pipe clamp riveting tool for AK bulds?

[jason41987]

i have this idea of using a pipe clamp for crushing the rivets of an AK receiver together.. ive reviewed the bolt cutter rivet tool which works very well, by the jaws dont close directly on eachother, what i mean is the jaws swing at a radius, so the forces they apply to a rivet are never directly against eachother, but at varying angles as the bolt cutter jaws are closed

my idea is to take a couple pipe clamps mounted on a short, maybe 12" long 1/2" pipe.. using jaws like these

http://www.startwoodworking.com/sit...m/files/uploads/taunton/images/pipe-clamp.jpg

my idea was originally to machine some divots into the surfaces with a 5/16" ball end mill for the purpose of crushing long-rivets which leave a rounded rivet head on each side..

but then i had the idea of grinding away at the jaws, making them narrow and easier to fit into tight places.. and on the piece with the crank end.. id mill two divots, one near the front of the jaw and one a little bit behind it.. because in the other end, id have only one divot machined into it.. this way, i could crush both long rivets with two divots on each end for a rounded head on each end, or use the divot that matches up against a flat piece for short rivets.. maybe grind away some added clearance to reach inside the receiver..

so, what do you guys think about it?.. do you think a pipe clamp (most likely with an extended crank handle) could provide enough pressure to crush a rivet.. and do you think the end result would be more uniform?.. the way id use it would be by placing the pipe into a bench vice, couple wooden blocks on each side for a really firm grip on the pipe.. then use the one jaw of the pip clamp as a bucking bar, either the flat piece for the short rivets or the piece with a divot for long rivets, then tighten down the other jaw which will have a divot for the rivet head matched up to the other jaw.. hold the rivet against the bucking bar with one hand and tighten it down with the other (or get someone to tighten it

 

[Kp321]

Hate to rain on your parade, but those clamps don't have nearly enough up strength to brad a rivet. They are relatively thin cast iron and won't take the stress of an extended handle. You could probably break them with the original handle, long before you deform a rivet.

 

[jason41987]

actually, i use pipe clamps a lot for other things.. ive pounded on the handle with a 3lb hammer to tighten it down.. these are the ones i used before

http://www.westerntool.com/media/ca...a9c230972d/a/d/adjustable-pony-pipe-clamp.jpg

 

[rcmodel]

There is no way you can get enough force out of a pipe clamp to expand a steel rivet!!

They will barely dent wood when clamped as tight as you can get them without breaking them.

This right here makes a whole lot more sense to me.
Bolt cutters actually have enough mechanical advantage to mash a rivet.

http://pookieweb.dyndns.org:61129/AK/rivet/boltcutters/boltcutter.htm

rc