Request on how to remove rivets

[nannytrooper[TK]]

I recently bought a second hand suit and it is put together almost completely with rivets. The areas around several of them are cracking. I need to remove the rivets and repair the suit, but not sure how. Any advice would be most welcome.

[Daetrin[Admin]]

I found using a small drill bit to drill through the rivet works out the cleanest.

[pandatrooper[TK]]

I use a drill bit that is slightly bigger than the size of the rivet shaft (not the head). Grab the back side with a pair of pliers, then drill out the rivet from the front / head. Drill slowly. once the drill bit grinds away the head, it usually just "pops" off, leaving a clean hole. Don't press too hard ont he drill or you risk drilling through the plastic too.

 

Don't be tempted to cut away the back side, it usually ends up messy and you end up squishing the rivets and stressing / enlarging the hole.

[DarkTrooper[TK]]

I've removed previous rivets by drilling them from the outside.

[TK_LEPER]

Drill, drill ,drill!

[zsavk[TK]]

Yep drill them out. Use the same size drill bit as the rivet size. If the rivet is a 3/16 use a 3/16 drill bit. Size goes off shaft diameter not finished head size.

 

 

Drill, drill ,drill!

[nannytrooper[TK]]

Some of the rivest in question are odd in that they seem to have some kind of cover on both the front and back (so I'm not sure if those are rivets or something else). Do I just guess at what the size and where the shaft is or do I use something different on those ones. They are barely raised above the plastic on both sides, so I am not sure I can get much of a grip on them. They are also painted and possibly glued as well.

[pandatrooper[TK]]

They probably used a standard rivet and a backing washer. Try and grip the rivet on the front and back with flat pliers (to prevent it from spinning) and use a drill bit that's slightly larger than the hole. They likely either used 1/8" or 3/16" rivets.

 

Drill as described above. Don't worry about the paint or glue.

[nannytrooper[TK]]

Thank you everyone. Hopefully this works as I have enough to do repairing the rest of it. I had hoped to be able to get 501st status by summer, but now it's looking like it will be fall when I apply. So much for being told it was troopable when I bought it.

[TK-J]

Whatever you do, when drilling go very VERY slowly. Too fast will melt the plastic around the rivet

[Plastic Fury[TK]]

Whatever you do, when drilling go very VERY slowly. Too fast will melt the plastic around the rivet

 

Reading through here this was my first thought as well, go VERY SLOW. Hitting the rivets with high speed will cause them to heat fast and melt the plastic even faster lol. Drill works the best, you just gotta take your time is all.

 

Good luck.