Boscastle Locomotive Ltd

16th February

The view on the right shows the new buffer plank being riveted into place.
The plate is first fastened very tightly with numerous bolts to align it accurately and hold it fast during the riveting process.
 A white hot rivet is then inserted and squashed into the hole with pneumatic hammers. One hammer holds the rivet in place against a pre-formed head, the second hammer forces the shank of the rivet tightly into the hole and forms a second head.
As more rivets are put in, the bolts are gradually removed and replaced by rivets.

The view on the left shows the completed bufferbeam with all of the rivets in place.
A variety of different head shapes can be created as required by using different forming tools (snaps) in the hammer.
These rivets have a domed head on the rear of the bufferbeam, while the outer heads are pushed with a flat tool into a countersunk hole as per the original.
All that remains to be done is for the heads to be ground smooth and flush with the plate.