My metalwork purchases include several ways to create a threaded attachment. The HARDELL tool represents the rivet-nut method, alongside the slot nuts and bolts documented in my roof-extrusion work.
The drilled connectors and fasteners joining my added extrusion to the roof rack.
The item in my kit
I bought HARDELL Rivet Nut Tool as part of my camper van equipment.
My metalwork purchases include several ways to create a threaded attachment. The HARDELL tool represents the rivet-nut method, alongside the slot nuts and bolts documented in my roof-extrusion work.
Where it fits my build
For the light bar, I cut an added extrusion beam and made three short drilled connectors. The rack side used quarter-twenty hardware, while the smaller 2020 extrusion used M5 hardware.
The different nuts changed the assembly sequence. A rack nut had to slide in through an opening, which meant undoing bolts I had already tightened; the smaller nuts could move and spin while I tried to start a bolt. I used an Allen key to reposition them.
The profiles and joint hardware during my roof-mount assembly.
My build notes
The cutting and drilling made the components, but positioning the small hardware took its own time. I recorded the difference between inserting the rack nuts and fishing the smaller nuts into place because it affected how the joint went together.
The profile, connector shape, bolt and slot nut all contributed to the assembly sequence.
Alternative products
Two alternatives to compare
Both alternatives are hand-operated rivet-nut kits. Handle length, mandrel selection and the included storage layout distinguish the kits rather than establishing that their parts are interchangeable.
WETOLS Rivet-Nut Setting Tool
This hand tool uses long handles and interchangeable threaded mandrels to set rivet nuts. Its carrying case groups the tool with mandrels and an insert assortment.
