How to Use the Fischertechnik Rivet Holder (the Riegelschlussel)!

This instructable describes how to use the fischertechnik Rivet Holder!

I play with different educational manipulatives for a living. (Visit www.weirdrichard.com and www.edventures.com). Over the past two years, I have constructed many fischertechnik models that require rivets. Many many rivets!

The fischertechnik rivets I use the most are the Single Rivet 4 (S-Riegel 4, #36323) and the Single Rivet 6 (S-Riegel 6 #36324). The Single River 4 is twelve mm in length (the pinning barrel is four mm long), and is used to pin two elements together. The Single Rivet 6 is sixteen mm in length (the pinning barrel is six mm long), and can be used to pin three elements together.

The Rivet Holder (Riegelschlussel #35799) is by and large the most useful tool. You can use the Rivet Holder to insert and twist connecting rivets. The Rivet Holder speeds up the building process, allows rivets to be inserted into tight places where it is difficult to use fingers, and can be used to move rivets along building block grooves.

Rivet Holders are available in certain kits available from a fischertechnik retailer, and can be purchased as a spare part from www.fischertechnik.com. They also come up for sale on ebay.

The Rivet Holder is easy to use! Insert the the head of a rivet into the slot of the Rivet Holder.

Insert the end of the rivet into first construction element. You may have to twist the Rivet Holder in
order to get the barrel of the rivet into a second construction element. Twist a final time to fix the two elements in place.

When the rivet is in place, pull the Rivet Holder away!

Another application of the Rivet Holder is sliding rivets into the slots of building blocks. This is difficult to perform by hand, and the Rivet Holder makes the task much easier.

Rivets can be used with most fischertechnik parts! If you are building with fischertechnik, I recommend using the Rivet Holder! It makes the job easier.