t8hants":1uhb576m said:
You have to be careful that the type of rivets used don't strip the teeth on the claws inside the machine, so if you are contemplating stainless rivets, think again, and always use the correct collet for the diameter of rivet used. Make sure the stub of the last rivet is clear and out of the riveter before doing the next one. Apart from that, the design has been around for awhile and will put up a reasonable performance.
Having ruined more than one rivet gun as above (stripped the teeth), a couple of suggestions:
Use some light machine oil on the collet the jaws close into. It stops them sticking. If they stick, they slip on the shaft of the rivet: if they don't slip, they don't wear as quickly.
If you can, strip the business end of the gun and clean the serrations on the jaws after each session with a wire brush, more frequently if you're doing a lot in one go (there should be a strong spring involved, so be sure you can get it back together before undoing the last half-turn. DAMHIK this!).
I'm uncertain about oil on the jaw serrations themselves. One instruction booklet I had said to do this, others haven't. It does stop metal building up on the jaws, and makes them easier to clean with a wire brush, but it also makes them more slippery. I think oil is good when the tool is new and the serrations are sharp. Worth a try - you can always degrease it in a jamjar if it makes it stop gripping well.
All the ones I've had have been either the 'pliers' type or lazy tongs. The mech in the air ones is similar, just uses air to apply the force, so maintenance is much the same I'd guess.
I completely agree about not-aluminium rivets. Can't see the point if you keep a range of sizes. I've never had a problem with properly sized Aluminium ones failing, even in vehicle applications. The steel ones are really hard to set properly, too, and I've had them 'pop' prematurely leaving a loose rivet that's really annoying to remove (I don't own hardened end-cutting pliers, which is what you'd need, assuming you can get to the rivet in the first place!).
