It's a bolt on the hinge of a folding chair. No idea what the actual proper name for it is, though.
Can it be removed without destroying it or any part of the chair itself?
Any advice is appreciated! Thank you!
this post was submitted on 04 Jun 2025
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No. As noted, it's a rivet. It was originally a straight piece of metal rod with a cap (visible in the top image) at one end, inserted into the joint, then the other end deformed with a rivet tool to create a lip on the end (lower image) so it stays in place.
To remove it, use a drill bit about the same diameter as the rivet shaft, and drill it out from the end in the lower image. You usually only have to drill less than a millimeter before the lip breaks free, and you can pull out the rest of the rivet. The trick here is that the rivet is probably hardened steel, that means it'll take a carbide drill bit, and some time.
This is obviously a destructive procedure for the rivet, and then you need special tools to put in another. It might be possible to replace with a screw, but it won't be quite the same.
A machine screw with a crown nut and lock washer would work well. At least the crown nut would make for a nice smooth cap.
Those machine rivets are hard to beat for clamping strength with minimal exposed fastener.