AR Triangular Hand Guard Question

[silver star]

I am building a Mid-Length upper and I'm in the process of cutting hand guard to fit.
The little spacer like looking rivets holding the heat shield to the hand guard is where my question is.
Can someone tell me how the rivet is attached.
It would be nice if it is a thread like brad.
Not having luck getting anything yet to grab and see if it will turn.
Would help if I knew exactly what I'm dealing with so I would feel better about my plan of attack.
Drilling and putting a screw in place is doable but again would like to know first.
Thanks,
Michael

 

[drmitchgibson]

I would bet it's just a rivet in a blind hole cast into the handguard. Or the heat shield had rivets first and the handguard was cast over them. Are they loose? Can you drill a witness hole next to one and take a peek? How much does it cost to find out?

 

[dennishoddy]

Carried one of them on duty for many years, but never had to look at the option of removing one of the rivets. The base armorer took care of that.

 

[silver star]

Carried one of them on duty for many years, but never had to look at the option of removing one of the rivets. The base armorer took care of that.

What is his phone number?
Just kidding, thanks Dennis.

 

[silver star]

I would bet it's just a rivet in a blind hole cast into the handguard. Or the heat shield had rivets first and the handguard was cast over them. Are they loose? Can you drill a witness hole next to one and take a peek? How much does it cost to find out?

The rivet is steel as it is magnetic.
I am guessing at how this would have been built.
To me, It does not seem plausible the steel pin being cast in the plastic, then heat shield, then hit with, I forget the name of the tool, but hit in order to mushroom the head.
But this is 50 year old technology and I could see the pin having an expanded base, cast with plastic and then the above.
Pushing a hot threaded brad in sounds good until I realize that most likely would come loose with expansion from heat and contraction cooling off.
Cost? Won't cost much to find out...but cheaper to ask here.

 

[Matt1911]

Jdub on ar15.com has done a lot of these from what I hear. I'm not a member over there, but if you are you may pm him to ask.

 

[Matt1911]

If you are making your cut where one of the rivets are, you could just use that piece to experiment.

 

[silver star]

If you are making your cut where one of the rivets are, you could just use that piece to experiment.

Yup, that is where I am at.

 

[silver star]

Now We Know.

 

[silver star]

Okay, I need to see what this is suppose to look like.
I have only read what to do.
Over to ar15 for a look see.
I might as well post along the way.
At least no one has not come along and said, "Who Gives a Damn".
The green dust from the black plastic when using the drimel worries me, thus the mask.

 

[Matt1911]

I'm into it. I've always thought a midlength triangle handguard would be the shiznit, just never had the cajones to go for it.

 

[silver star]

I'm into it. I've always thought a midlength triangle handguard would be the shiznit, just never had the cajones to go for it.

I'm not Cajun but when I'm done we should sit with some beer & mud bugs "craw dads" and look this thing over.

 

[Matt1911]

I've never had the mud bugs, but I'll give it a go after a couple beers are flowin.

 

[silver star]

Found some helpful pictures but not much on process.
So I had fun fitting pieces, drilled holes, belled holes, taped outside so JB weld would not get everywhere, poked holes to avoid air pocket, and we will see in the morning.