Help me rivet!

I have a 1919A4 that my deceased ex-father-in-law helped me put together about 8 years ago. The riveting job he wouldn’t let me do because he said it was easy to mess up.... obviously because he messed it up lol. The rivets somehow didn’t get shaped all the way as they should have and though they function and hold the sideplate in place they aren’t fully rounded on the outside of the gun and shaped nicely as they should be like they are on the left side.

I’ve searched for riveting hand tool but I am trying to figure out what the tool is called that you would use to shape it. I remember it was a small cylinder with a dime shape machines into the end and would be easy to make if I had a lathe. However with all my searching all I can come up with is very expensive rivet guns. I just need to do 5 rivets that need to be prettied up so I really don’t want to spend the money on a super expensive tool. Also I already have a piece of steel bar I cut for the bucking bar. Can someone tell me what tool I’m looking for please?

I made my own punches with a carbide burr and sever air hammer rivet punches. Just have to hit the right amount of depth and diameter for the dimple.

I think it's called a rivet anvil.

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Originally Posted by Der Gebirgsjager

I think it's called a rivet anvil.

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Or a staking tool.

I think I stumbled onto it, what I’m looking for to shape the outside of the river is called a rivet header I think.

I believe Rivet set is correct. Most make these themselves from round stock. Early originals sometimes had a logo or initals engraved in them so when the head was formed the craftsman / shop was identified also.

Most good farm supply stores that have mower and swather cutting parts should have rivets and rivet punches, although most people now use the bolt on knife sections.

Take a piece of drill rod, 3/8 is fine, 6 inches long. Get a ball bearing the same size as the finished diameter of the rivet. Heat the drill rod cherry red, like acetylene cherry red, place the end of the drill rod on the ball bearing that you have placed on a steel surface, an anvil or piece of railroad track will do. Hit the end of the drill rod with a 2 pound hammer, forming the drill rod to match the ball bearing shape. Once formed, quench in water if it's W-1, oil if it's O-1. Polished the formed end bright with a piece of emery cloth heat with a propane torch till it just starts to turn a dark straw color and quench it again. There's your rivet set.

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Originally Posted by Jeff Michel

Take a piece of drill rod, 3/8 is fine, 6 inches long. Get a ball bearing the same size as the finished diameter of the rivet. Heat the drill rod cherry red, like acetylene cherry red, place the end of the drill rod on the ball bearing that you have placed on a steel surface, an anvil or piece of railroad track will do. Hit the end of the drill rod with a 2 pound hammer, forming the drill rod to match the ball bearing shape. Once formed, quench in water if it's W-1, oil if it's O-1. Polished the formed end bright with a piece of emery cloth heat with a propane torch till it just starts to turn a dark straw color and quench it again. There's your rivet set.

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I would totally do this if I had any of those things available to me lol. But thank you for the write up, that would have to be a last resort.

There was a clamp type tool used for pinball machines as I recall which was for sale.
Air riveters have an anvil piece that has a donut shaped divot & pin on the bottom and dish shaped head on top and those were a replaceable parts. Maybe Graingers?
Bike shops that work or worked on vintage motorcycles may have a set for refurbishing brakes. The pads were riveted on to the drums by hand. After drilling out the old rivets and taking off the worn pad.

I may take a look at the local farm and fleet stores, have done a couple by hand using a lead piece with a divot and hammer and small punch to roll the edges.

Have any lead block or bars? Especially harder alloy like monotype block will be soft enough to dimple with ball bearing so it centers but hard enough to not just let the rivet head get driven in. May be off the wall idea, but hey I would probably try it. After I hemmed and hawed and talked myself into it.

Thanks everyone I found the tool I was looking for and I’ll post up before and after pics when I get this done.