Holding History Together: The Fascinating Legacy & Design Of Rivets
Throughout history, some inventions have quietly revolutionised the way the world works. Without doubt, rivets fall into that category. Everyone knows how the wheel, electricity, the printing press or even the internet changed the world, but it’s unsung heroes like rivets that are just as much a part of driving progress. Yet, how much do you really know about the history of rivets and the legacy of their design?
For example, did you know that rivets have been in existence for more than 5,000 years? Or that Vikings used rivets to attach the planks of their long boats? In order to help you appreciate the small metal fixing you might be using in your production line, we’ve created this guide to the history of rivets. And where better to start than at the beginning?
The Very First Rivets
Rivets were first designed and used in ancient Egypt more than 5,000 years ago, as a development of the nail. They were primarily designed to fix handles to clay pots and other tools. Archeologists have also discovered Bronze Age swords and daggers where rivets were used by early metalworkers to hold blades in place. They would hammer nails into pre-drilled holes and deform the reverse side to fix the blades in place, in much the same way a modern rivet works.
The Romans Spread The Word
As with so much technology of the time, it was the all-conquering Romans who spread the word. They adopted rivet technology from their Egyptian forebears and used them heavily in construction. This opened up the use of rivets to peoples all across their vast empire.
The Age Of Exploration
From the seventh century onwards, Viking explorers set out to discover the world. This age of exploration was powered by their mighty wooden longboats which were largely held together by rivets.
The Industrial Age Dawns
It wasn’t until the Industrial Revolution of the late 1700s and early 1800s that rivets made their next significant leap. They progressed from the bent or dual-headed nails of old to more modern factory-made rivets, fastened with a manual hammer during the 18th century, and later with a pneumatic hammer during the 19th century.
Advances in metal technology saw the dawn of the modern era of rivets, and it soon became the primary method for fabricating metal tools, buildings and vehicles. It was also an essential part of boiler making, which was behind the steam power that ushered in the age of the railways, the world’s first rapid mass transport system.
Peak Riveting
By the mid-19th century, rivets were largely made from wrought iron, steel and aluminium, and their use had progressed to modern ship building and use in some of the world’s most iconic structures. When it opened in 1887, the Eiffel Tower was the tallest building in the world and formed using more than 18,000 rivets. It was soon surpassed by a new breed of ‘skyscrapers’ in the US, many of which used riveted steel structures.
The 1930s brought a decline in the use of rivets due to the invention of other joining techniques such as electrical arc welding. However, rivets still remain an essential application across a range of industries, such as aeronautical engineering, computing and more. It’s why we’re still obsessed with these incredible little fixings today.
Rivetwise: Crafting history with every rivet. Get in touch with the team today!
