A blind rivet consists of two parts, a hollow, cylindrical body with a flared head and a solid-rod mandrel with a bulbed head that resembles a nail.

The body of the blind rivet is inserted in a hole in the materials to be joined or the blind rivet is placed into an installation tool, and then inserted into the application.

Activate the tool by squeezing the trigger in an air/hydraulic tool or the handles in a manual tool. The tool pulls the mandrel, drawing the mandrel head into the blind end of the rivet body. This action forms an upset head on the rivet body and securely clamps the application materials together.

The mandrel then reaches its predetermined break-load and will snap, with the spent portion of the mandrel breaking away and being removed from the “set” blind rivet.

Blind rivets are available in a range of body styles such as open, closed-end, and multi-grip, with head styles in button, countersunk and large flange and in materials such as aluminum, steel, copper, plastic and stainless steel.

Fast, easy-to-use blind rivets offer speed of assembly, consistent mechanical performance, and excellent installed appearance, making blind riveting a reliable and economical assembly method.

Visit the Blind Rivets & Rivet Tool section of tannerbolt.com.