Absolutely forget the automotive air hammers, been there, tried that, don't work. The Chicago Pneumatic rivet gun design patents have long ago expired and now the design is being cloned by several companies. The tool repair guys at work have seen them all, and say that a genuine CP rivet gun still is better quality than one made by Brown or one of the other companies. (not to say they are bad, just under the heavy use they get at work, the CP is the best)
Do a search on Ebay for
pneumatic rivet gun and among the hundreds of air over hydraulic rivet pullers you will find several rivet guns, 2x and 3x, Chicago Pneumatic, American Pneumatic, Cleco, and Souix. All good guns. You will also find sets with guns, bucking bars, and rivet sets and other stuff. Watch these for a while and you will get an idea of price, and demand.
For new stuff (and used) I suggest,
http://www.aircraft-tool.com/http://www.ustool.com/http://www.browntool.com/http://www.planetools.com/OurManufacturers.htmhttp://www.yardstore.com/(these folks truck came around about a month ago, on an east coast tour, they have alot of used stuff)
Get a 2x and a 3x rivet gun. Forget a 4x, you won't need it, but the 3x is difficult to use on thinner stuff, thats why you need the 2x. (I have a Cleco brand 2x that was new when I got it but about 40 years or more old though. I really like it and they are good feeling guns, a little less bulky than the CP.
Get a set of ten bucking bars, then add to it. Buy all the rivet sets you can, long, short, offset, etc.
We have a local used tool dealer. Now in the third generation of the family. The Grandfather was a Delta DC-3 captain that finished up on 747's. he bought from Douglas, Boeing and Lockheed and others. The Grandson still has a truck and I buy lots from him yet, mostly odd large wrenches I need. He has used rivet sets of all kinds. Clinton Tool. No web site but I think he will be at Sun-N-Fun. I'll ask next week if I can catch him.
Buy lots of spring clecos and if you are going to work heavy structure, also some screw clecos. Get several different brand of cleco pliers to see which one you like best, you end up leaving them laying all around the work area, so you need several.
Also get the nicest, lightest, smoothest, palm drill you can afford. Sioux makes a nice one, so does Ingersoll Rand and Dotco (the absolute best trigger of all)
Get drill bits of the necessary sizes, 30 and 40 mostly (but also 21 and 13), with 32 and 42 for drilling out rivets. I've never used them but there are a couple of real nice tools out there for drilling out rivets, to keep you centered. Probably worth it. Also get LONG drill bits, 12 inch ones. These are invaluable, and you will know you need them when you don't have them and long about 11 pm on a Saturday nite..... You get the pic.
Teach your wife how to drive and buck rivets, (word of caution, always put the least skilled (aka "idiot") on the gun, and not the bucking bar end.
Charles
