Jig for Quickly Making Dome Rivets
Hey folks, I just made up a quick and dirty dome rivet cutting jig for my riveted maille hauberk. This jig simply makes short "studs", which are the perfect size for riveting with the shown riveting pliers. As you can see, the wire gets inserted through the back of the jig, through a nylon tube (to reduce friction). The tube guides the wire through a 2x4, and an aluminum plate which is attached to the opposite face of the 2x4. There's an adjacent 5/16 bolt running through the board and the plate, such that the washer on the head-end of the bolt acts as a "stop" for the wire, portioning it out into perfect rivet length. The bolt is just a home depot bolt, paired with a standard 5/16 ths washer as the "stop" for the wire. The nut between the head of the bolt and thr aluminum plate had to be filed down a bit to get the perfect gap size on the jig. Works well with flush/diagonal pliers. Also works with farrier's pliers, but the clearance is kind of tight, so they have to be filed down on the inner portion of the jaw in order to clear the "stop washer". This is a crude set-up, but once I have the funds I'll probably make a much nicer one. Let me know what you guys think.