A short rod with a head formed on one end. A rivet is inserted through aligned holes in two or more parts to be joined; then by pressing the protruding end, a second head is formed to hold the parts together permanently. The first head is called the manufactured head and the second one the point. In forming the point, a hold-on or dolly bar is used to back up the manufactured head and the rivet is driven, preferably by a machine riveter. For high-grade work such as boiler-joint riveting, the rivet holes are drilled and reamed to size, and the rivet is driven to fill the hole completely. Structural riveting uses punched holes.