Rivetting with a hydraulic press

This topic has 6 replies, 7 voices, and was last updated 17 October 2026 at 18:58 by John Hinkley.

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17 October 2026 at 12:53 #869870
Martin Johnson 1
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@martinjohnson1
I have the frames of a loco to rivet up, several hundred 1/8″ iron rivets in all the usual places. I also have arthritic hands so want to automate the process for at least most of the rivets.

I am thinking of this type of device:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hydraulic-Workshop-Adjustable-Straightening-Garage-Black/dp/B0GL589ZYD/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?crid=15S32MOHPZ5Y7&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.AtIUOIIb-3jtzwNIrSePLV1jUPVofvPqjtgkl2dpdcTfXkGrzLltd50Uvq8YnY0EMK45fx8gpdg8B_STgK72QnJARGdAuHK0jEQ55iRUskRvC7sm4lxYmPO6NGv0IK6M9z45_NzDstxLq4LwKkINwqYWGpI37pKQjiv9y5Qde5L4nL0QBhnOB3bG651HYnwd2lLrx5k6AATHb8iuq8P1ghQ-ior-UYy5WxZ4Q7mOgIS8a0SX2fHgNZDKlFMox8Mw1zpZR0wHTBvzSyQVbepDRsc2HO-l3ooZblMuhlDwYG4.AgKSMaT3Bqo8euBm13Yxsb7EQ3jENtyFIv7nf00s0T0&dib_tag=se&keywords=hydraulic%2Bpress&qid=1792237603&sprefix=Hydraulic%2Bpress%2Caps%2C791&sr=8-2-spons&aref=97TvXkdfA1&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&th=1

I also hope to use the beast for metal bending, bearing fitting etc.

Any advice & experience please? What size is needed for 1/8″ cold iron rivets?

Thanks in advance.

Martin
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17 October 2026 at 13:50 #869881
Jez
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@jez
Hi Martin,

I used a similar press (bench version, but 10 tons) to set 3/16″ cold iron rivets. Worked well, and from memory took 4.7 tons to set them properly.

I made a riveting jig for the wheels – the bottom set is removable:

Cheers, Jez.
17 October 2026 at 13:51 #869882
Clive Foster
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@clivefoster55965
that is remarkably good price for a hydraulic press.

I have similar one, rather older and bought as a supply your own jack kit, which is effective but somewhat cumbersome is use. Tends to be tricky to hold things in the press and align them when working solo. The pressure rod tends to wobble about a bit as its hung on a spring supported plate with a fairly sloppy bearing to support the rod itself.

I’ve found it distressingly easy to end up pushing a bit off line. But I don’t use it much. 10 presses a year would be really busy. So its not too great a pain to take bait of extra care whilst muttering appropriate verbal encouragement.

Given several hundred to do I reckon the odds of messing up with this sort of press are just too high.

For more precise work I think a bench top size device based around the relatively inexpensive 12 ton rams sol as spare parts for pullers and extraction devices might prove more satisfactory. For example Simply bearings sell one or around £30.00

https://www.simplybearings.co.uk/products/kdpau301?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=24124593780&gbraid=0AAAAAD-_g0HIqtGwKCZTDywCvg0eglKjg&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIsfnY94fBlwMVw4b9BR1iZDTgEAQYCSABEgJ4K_D_BwE

Having something sat on a bench makes it much easier to arrange support for large components like frames greatly easing handling.

Some years ago I used one to make a special puller to help ship Range Rover suspension parts based on the vastly expensive official sykes picavant design. If I ever need a bench top hydraulic press I only need to make a baseplate and spacer rods to go with the internally threaded puller carrier and I’m in business.

This is my carrier, obviously adjust dimensions to suit if you fancy making one.

Clive
17 October 2026 at 16:11 #869902
Bob Worsley
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@bobworsley31976
I did start looking at 2″ and 3″ traction engine wheels, lots of rivets. I did wonder if using a spot welder to get the rivet red hot and then using a simple mechanical press to close would work, but never got to try it.

An alternative could be the PSUs from computers/servers etc. They will supply dozens of amps at 2V/3V etc and might do the same job? Yet to work out how to fool the PSU into working, they are all now ‘inteligent’.
17 October 2026 at 17:16 #869906
Bazyle
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@bazyle
One thing to look out for with these jack style presses is the pressure release. Rather fiddly so you will need to invent a tool that works better for your hands and stays in place.
17 October 2026 at 18:55 #869925
DC31k
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@dc31k
To me, the thought of using a manual hydraulic press for several hundred anything is on a parallel with those computational questions which in theory can be solved, but in practice would take longer than the age of the universe to do so.

Have a think (use a car bottle jack as your performance test item) of how much ram travel is required to set a rivet. How many stokes of the operating handle are required to achieve this travel (let alone to bring the ram from fully closed to touching the rivet).

As above, the release mechanism on a standard press can be fiddly, and as the return is spring assisted, the ram always closes fully (could be limited by a stop).

The speed issue could perhaps be solved with an air over hydraulic version (foot operated, leaving both hands free to manipulate the work, or an Enerpak-type ram, with electric two speed pump (fast moving under no load, slow moving when loaded – many trolley jacks with quick lift work in the same way). Both are expensive; the latter very expensive.
17 October 2026 at 18:58 #869930
John Hinkley
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@johnhinkley26699
Martin,

I bought one of those budget hydraulic presses and it was a bit “bare bones” and the push rod was somewhat imprecise. I made a couple of close-fitting collars to fit either side of the plate through which it passes. That effectively reduced the wobble and it worked well when I used it to broach a number of 4mm keyways. Good value in my opinion.

John
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