A rivet is a fastener, consisting of a body and a mandrel, used to attach thin pieces of material to thin pieces of metal. A rivet works by drilling a same-sized hole through both materials which coincide with the thickness of the rivet. The mandrel part of the rivet is then placed into the nose-piece of a rivet gun, where after the body part is placed through the holes in the workpiece. he handles of the rivet gun are then squeezed multiple times until the mandrel breaks off, leaving the body part securing the workpiece together.