Help required! A riveting dilemma!

[sinnett177]

I'm looking to remove the cable mounts on my aluminium Rocky Mountain in order to polish the frame properly. I want to drill out the existing rivets and replace them after polishing the frame and refurbing the cable brackets. Problem being these rivets look alot better quality than your B&Q variety.

So, any idea where I can get some of these rivets and should I even be considering this in the first place?

 

[Grannygrinder]

stainless steel rivets

They look like stainless steel rivets. Any fastners wholesalers should have them,your only problem is going to be that you want 2 and they going to try and sell you a box of 100. You might get lucky,they might just give you 2 as its not worth the paperwork!

 

[Crayons]

A word of caution. If you drill them out you'll end up with little bits inside the frame tubes. Maybe you'll get them out through the breather holes on the larger tubes, maybe not but one thing is certain, the sound of those things rattling around in the frame would drive me senseless.

 

[guybe]

If that was my frame and seeing the photo's, I would leave them alone and polish the best you can around these mounts, I dont think it's worth the risk as the mounts looked fine, maybe touch up with paint.

Good luck

 

[faceplant]

You should be able to find either stainless or monel rivets at a boat/yacht chandlers. They usually sell them individually. With stainless you may get some electrolytic corrosion, with monel you wont. You can use a barrier paste when inserting the new rivets. Can't help with the potential rattling I'm afraid. Good luck.

 

[sinnett177]

If that was my frame and seeing the photo's, I would leave them alone and polish the best you can around these mounts, I dont think it's worth the risk as the mounts looked fine, maybe touch up with paint.

Good luck

Think i'll go with that Guybe. Some top advice as usual people.

Thanks very much.

 

[dyna-ti]

Just be careful and polish around them ,if you try to remove them not only will you have a VERY annoying rattle,but you may ruin any chance of putting anything else in their place

 

[beepbeep]

I'm a bit curious about this topic too. I'm thinking of getting my Yeti Lawwill frame stripped and polished and that has rivets.
Do you have to blast powder-coat or is there a chemical alternative? I'm thinking the black guides will be stripped of their anodizing if the frame is blasted. (Hmmm... maybe that won't look so bad :? )

Haven't the classic ARCs got riveted brake guides, has anyone here got experience with re-painting one of those?

Cheers
Neil

 

[WD Pro]

I admit that they do look like stainless but I would be careful and check properly if you choose to drill out and re rivit.

Stainless and ally is not allways a good combination if it is unprotected and in the presence of salt water :?

Will look cool al polished up though

 

[RockiMtn]

wow, u really wanna go all out in polishing the RM frame! I would agree with guybe, do the best you can without going through the risk of removing the cable mounts.