Remember trying to line up those old rivet holes on a 1940s boiler?

I was working on a restoration job in Pittsburgh and the original plates were off by maybe an eighth of an inch. Spent a whole afternoon with a drift pin and a hammer, thinking I could just persuade them. Ended up having to drill out every single one and sleeve them with new bushings. What should have been a morning job turned into a two-day headache. Anyone have a better trick for that kind of alignment issue?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_ruby1mo ago

Oof, that sounds brutal. Did you try heating one plate first to see if the expansion got you close?

paulschmidt1mo ago

Did I try heating it? I just made it angry.

hart.cora1mo ago

Heard that can work if you get the temperature just right.