Definition
A small solid rivet with a flat or flush head and a soft iron or mild steel shank, used to join thin sheet metal in non-structural applications. Tinner's rivets are not aircraft-grade fasteners and are not approved for use on certificated aircraft structures.
Plain English
A simple, soft metal rivet originally used by tinsmiths to fasten thin sheets of tin or steel together. It is a basic shop rivet, not a rivet you would find holding an aircraft together.
Context Anchor
Seen in aircraft maintenance and sheet-metal repair discussions, especially when comparing light sheet-metal fasteners with structural aircraft rivets.
Derivation
From 'tinner,' an old term for a tinsmith — a tradesman who worked with tin and thin sheet metal. The rivet takes its name from the trade that originally used it.
Why Pilots Care
Knowing this term helps a pilot or mechanic recognize that not every rivet is suitable for aircraft use. Substituting a tinner's rivet for an approved aircraft rivet would be unairworthy and unsafe.
Intuition Check
Do not assume every rivet is suitable for aircraft structure. A tinner's rivet is for light sheet-metal fastening, not for carrying major flight loads.
Example Sentence 1
The mechanic noted that the previous owner had repaired the cowling with tinner's rivets and flagged the repair as unairworthy.
Example Sentence 2
Tinner's rivets work well on thin fuselage sheets because they set with minimal force.