How to Use a Handheld Rivet on an Aluminum Sheet

Metal Preparation

• 1

  Cut the aluminum to the needed size. You can use metal shears if you're working with thin sheets of aluminum. You'll want to use an electric or pneumatic rotary tool with a cutoff wheel for heavy pieces.

• 2

  Finish your rough edges. You may have left dangerously sharp edges after cutting your sheet metal. Install a grinding wheel on your rotary tool to remove large and especially jagged parts, and then finish the edges with a polishing wheel.

• 3

  Lay out your hole pattern. Use your ruler to measure your hole locations and mark them with a permanent marker.

• 4

  Clamp the sheet metal in place. Drill your rivet holes through every piece of material that will be riveted while the pieces are clamped securely together, if the rivets are going to be installed into new locations. If there are already rivet holes, clamp the pieces together and install your rivets.

Rivet Installation

• 5

  Place an appropriate rivet in a hole. It should be slightly smaller than the hole diameter and it should have a grip length equal to the total length of all the material being riveted.

• 6

  Position the rivet puller so that the small hole at the end of the nose fits over the protruding rivet stem.

• 7

  Squeeze the handle while pressing the rivet gun down to keep the rivet head flush with the metal. The stem will pull through and break off as your rivet is secured. Repeat this for every rivet.