A rivet snap (see below) is clamped into the jaws of a vice and a rivet is placed into the snap. The aligned holes in the material being joined are then placed over the rivet.
What is a rivet snap?
A rivet snap is a tool that is used to form the head on the tail (initially the non-headed end) of a rivet. At one end of the snap there is a hole and an internal dome (concave) shape, while at the other end is a flat surface for striking with the hammer.
Making the second rivet head
The tail of the rivet (currently the headless end) is deformed with a hammer so that the original head and the new head hold the material on either side. The deformation of the tail also shortens the rivet slightly, which tightens it up on the materials. A second rivet snap is used to shape the new rivet head into a dome – for more details see How to install solid rivets?
If you are using a hydraulic or electric riveter, it will automatically deform the pin end by pushing the head of the rivet against the snap at great force.
