How to Rivet a Hinge: Master Jeweler's Method

Rivets are one of the most useful (and most underused) joining methods in the goldsmith's toolkit. In this video I walk through how I use rivets in hinges and in finished pieces, including how to size a rivet, drill it, and set it so there's no wiggle at all. I start with the bail we made in Going Tubular and take it step by step: measuring the rivet wire first and drilling to match, using a setting bur to bevel the ends of the hole so the mushroomed head grabs and holds, filing the ends flat, and finishing with a cup bur and a Greenie wheel for a clean, polished rivet head. I also demonstrate both riveting methods, the hammer handpiece, which frees up your hand to hold the work, and the traditional punch and chasing hammer, which needs a second pair of hands but gives beautiful control. In the second half I show three pieces made for American Jewelry Design Council theme projects, each using rivets differently: • A forged white gold spring riveted to a ring, avoiding the annealing that soldering would have caused • The Cosmic Clam Ring, cold joining platinum to gold so the pearls could be glued before assembly • Badge, using tubular rivets flared with a scribe to set and tension a custom-cut stone Rivets let you join metal without heat — no solder, no laser welder — and done properly the join is permanent. Highlights: 0:00 Why rivets 0:20 Hinge diagram and how the rivet works 1:40 Measuring wire and drilling the hinge 4:00 Filing the ends and beveling with a setting bur 6:00 Riveting with the hammer handpiece 7:40 Riveting with a punch and hammer 8:40 Finishing with a cup bur and Greenie wheel 9:20 Three AJDC projects using rivets 10:40 Tension: white gold spring riveted to a ring 12:20 Hidden Treasure: platinum riveted to gold 13:40 Badge: tubular rivets setting a stone 15:00 Where else rivets are useful New videos every Thursday. Subscribe for more from the bench. #jewelrymaking #goldsmith #riveting #coldconnections #metalsmithing #jewelrytechniques #handmadejewelry #benchjeweler #kentraible