How to Remove a Rivet
Rivets are very useful tools that are used to quickly and efficiently connect two materials together. The problem is that they aren’t really designed to be removed.
We already did a post on how to remove a spinning rivet so if your rivets start spinning during this process please hop over to that post.(make this a link to the blog post once that post is live)
What You Will Need
- A Punch
- Drill
- Drill Bit
Remove a Rivet
Now that you have to tools that you need, get your safety gear on (gloves and glasses) and grab your punch.
Locate the center of the rivet with your punch and create an indent into the rivet on the flange(integral washer) side. This hole will provide a seat for the tip of your drill to sit in.
Now that you’ve made your hole and have your drill seated start slowly drilling into the rivet. You can use a drill bit that is the same size as you used on the install or smaller if you plan on reusing the hole. Make sure you apply steady pressure to the drill so that it stays in the seat you made for the bit.
You should be able to cut through the rivet very quickly. Once through back the drill out and whats left of the rivet should either fall or slide out with ease. Assuming you drilled with the right size your hole should still be the same size as it was before you installed the first one.