Rivet Busters: The Right Tool When a Breaker Will Not Fit and a Chipping Hammer Will Not Cut It

Rivet busters are the least understood tool in most demolition inventories. They are not a big chipping hammer and not a small breaker - they occupy a distinct place, and crews that understand it use them constantly.

Where the name comes from

Rivet busters were developed to remove hot-driven structural rivets from steel bridges, buildings and ships - shearing the head off a rivet cleanly without damaging the surrounding steel. That work still exists in bridge and structural rehabilitation, but it is now a minority of what these tools do.

What they are actually used for now

Horizontal and overhead concrete

This is the big one. A pavement breaker is designed to be driven downward under its own weight. Turn it sideways or overhead and the operator is carrying all of it. A rivet buster is built to be worked at any angle, which makes it the right tool for walls, columns, ceilings, and the underside of decks.

Controlled removal

When you need to remove concrete from around rebar without cutting the rebar, or take a section out of a wall without cracking the rest, a rivet buster gives you far more control than a breaker.

Confined spaces

Trenches, vaults, elevator pits, tank interiors. Shorter and more maneuverable than a breaker, harder-hitting than a chipping hammer.

Steel work

The original job. Removing rivets, cutting bolt heads, and shearing plate in rehabilitation work.

Sizing

We build the KT-RB5 in the 20 lb class, and the KT-RB6, KT-RB8 and KT-RB11 as the larger tools.

KT-RB5 (20 lb class) - the choice for extended overhead work, tight spaces, and jobs where control matters most. The lightest tool an operator can hold steady above their head all day is often the most productive one.

KT-RB6 / RB8 / RB11 - progressively more energy per blow for heavier concrete and structural steel. The 11 is a serious tool; make sure your air supply can feed it before you buy it.

As with breakers, size to the work rather than buying the biggest. Overhead work in particular punishes an over-sized tool.

Steel selection

Rivet busters take specific steel, and the working end changes the tool completely.

• Rivet cutter - the original, for shearing rivet and bolt heads.
• Moil point - concrete penetration and general breaking.
• Chisel - line cutting and surface removal.
• Spade - wider removal on softer material.

Keep sharp steel in rotation. A dull rivet cutter does not cut; it hammers, which is hard on the tool and slow for the operator.

Working overhead safely

Overhead demolition is where injuries happen. Support the tool properly and do not fight it. Plan where the material falls before you start. Full face protection - overhead chipping puts debris directly above the operator. And rotate operators: overhead work is far more fatiguing than horizontal work, and fatigue is where mistakes come from.

What we stock

We build rivet busters in Kent, Ohio and stock parts for the full range. Browse rivet busters, and if you are not sure whether a rivet buster or a breaker suits the job, call us and describe it.