It's probably not all that long until I need to do the C+S, and I've also got a friend who needs their doing. For yonks, I've been eyeing up a Whale chain rivet tool as I'm sure it's one of those I was lent last time I did them, and it may even be that same chain on the bike now, for all I remember!

One question I have to anyone who rivets their own chains is whether or not there's any point in getting the one that also breaks the soft link? As best I can tell, it's simply a thin punch that goes into the anvil to hammer the rivet out, and when I got hold of a copy of some instructions for a similar tool it recommended you grind the ends of before punching them through anyway. To me, that sounds like for the sake of the significant extra cost, I'd be better off begging or borrowing a grinder and a normal punch. It must be how I did the last one, but it was so long ago I can't remember! Am I right in thinking it's pretty much a waste of the significant extra asking price? Demon Tweeks have the rivet version at roughly £85 posted, while the cheapest one the claims to break as well is £130!

£85 one is fine - use a grinder or dremel to remove the old chain, and the whale hammer to fit the new hard link.
job jobbed,

Its one of the best tools i have ever bought, proper peace of mind knowing your chain is done right, no more pissing split links or dubious hollow copper soft links, these do the job and make a hard link just like an endless chain.

Echo the above.
I bought one on CRM's advice and it's tippy-toppy.

CRM wrote:£85 one is fine - use a grinder or dremel to remove the old chain, and the whale hammer to fit the new hard link.
job jobbed,

Its one of the best tools i have ever bought, proper peace of mind knowing your chain is done right, no more pissing split links or dubious hollow copper soft links, these do the job and make a hard link just like an endless chain.

Paul,
Where do you buy hard links, the chains I buy come with soft links.
I could even only buy a soft link for the RC30 RK GB525RO race chain [endless]

I have the 2, both the Whale chain revetter and splitter, it will knock an original link pin straight out.

I didn't realise there were soft and hard options, thought it was just the soft ones myself! I've found a post on another forum where someone said the Whale tool wasn't suitable for hollow soft rivets that needed peening over, only solid ones. I'm absolutely certain that the one I did years ago had hollow soft rivets, and the pin in the tool had a v shaped end to shape the rivets. It certainly did the job. Has the tool changed over the years? Also, if it is only suitable for hard rivets, where would I find the appropriate link for a DID chain as they only seem to offer the soft option? TBH, the idea of using a different manufacturer's rivet link in another chain sounds at best very iffy!

https://www.bctmotorcycles.co.uk/catalo ... nC6p6Ih41h

2nd item from the bottom. I've used it to break and make 530 pitch chains with no issues (just pushes the existing rivet through with no grinding required).

Gavin

Having looked at pics of the replacement pins, it seems there's a slight taper on the end on the rivet pin.



I'm sure that the Whale style tool I was lent needed the pin rotating to make sure the rivet was peened over all the way around as I distinctly remember being advised to rotate it several times while knocking the ends over.

Has anyone here used a Whale tool with the above in on a hollow rivet link chain? There are several different codes of rivet available for DID chains, however I'm pretty sure all are hollow ones. I'm not bothered by that as that's what I've always had, and the single issue I've had with one was many years ago due a lack of basic maintenance on my part (must do the chain, must do the chain, must do the - oh bugger, there's no drive, the chain guard is in three bits, and there's and a hole in the silencer... muppet). I just don't want to fork out £85 on something that might turn out to be useless!

thats the correct one, the one from tweeks is deffo the right part
this is slightly shaped on the end, so one big smack, rotate it 90 degrees and another big smack results in the perfect peen and identical to the factory chain links

That's fine, I was just slightly worried when you mentioned hard rivets and wondered if they were possibly shaped in a manner that might require a different pin to the soft ones.....

I still can't find a supply of hard rivets.