A Hand Riveter is a manually operated tool designed to install blind rivets. These rivets are used to join two materials together by expanding and locking them with a mandrel which is then broken off and discarded after the job is complete.

Rivets come in a variety of sizes, so it’s important to know which ones your particular hand riveter is compatible with. Most are compatible with all standard size blind rivets, but you’ll need to check the manufacturer’s specifications for exact compatibility.

There are a few different types of hand riveters, including the basic hand-operated gun and a pneumatic version. While both are effective, the pneumatic type offers faster operation and greater convenience.

First, there are the plier-type riveters that have a jaw mechanism that retracts the rivet mandrel via a pair of handles like those of a pair of pliers. The handle arrangement is then squeezed closed several times to pull the jaws down the mandrel and set the rivet.

Another type of manual riveter is the lever riveter, which resembles a pair of long tongs. The tongs open and close to grip the rivet mandrel, and they only require a single cycle to set it.

The third and arguably most popular type of manually activated riveter is the lazy-tong hand riveter, which consists of a trellis-style lever system that opens the jaws to position the rivet mandrel and then closes again to grip and retract it. Due to its wider range of leverage, this tool is capable of setting larger diameter steel rivets than the plier-type tools.