How to Replace a Rivet in Your Plate Armor

A loose or missing rivet can turn a minor armour repair into a serious equipment problem. On a breastplate, shoulder lame, elbow cop, or knee cop, a failed fastener may allow plates to shift, catch on an opponent, or expose a gap during movement. Replacing it correctly restores the articulation and helps preserve the armour’s protective function.

For fighters in Australia, this repair is a useful part of regular kit maintenance. Armour may travel from a Melbourne training hall to a tournament in Brisbane, spend hours in a hot vehicle, or be stored in humid coastal conditions near Sydney or Perth. A sound repair routine, suitable tools, and careful inspection are essential for anyone preparing historical plate armour for controlled combat.

Identify The Failed Fastener

Begin by examining the whole assembly rather than immediately drilling out the damaged rivet. Check whether the rivet head has sheared off, pulled through the plate, loosened in its hole, or corroded around the edge. Move the armour slowly through its full range of motion and watch how the lames overlap. A rivet that appears loose may be responding to a bent plate, a stretched leather strap, or a distorted washer.

Look for bright metal around the hole, elongated holes, cracks, sharp burrs, and contact marks from neighbouring plates. These signs show how the fastener failed and whether the surrounding material also needs attention. If the hole is badly enlarged or the plate is cracked, a simple rivet replacement may not be enough. A qualified armourer should assess the section before it returns to training or competition.

The position of the rivet matters. A visible decorative rivet on a breastplate has different demands from a pivot rivet at the elbow or a sliding rivet in a shoulder lame. Articulating joints need controlled movement, while structural points need strong clamping without restricting the plates. Record the original rivet diameter, head shape, washer arrangement, and spacing before taking anything apart.

Prepare A Safe Work Area

Use a stable bench with a firm surface and enough room to support the armour. A padded cradle, folded towel, or leather-covered block can prevent polished steel from being scratched while you work. Keep the area well lit, especially when inspecting small holes and the underside of plates. Eye protection is essential when cutting, punching, or drilling a rivet.

Gather a small hammer, ball-peen hammer, centre punch, pin punch, drill or hand reamer, files, calipers, pliers, a rivet set, and suitable replacement rivets. A hollow punch is useful when a leather washer or strap is involved. Metric measuring tools are the practical choice in Australia, where most hardware and workshop supplies are sold in millimetres. A small anvil or rounded stake gives much better control than a random piece of scrap steel.

Remove padding, suspension straps, and loose accessories that could be damaged by heat or impact. If the armour is coated, painted, blued, or highly polished, mask the surrounding surface with fabric or low-tack tape. Work away from fuel, solvents, and clutter. A rivet may be small, but an uncontrolled hammer blow can produce a sharp fragment or damage a historically valuable plate.

Remove The Old Rivet

If the rivet head is still intact, support the plate firmly and use a centre punch to make a small depression in the centre of the head. Drill slowly with a bit slightly smaller than the rivet shank. The aim is to remove the head without enlarging the armour hole. Stop as soon as the head separates, then drive the remaining shank out with a pin punch.

For a loose rivet with a raised head, carefully filing two flats on opposite sides can help pliers grip it. Avoid twisting aggressively, because that can stretch a thin plate or deform a pivot hole. If the head is badly mushroomed, drilling is usually more controlled than repeated hammering. Use cutting fluid on thicker steel, but wipe all residue away before reassembling the armour.

When a rivet joins several lames, keep the plates in their original order and orientation. Place them on a clean cloth and mark the outside face discreetly with removable tape. Some historical armour has subtle differences in curvature that are easy to reverse. Photographing the joint before dismantling is also worthwhile, particularly when several washers, leather strips, or internal spacers are present.

Check And Repair The Hole

Once the old rivet is out, inspect the hole from both sides. Remove burrs with a fine file or deburring tool, taking only enough material to leave a clean edge. Do not automatically drill the hole larger. Enlarging it reduces the bearing area around the rivet and may create excess movement in a joint that depends on precise alignment.

Place the plates together in their working position and pass a temporary pin through the hole. Open and close the articulation slowly. The pin should remain reasonably centred while the plates move without binding. If the hole is slightly oval, a new rivet may loosen again. A washer on the hidden side can distribute the load, but it cannot fully correct severe elongation.

A stretched hole may require a repair washer, a fitted bush, or a carefully made patch on the reverse of the plate. This is especially important in thin lames, where repeated impacts can enlarge a hole quickly. Any reinforcement should preserve the intended movement and avoid creating a hard edge that can catch an opponent’s weapon or damage adjacent armour.

Select The Replacement Rivet

Choose the replacement according to the joint’s function, plate thickness, and original construction. Solid mild-steel rivets are common for robust combat armour, while stainless steel may be used in some modern builds where corrosion resistance is valued. The rivet should be long enough to pass through every layer and leave approximately one to one-and-a-half shank diameters available for forming the new head.

The head style should suit the armour. A low-profile round head is often appropriate for exposed areas, while a countersunk or flush arrangement may be used where plates slide closely together. Do not substitute a pop rivet, roofing rivet, or soft decorative tack for a structural fastener. These products have different strength and failure characteristics and may create a safety or rules issue.

Rivet diameter must match the existing hole rather than being selected by appearance alone. Measure the hole with calipers and compare it with the undamaged fasteners nearby. If you are repairing a shoulder or elbow lame, check that the replacement head will not restrict the neighbouring plate. A rivet that is technically secure but too large can change the way the entire harness moves.

In Australia, replacement rivets and armour hardware may come from specialist historical suppliers, knife-making shops, engineering merchants, or local metalworking businesses. Stock varies, so allow time for ordering before a major event. Avoid relying on a last-minute hardware-store substitute from a general retailer unless its dimensions and material are genuinely suitable for the repair.

Set The New Rivet

Dry-fit the plates with the replacement rivet before setting it. Add any original washer, leather spacer, or internal strap, then confirm that the joint is aligned. If the rivet is too long, trim it carefully with a jeweller’s saw or cut-off tool and file the end flat. Keep the final protrusion consistent all around; an uneven shank produces an off-centre head and weak clamping.

Support the visible head on a suitable rivet set or shallow depression in an anvil. With the armour held securely, use light blows on the protruding end, working around the circumference rather than striking one point repeatedly. The metal should spread gradually into a neat mushroom or button. A ball-peen hammer is useful for finishing, but control matters more than force.

Test the joint after a few blows instead of waiting until the rivet is fully tight. Articulating armour needs enough tension to hold the lames together without crushing their sliding surfaces. If the plates bind, stop and correct the alignment before continuing. For a fixed joint, firm clamping is acceptable, but the plates should still sit naturally without distortion.

The finished head should be smooth, centred, and free from sharp edges. Dress it with a file or abrasive paper if needed, taking care not to thin it excessively. Lightly polish the repaired area and apply the same protective finish used elsewhere on the harness. Wipe away metal dust and oil before the armour is worn.

Test Movement And Competition Readiness

Carry out a complete functional inspection after the rivet is set. Flex every nearby joint, raise the arms, crouch, walk, and make the controlled motions used in training. Listen for scraping, popping, or clicking that was not present before the repair. Confirm that the lames overlap correctly at full extension and do not expose an unexpected gap.

Inspect the inside as well as the outside. The new rivet must not project far enough to cut a gambeson, snag a glove, or press painfully against the body. Check nearby leather straps and washers for damage caused during removal. Armour should be worn with the intended padding because the final fit can change significantly once a gambeson and protective layers are added.

For fighters competing under international medieval combat rules, equipment inspection is part of responsible preparation. The IMCF scoring guidance can help explain how competition standards and judging practices affect the broader way fighters prepare their kit, although a scoring document does not replace an equipment inspection or armourer’s assessment.

Perform a second inspection after the first training session. Rivets can settle as the plates flex, particularly when a new washer or replacement leather has compressed. Mark the repair in a maintenance log with the date, location, rivet size, and any follow-up observations. This makes recurring failures easier to identify before they become a tournament-day problem.

Prevent Repeat Rivet Failure

Regular maintenance prevents many rivet problems. After training, remove sweat and moisture with a clean cloth and dry the armour thoroughly before storage. Australian conditions vary widely: coastal salt air can accelerate corrosion, while summer heat inside a vehicle can dry and shrink leather components. Store plate armour in a dry, ventilated place rather than leaving it sealed while damp.

Inspect high-movement areas after every session, especially shoulders, elbows, knees, faulds, and skirt lames. Check for looseness by gently moving each plate and comparing the joint with the opposite side. A rivet that starts to wobble is easier to replace than one that has already enlarged the hole. Keep a few correctly sized spare rivets, washers, and leather components with the repair kit used for travel.

Avoid using excessive oil on surfaces that contact leather or padding, as it can soften materials and attract grit. A light corrosion-inhibiting treatment on clean steel is generally sufficient, followed by careful wiping. Armour that is polished or coated should be maintained according to its finish rather than treated like unfinished workshop steel.

Before travelling to an event, inspect every fastener and test the full harness while wearing the same protective kit used in combat. National associations, clubs, and event organisers may apply specific equipment requirements, so consult the IMCF federation for current rules, safety information, and competition guidance. A neat repair is valuable only when it remains safe, secure, and compliant in actual use.

Keep replacement materials, tools, and photographs of important assemblies in your armour case, and record each repair as part of your training routine. If a hole is cracked, badly stretched, or positioned in a load-bearing joint, stop using the affected armour and take it to an experienced armourer. Make the repair before your next bout, inspect it under full movement, and return to the field with equipment you have tested rather than merely patched.