Blind rivet 'wedge' vs file tip

Chapter 5 discusses making a wedge to help pulling blind rivets in tight spaces. Anyone just filed the tip of a 'pop rivet gun' (the silver screw in piece) instead of using a wedge? It would seem to accomplish the same goal.

Background: I used the Ch 5 technique on the fuel tank brackets, and it worked great. Now starting to use it on the wing leading edge rib to spar area, and after a few successful tries, the mandrel isn't breaking off at the rivet, but about halfway up. Looking at my wedge, I can see it is wearing out and the hole has become elongated. Guessing it's time to make a new one, but since it's aluminum it will probably wear out soon as well. There is nothing stuck in the 'pop-rivet gun', and with 2 of them in the garage I don't mind having one tip dedicated to wedge status.

Thanks!

This tool gets the job done, is very easy to use (Van's wedge is hard to position in tight spaces), and is harder to lose than the little wedges:

https://www.cleavelandtool.com/prod...1&_sid=993cbc5f3&_ss=r&variant=18378218963006

I don't see why that wouldn't work, but when you're done it's just one more specialty tool that you don't use very often.

I've got a couple of pop rivet pullers as well. One of them is unmodified but the other ended up getting one side of it's snout ground flat for access into tight areas. I think if you're going to start grinding, that's probably a mod that would be useful in more places than grinding an angle on the tip.

In tight places I tape the wedge to the tip of the rivet gun.
I did this for all of the rivets in the cockpit fuel line brackets on the -14.
The tool looks like you may need 3 hands at times.

The omgomulator that Turner links to has been one of the most useful tools that we used on our RV12 builds. Absolutely brilliant, easy to use and a life saver.

Support Cleaveland and while you are there - get the hinge pins that save you time and knuckle scars when hanging surfaces !