I need to buy some rivets wondering, those of you who smith on a regular bases where do you buy your rivets? also any other supplies that you use day to day like finishes ect... where have you found them to be the cheapest? ill be buying the united states.

 

I saw something awhile back where someone was using old bolts to make rivets, 

i think blacksmith depot has some in bulk though 

also if ya go to the local hardware store or farm supply store ect.. 

look around the wedge selection for tool handles,

because you can get steel rivets in different lengths for re handling tools with round socket handles like shovels, pitchforks and the like, 

you can also get paste wax an blo while your there!

thanks twisted i already checked the 3 box stores they dont have rivets except for some tiny ones that you would need for doing thin sheet metal like ductwork. 

I got some from the Ebay

i don’t go to the big box stores they are usually a waste of time an fuel, the little mom an pop hardware stores I have better success an customer service,

 a lot of people don’t re handle axes an shovels anymore so it’s not super common,

I’ve found that some box store employees don’t even know what they have in stock, and their go to answer is “sorry we don’t carry that”

but when I go digging around I find what I’m looking for lol,

i usually see the bigger steel rivets in a small box on a shelf in the fastener hardware aisle,

I look for the wedges for hammers an axes and usually somewhere close by that box will be another box with a selection of rivets  for the shovels an such,

one other option ive used at the local hardware store is having them special order stuff for me, even if they don’t carry it in stock regularly themselves they can get a lot of stuff that’s hard to find, 

so if your local hardware store don’t have it you might see if they will order you a whole selection box of rivets,

I did that a few years back an had them get me a box of wedges for fixing up old tools,

the big hardware supply companies usually sell to individuals so you gotta go through a dealer,

but there’s also plenty of different blacksmith suppliers that carry them too if you wanna just order online,

ya twisted I usually don't even ask employee for help because of that.  I spent like a hour at each store going through everything no one uses them anymore.  it has become more of a specialty to use solid rivets.  I have been looking online. I need 30 of each size 1/4,3/16,3/8,5/16 the best prices i  have seen is at a site called blacksmith bolt (37.70/.31) with shipping) who sells individually (but they charge you a handling fee for small amounts under 20 us dollars) and kens custom irons (54.55/ .45) who sells them by packs of 10.  it ends up that kens custom is cheaper for small amounts (under 20 dollars) but if you buy lots and lots then buy from blacksmith bolt.  of course this is in united states money. 

Blacksmith depot only Carries the 1/4 an 3/16 in packs of 100 In various lengths so that wouldn’t help ya,

Have you priced the round stock at the local steel yard to see if it might be cheaper to just make your own?

I’m not for sure what length of rivets your needing but I’d think you could get more then 30 rivets out of a 36” stick of each size, then you’d have some leftovers for next time!

ya its cheaper but i just  decided to buy them. later as I get better at smithing ill try to make my own. 

Have you looked at  R.J.Leahy, rjleahy.com?     They are what a lot of the armor makers use and they have a wide selection!

For flat headed rivets I generally use 8 penny, 16 penny or 20 penny nails, clip them to size. What I used on my grill.

Fastenall has in stock or can order rivets, as well as black(unplated) fasteners including straight slot screws and black square headed bolts and nuts.

I cannot say that I have done a price comparison but for many years I have bought rivets from Jaycee Sales (rivetsonline.com). They have a pretty wide selection of metals (brass, copper, steel, stainless, monel, aluminum) and a wide size selection. I have also used their pop rivets.

Fastenall has a wide selection of common rivets and pop rivets from individual in bins bags of 10 and boxes, if you can wait for their next shipment your order's shipping charges will be averaged by weight with their usual container load. They will ship directly to the purchaser too. They carry rivet sets for common sizes and heads on the shelf and will order if available. Of course. Fastenall's list of suppliers is WAY longer than what's available online.

I was sooooo happy when they opened a brick and mortar outlet here, I was all giddy.

Frosty The Lucky.

You might also look into Blacksmith Bolt and Rivet Supply. They have the full line of all kinds of usable stuff.

Steve

Thanks Thomas never even heard of this company they sell them by the pound even better pricing. And I will have to try the nail thing.  

iron alchemy thanks this company has such a wide range of them

 

I definitely need to sit down and compare those two sites their such a speciality company when I did a search unless you type in the name they don’t even show up on google. When I did a search of just rivets it keeps going to Amazon ect…

Frosty as for fastenall sadly I have had mixed results stuff I buy from them didnt show up,  customer service has been poor so I try not to use them. 

That's something to keep in mind if I have to order through our local Fastenall. The guys at this outlet have been very helpful but I've been pretty easy so far.

Frosty The Lucky.

If you live in Canada  there is Spaenaur. not sure if they are in the United States as well. they carry lots of fasteners of all kind as well as some tools, they are an industrial supplier that also sell to the consumer at the counter.

Seems to me that a blacksmith type person could make their own.  I bought small rivets once to make a quantity of of ember tongs as the heads on them made it easier to use and still have movement but nails would have worked as well.  Other times I needed rivets they were made from a piece of round stock cut to length with ends upset either hot or cold.

Yes you can make them; but it's not necessary.  How many machinists make all their own nuts and bolts for a project? 

I have a drawer full of commercial rivets I have bought over the years at garage sales and the scrapyard; but the nails provided the "look" I wanted as well as being cheap and fast!

The look you want is definitely the reason to choose what you use. Nails, hand made or commercial rivets, or even screws or any shaped bolts all work and are cheap and fast to use. 

I don't see that anyone has mentioned them yet, but I like to buy rivets from McMaster-Carr. I have found the prices to be competitive and they have fast shipping. I have bought steel, brass, and copper rivets from them.

I don't really want to make rivets I'm a wood worker that has expanded his craft to work with leather, stone and now metal.   want to use rivets to make tools to make the projects that I really want. for example I want to carve a new mask and add metal horns and teeth to it.  want to make metal leaves to use as handle on a box im building ect....

 

On 7/23/2022 at 3:41 PM, Stash said:

You might also look into Blacksmith Bolt and Rivet Supply. They have the full line of all kinds of usable stuff.

Steve

This is where I got my last order of rivets, quite possibly at Stash's recommendation. I was quite pleased with their selection, price, and service.

Also Pieh tool, and Kayne & Son Custom Hardware, Inc. Dba. Blacksmiths Depot.  Decades ago I bought bulk from Bee industries. No shortage od sources of fasteners of all types and shapes.