Help Needed: Can you identify this item?

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I can't weld EVERYTHING....I want to rivet aluminum sheets, aka skins, to a mild steel trailer. What I want is a rivet that is closed on the outside so water isn't finding it's way into the trailer. What I have observed are: semi-trucks pulling those big white trailers down the highway. Those trailers have the perfect looking rivets. The head is wide and large, like a damn button. Actually, those are exactly what I want to use. But what are they called? What type of tool do you need to install them? I have searched Wikipedia, google, ask.com, and have come up empty handed. So I am sure that you guys with your vast knowledge and experience have the answer. Prove me right! Lincoln Power Mig 210MP MIGLincoln Power Mig 350MP - MIG and Push-PullLincoln TIG 300-300Lincoln Hobby-Weld 110v  Thanks JLAMESCK TIG TORCH, gas diffuser, pyrex cupThermal Dynamics Cutmaster 101My brain
Reply:They are just rivets, not to be confused with pop rivets.It's a 2 man operation, one guy with a jackhammer-like aparratus pounding on the rivet, and another guy holding a heavy steel plate from the other side to mushroom the end of the rivet.Miller EconotigCutmaster 38Yes ma'am, that IS a screwdriver in my pocket!
Reply:Nah.....C'mon...really? Two people to do it?  Are we talking about the same type of rivets?Lincoln Power Mig 210MP MIGLincoln Power Mig 350MP - MIG and Push-PullLincoln TIG 300-300Lincoln Hobby-Weld 110v  Thanks JLAMESCK TIG TORCH, gas diffuser, pyrex cupThermal Dynamics Cutmaster 101My brain
Reply:use pop rivets and seam filler thats used on cars to water proof it
Reply:using a builders glue (like a liquid nails) also, will stop the eventual shifting/moving of the ally, and will then also stop the rivets wearing the ally out or the rivets wearing out. thats how I did it.I own a 87 troopie (rust is slowly owning it  )I ride a quadand I love sticking metal together.  And I live in OZ...  (Geelong)
Reply:Aviation rivets are this type. Takes a special revit gun and revits and take two people depending on the gun and where the revits are going. I helped a friend build an two seater airplane and we did allot of revits.  Also one thing to keep in mind, get the proper rivets and use something between the metals. when aluminum and steel touch is sometimes causes a reaction causing corrosion.Miller DVI2Lincoln Precision Tig 225Thermodynamics Cutmaster 38Everything else needed.
Reply:That is the the deal......I used to work at Peterbilt of CT in the body shop.....Huck Bolts.....it's a 2 person job the alternatives for a one person approach are SS carriage bolts or .25 inch diameter ss or aluminum rivets
Reply:Or you could use rivets......and a rivet buck and second person with a hammer
Reply:Sealing blind rivets: http://www.mcmaster.com/ctlg/DisplCt...CtlgPgNbr=3195These backed up with a sealant/adhesive will give good waterproofing.Another option is to lock-seam the sheets, but that is a LOT of work. Dead waterproof, though.
Reply:Thanks guys. I wasn't looking for an alternative. I was just looking for the name of the rivets and the tool.I will call some suppliers and ask them if they have those.Lincoln Power Mig 210MP MIGLincoln Power Mig 350MP - MIG and Push-PullLincoln TIG 300-300Lincoln Hobby-Weld 110v  Thanks JLAMESCK TIG TORCH, gas diffuser, pyrex cupThermal Dynamics Cutmaster 101My brain
Reply:Ok guys,I did a lot of looking around. I found what I wanted, I think. The company is sending me a sample. It is a blind rivet. You set it pretty much like a normal rivet. Then you use a tool inserted into a drill motor to shave the head, which is the exact same head on the big rig's trailers and school busses. I will report on this when I get the sample. They come in 3/16 and 1/4 shanks on the rivet stem, but the heads are just as big as the regular ones, so they tell me. I will take pictures when it gets here.Stay tuned!Lincoln Power Mig 210MP MIGLincoln Power Mig 350MP - MIG and Push-PullLincoln TIG 300-300Lincoln Hobby-Weld 110v  Thanks JLAMESCK TIG TORCH, gas diffuser, pyrex cupThermal Dynamics Cutmaster 101My brain
Reply:try these peoplewww.ustool.com if they don't have the rivet/rivet tool your looking for just give up.
Reply:O.K. Joker11, I too have wondered about this type of application, PLEASE don't let this thread die with out some more input! I have a hobby of working on military vehicles and this will be very helpfull.
Reply:Gimpy, you got it. I hope I can use my existing rivet gun. I don't mind buying the head shaving tool, but dang, another Huck air/hydraulic gun would be cost prohibitive for me. I use the one I have here and there. I could probably have done all those rivets manually and saved some money. But being the tool junkie I am....well, you know.Those Huck guns go for about 400bucks.Lincoln Power Mig 210MP MIGLincoln Power Mig 350MP - MIG and Push-PullLincoln TIG 300-300Lincoln Hobby-Weld 110v  Thanks JLAMESCK TIG TORCH, gas diffuser, pyrex cupThermal Dynamics Cutmaster 101My brain
Reply:I don't know exactly what they are called, but there are pop rivits that are sealed. The ones I am familiar with came with Harley Davidson ignition parts and wewe used in holding the cover plate over the ignitin system. The outer end where the head is and you pull the nail out looked like ordinary pop rivits, but the inside (small) end, over the head of the nail was sealed over (not open) so you couldn't see the head of the nail. Don't have any idea where you could get them in volume.
Reply:Not all aviation blind rivets require special tooling. While the older cherry rivets required a shifting head tool the newer and more common Cherry Max can be pulled with a pop rivet gun, either hand or air powered. For the larger sizes 3/16 and above an air powered gun works much better. These rivets leave a portion of the pulling stem in the rivet after pulling for strength. If the grip length and hole diameter are correct the stems break off flush or slightly below the top of the head and are retained by a locking collar that is forced into place during pulling by the washer on the stem. The washer falls off after pulling. Correctly sized they are fairly water tight but a bit a sealer can be apply to the rivet before installation. Huck and other companies now make rivets that are equivalent to Cherry Max. Huck is as well known as Cherry in the aviation industry and make fine products. As for the other brands making generic equivalents to Cherry Max rivets I don't care for them. 70% of the time they worked OK but Cherry Max brands have always been more forgiving with slightly off holes and grip lengths. The down side is that they are quite pricey. $.75 to $1.50 each depending on size. Solid aluminum aircraft bought by the pound cost less than a penny each up to a few cents each for most sizes. This is why they still buck solid rivets with two man teams. If you need either type rivets try looking at http://www.aircraftspruce.com