Riveting

28 November 2019

After the crit, I learnt how to rivet with 1 mm copper and 1.5 mm brass wires. (Thanks Alkesh!)

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Basic process:

• Flatten out metal sheets with a mallet and heavy weights after cutting to shape
• Drill out just a little bigger dia holes than the dia of the wire into metal sheet (i used aluminium, brass and copper)
• Clip the end of the wire with a wire cutter, file the end to a flat edge using a vise (attached to benchpeg)
• Hammer the wire edge- first flat and then sideways to push metal outwards and create a mushroom like head
• pull the wire through drilled (and aligned) hole in metal sheet(s), lay flat with mushroom head facing down
• Cut the end of wire leaving just enough to hammer upper mushroom head in place
• File upper head of wire, hammer down and sideways to secure the rivet from top

I was interested in the pivoting movement created between the joined sheets, along the central rivet. This was something Alkesh had previously explored in one of his etched pieces connecting multiple strips with nickel rivets, such that there could be a playful motion in a single loop. I also wanted to age together, a riveted object made up of different metals, to contrast patina patterns created on their respective surfaces. With the copper rivet, I hoped to grow crystals at the 1 mm point where the copper sat on another material.

I took a while adjusting the hammer pressure and made some marks on my metal sheets, but would like to practice this construction technique to start building with metal. I also want to see what materials I can connect with this method. So I drilled varying sized holes in some materials from my previous projects, ready to be riveted together.

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Update: 04 December 2019

I used different thicknesses of aluminium, brass, copper wire, and a brass pipe to join pieces of aluminium, acrylic, brass, MDF, leather, wire mesh and and a small circuit in a pivoting arrangement. I also drilled through balsa wood and a black card paper, which could not stand the hammering process, and I discarded from this exercise. For now, this just sits as a catalogue of materials that I could potentially exploit in construction with metal wire, especially utilizing the pivoting motion between the individual pieces.

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Update 05 December 2019

To produce contrasting patina effects, I dipped the riveted brass and copper piece in salt and vinegar solution..

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