“The Rivet Cooker” by Robert Olley. South Shields Museum, England

“I was fascinated by the trade of riveting and riveters. Crews were made up of five men: the rivet “cooker” who was often the youngest of the squad, a catcher, a holder and two riveters, one left handed and the other right handed; the latter was usually the senior and paid more than the left hander.

“The rivets were cooked on a moveable forge until they were white hot then plucked from the coals and thrown to the catcher, sometimes metres away, who caught it in a leather or wooden bucket. He would give it to the holder who would place it in the specified hole in the ship’s plate and hold it in place while the two riveters on the outside of the hull plates proceeded to hammer the rivet into a domed shape over the hole. On cooling the rivet contracted, tightening the joint.

“The whole process taking less than five minutes. The Titanic had 3,000,000 rivets holding her together. Later, when pneumatic riveting guns superseded hand riveting, Clydeside riveter “Big” Tom Horn is said to have had the record of 6,075 rivets in eight hours. The din from the many riveting crews was deafening in a time when health and safety was almost non-existent.”

Robert Olley

Object description
Type: Easel painting
Location: South Shields Museum & Art Gallery, Tyne & Wear
Material: Oil on board
Artist: Robert Olley (b. 1940)
Date: 2021

Image details
Date: 15 June 2022
Camera body: iPhone Xs
Lens: Wide Camera 26mm ƒ/1.8
Focal Length: 26mm
Aperture: ƒ/1.8
Shutter Speed: 1/33s
ISO: 400
Licence: Image of a North East Museums asset. This image cannot be licensed.