. If I'm correct, can you go to long with the rivets? I've ordered quite the variety of sizes but based on what I was thinking when ordering, I'm wondering if everything I ordered is to big. So if I'm trying to rivet two pieces of 1/8" material, will a rivet that is 1" work as well as one that is .5"? Just wondering if I can make due with what I have or do I need to order some more? The two pieces seem to be secured pretty good. Just looking for and experienced answer. Thanks, Casey

Both are too long.
Where are you getting your rivets from?

.

Johnny,
The image of the rivet box has me a bit confused. The box shows the grip range to be 1/4" but to the left of the rivet it indicates the same length as 7/16".