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Pneumatic squeezer lost its mojo

togaflyer

Well Known Member
I have been using my friend's squeezer without a hitch. Used it a few weeks ago and it worked fine. Used it yesterday and it cannot squeeze a 4- rivet. It appears to be functioning, air pressure is good, and we checked all the basics, but when you try to set a rivet, still no mojo. Anyone ever have an issue like this.
 
The pneumatic squeezer has most of its mojo at the very end of the stroke. If you set the dies too close for the rivet length and the squeezer can't reach the end of the stroke it will seem to have run out of gas.

Try backing off on the dies until they barely squeeze the rivet at all and then gradually increase the stroke until you get a proper set.

This one got me for a while too!
 
What the others have said, I imagine, is likely the case. It is counter intuitive, but whenever it happens, opening the dies fixes it right up. However, if you search, there was a recent thread where a gentleman had to have the squeezer 'rebuilt' (seals replaced). Depending on the age of the equipment, and if opening the dies doesn't help, this may be one course to a fix.
 
What the others have said, I imagine, is likely the case. It is counter intuitive, but whenever it happens, opening the dies fixes it right up. However, if you search, there was a recent thread where a gentleman had to have the squeezer 'rebuilt' (seals replaced). Depending on the age of the equipment, and if opening the dies doesn't help, this may be one course to a fix.

Bob Avery at Avery Tools rebuilt one for me for a very reasonable cost. If it needs work, I'd definitely call Bob.
 
Another possibility that happened to me is that it fell to the floor and I didn't notice that the trigger got bent so that the little flap that presses the air button wasn't all the way down with the trigger fully depressed. You can adjust the flap with a set screw, or in my case bend the trigger back to where it needed to be. A quick tweek with some needle nosed fixed it right up.
 
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