Vintage Ludwig Stand Rivets

[rhythm44]

I was wondering if anyone has any insight as to how to re-rivet my wobbly Ludwig snare, hi-hat, and cymbal stands. They’re the 1400 and 1123 style from the sixties.

[kdg]

I have no experience in this, but I would take it to a good machine shop and get their advice.

[idrum4fun]

Originally Posted by kdg

I have no experience in this, but I would take it to a good machine shop and get their advice.

I would agree with this! The biggest issue is flaring new rivets. You need a proper tool to be able to flare solid rivets, which I think is the style on these stands.

-Mark

[frantic freddie]

You don't need new rivets, all you need is a solidly mounted vise with a flat surface & a ball peen hammer. Put the flat side down on the vise & whack the rivet a few times until it's tight again. I've done this a lot, works every time.

[idrum4fun]

Originally Posted by frantic freddie

You don't need new rivets, all you need is a solidly mounted vise with a flat surface & a ball peen hammer. Put the flat side down on the vise & whack the rivet a few times until it's tight again. I've done this a lot, works every time.

Very true! If the original rivets are just a bit loose, this will certainly work...and something I would certainly try myself.

-Mark

[DownTownFarmer]

Originally Posted by frantic freddie

You don't need new rivets, all you need is a solidly mounted vise with a flat surface & a ball peen hammer. Put the flat side down on the vise & whack the rivet a few times until it's tight again. I've done this a lot, works every time.

This was my first thought but I've never actually done it. Definitely seems like the way to go...

[vyacheslav]

In the past I've used small screws with stop/lock nuts (the ones with the nylon insert) with nylon washers/bushings in between to avoid metal to metal contact (after drilling out the original rivets, of course).

The stop nuts get tight enough to "grab" so they won't come loose, but still stay loose enough to allow the legs/supports to move and pivot freely.

Obviously it doesn't keep things original (neither do new rivets) but it's cheap and a far , far less pain in the rear process than using rivets, and it works 100% fine.

[rhythm44]

Thank you all for your responses. Since I WOULD like to maintain the originality in the the hardware I think I’ll try Frantic Freddie’s remedy with one caveat;I think I’ll try and find an original rivet spreader tool in order to re-press/tighten them.
Again, thanks for all your insights. This was my first time posting on this sight at idrumrfun’s suggestion and I’m very pleased with the response!