Riveting at the Thames Ironworks.

Repro ID: H2652

Description: Riveting was usually carried out by a rivet squad comprising four or five men. These were a left- and right- handed riveter to hit the red hot rivet with a hammer, a 'holder on' who held the rivet in place while it was riveted, and a 'heater boy' whose job it was to heat the rivet to the appropriate temperature. Although hand riveting took place at the Thames Ironworks right up until its closure in 1912, by the 1900s much of the riveting would have been completed using pneumatic hand tools and larger hydraulic machines.

Creator: Unknown

Date: 1899

Credit line: Newham Archives and Local Studies Library collection.