Removing a rivet

[tonkski]

I have a roof ladder which has bearer brackets every few rungs, which stand it off the roof a few inches. I need to move one of these brackets. I'd like to make sure I remove the bracket without destroying it or the ladder. The bracket is secured to the ladder with what I assume is some kind of rivet (there's nothing sticking out of the opposite side of the ladder). Here's a photo: imgur.com/a/FuAVreC

What kind of rivet is this, and how do I best remove it please? I have a drill and an angle grinder. Ta.

[newshound]

Doesn't really look like a normal pop-rivet, although that is what I expected it to be. Is the head aluminium? Easily checked, it will scratch easily with (say) a Stanley Knife. Or a file.

The normal way to remove pop rivets is to drill them using a sharp drill bit in a cordless drill (for best control). You need a drill a little bit larger than the hole that the rivet goes through (I realise that you do not know this dimension). It is possibly some sort of blind rivet (i.e. there is some sort of plug in the centre of what is otherwise a tubular structure). These are sometimes steel and will make the drill bounce around a bit.

But given the thickness of the bracket, I would have said that a little bit of damage to the outer surface of the bracket does not matter.

If they don't drill out easily then I would either file the heads off by hand (if they are aluminium) or grind them off with an angle grinder (if they are steel). Once the heads are gone, I'd expect you to be able to wrench the bracket off. It may be a bit tight, because of expansion of the rivet. It will probably be easiest if you punch the remains of the rivet back into the hollow part of the ladder using a suitable punch or drift. Done carefully, it should not affect the strength of the ladder at all.

[Harry Bloomfield]

tonkski used his keyboard to write :

Its an heavy duty pop rivet. Either use a drill bit, but have pliers to hand to grip the rivet when it begins to spin under the drill, or you could grind the head off with the angle grinder.

[tonkski]

Thanks both. That makes sense. The rivet head doesn't scratch easily, so probably not alu.

I didn't mention that I have one of those high speed reciprocating saws, which might do the job.

[newshound]

Do you mean a sabre saw, or a multitool? The former is almost the last tool I would use, they are not very controllable.

If the rivet head does not scratch easily I would probably use an angle grinder with a dished (grinding) disk.