Can rivets in wood be tightened ?

I have wooden folding chairs with patent date of February 2, 1893. They are wobbly, is there a fix for this. Rivets are loose not broken. Sorry about the pictures, I forgot them.

 

Photos of chair and loose rivets will result in better answers. My answer at this point would be "yes."

 

Are they true rivets or rivet like fastenings?

Rivets can be tightened by supporting the back of the rivet with a heavy metal object and hammering the front with an appropriate tool depending on the size of rivet and how it is set in the wood.

As always, pictures help.

 

Let's see the other side of where that plate is...if there is anything on that side.
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There are a number of things you could do though if it goes all the way through you could do as stated previously to tighten it up. If this is the case be careful because the rivet metal is aged and may have been poor to begin with. If so it may crack and/or break especially if it is hollow and peeled over.
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There are rivet tools to do this and are handy to have especially to cup the rivet head and not flatten it.
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If it doesn't go through there are other things such as Gorilla glue which you have to babysit because it expands.
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There are also punched metal strips you can trim to fit but you have to be careful to not cause the wood to crack.
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Silicone, while probably the least invasive, won't hold for long if it is to be used.

 

If it is for sitting and a slight change in looks is ok then hacksaw rivet off and replace with strong steel bolt and nut,

 

If that is the case a small carriage bolt and a self-locking nut would be great.
The carriage bolt wouldn't have any impressions in the head but could be hard to hold from rotating unless it fits tight into the hinge.
If you can't hold it then a regular nut with some Locktite or even clear nail polish on the threads.

 

Only one of the rivets go through to the other side. There are 2 to 3 on each hing.
I don't think I can take them apart to use a screw. They are in pretty good shape except for being wobbly. Thanks for all the help

 

On this piece, there is not much you can do. The hole has enlarge and the piece of wood is not very thick to begin with.

You could try injecting the hole with wood glue or epoxy. If you cannot get it in the end by the rivet head and washer, you could drill a tiny hole into the rivet hole at 90 degrees from the backside.

 

If they don't go through, they are not really rivets. They should pry out fairly easily. Fill hole with wood glue, replace, clamp, let dry.

 

My first thought was 'Why bother?' Around here these are on the Don't Buy list. Church basements are full of them and they don't move in the shops.

Then I checked Completed Auctions.... Who knew?

Good Luck!

 

Looks like it wobbled from the get go, but Terry makes a good point about the holes having grown bigger over time !