Q about riveting (and whatever else comes up)

In recent weeks I've become enamored with the tool, etc., restoration videos non YouTube. This has inspired me to try to fix up something that's been sitting in my attic for years. A few decades ago I did homebrewing, and by chance I scored a nice old bottle capper. It always had a good amount of rust on it, but the years hadn't been kind--when I bought it, most of the paint was already missing, so the rust just accelerated.

I am very much NOT a metalworker, and as much as I envy the wonderful tools they use in the videos (sandblasting chamber, powdered paint guns, a lathe) I don't have them. Most of the applicable tools I did have (drill press) were destroyed by Superstorm Sandy's storm surge, and have mostly not been replaced.

But I think I can handle this; 95% of it won't require destructive disassembly--mostly nuts/bolts and other threaded items. And patience and mechanical and chemical rust removal. And, if I'm lucky, I can spray paint the relevant parts and reassemble.

The one thing I'm giving some thought to is the base, which has the one plastic part, held on by a single rivet (see below). I can probably get away with not removing it, but I think in order to do a best-attempt I should, so I better remove all the rust and do what I can to clean/restore the plastic piece, plus the rivet itself is pretty corroded. That means drilling through the one rivet holding it in place.

I do have a pop rivet gun. But I can easily access both sides, and FWIW in the restoration videos I've seen they never seem to use this tool: they use tubular rivets, fastened either by hammering the pointed side flat, or by using a tool that looks like a C-clamp. I'm not clear on why they use one over the other, as I've seen both used in the same video and it doesn't only seem to be being able to fit the clamp in place.

So... should I just use what I have? Should I be using a tubular rivet? Which tool?

 

It looks like there is plenty of support under that base so the fastener just holds it in place.... no stress. That looks more like a ferrule crimped in there.
What you use is not terribly important. An aluminum pop rivet the correct diameter would be fine.

You could use a large head 1/4" pop rivet......

 

Looks like a short flat head bolt and nut could be used.

 

Elevator bolt.

Check the specialty screw section of big box stores.

 

Pretty lean anymore.

I've found that many ACE hardware stores have well stocked specialty bins.

 

Thanks for the replies. I cut out the fastener. I came across another issue.
Re: the handle (the shaft+knob) attaches to the black piece at the capper.

In the pic below, you can see what looks like a pin holding the shaft to the black piece. I'm thinking I've hit a dead end with removing this: I can't think of any way to get that off without drilling it, and if I do so, I have no idea what I could replace it with. I don't have a metal lathe--or the machinist skills to use one.

 

It almost looks like a hex head set screw.
You can see the handle and the mechanism are two different parts.

Do you have to take it apart ?

 

Strictly speaking, no. But I'm trying to strip/repaint the black portion, which'll go easier if it's taken apart, and also blue the unpainted shaft so that it doesn't start rusting again (what you see in the pic is after liberal use of sandpaper).

 

That looks to me like the handle screws onto the rod. Are you sure there is something there in that hole? Maybe it had a setscrew that is missing now. Looking at the hole it looks to be flush with the shaft. Have you tried holding the shaft in a vise and turning the black handle?

 

There's a little silver bit at the base of the hole that's decidedly elevated above the shaft. I did try twisting, using a big set of channel locks (after squirting WD-40 in between the shaft and the black metal receptacle), but just ended up scratching the shaft (even with the teeth covered with some painter's tape). So I'm guessing the silver bit is a pin. Or maybe a weld?

I cleaned it out a little better with a fine-tipped file, and did a closeup at a different angle:

 

Unless there is a similar hole opposite of this one on the handle I don't think it is a pin. There would have to be a place for the pin to go when pushed out. I am leaning toward a broken off set screw.
You could drill the hole out until you are sure it is below the handle then twist the handle off. Did you try both ways as it could be reverse thread....who knows? Then again maybe they are not threads or worn down threads again who knows? I think you will have to drill until it is shorter than the handle the pull or twist the handle off to see for sure what it is.