A small pin or tube fastener used to secure metal parts Rivets are are used to join metals without the use of heat either as decorative elements or as mechanical connectors when heat can not be used as with refractory metals
Small rods of metal with a bulging head on one end Installed through a drilled hole and hammered over, normally using a shaped backer block and pounding tool Rarely used in ordinary shop work because of the difficulty of applying the two tools and holding the work Pop rivets are much more widely used by small shops Large rivets used in construction are heated first and set with pneumatic tools