I've read that using aluminum rivets on steel is a bad idea as the aluminum will cause a corrosion issue. Does anyone know if copper will do the same?

I've read that using aluminum rivets on steel is a bad idea as the aluminum will cause a corrosion issue. Does anyone know if copper will do the same?

 

 

Pretty much all dissimilar metals will corrode unless electrically isolated.   Copper less so than Aluminum, by quite a lot.   If you use Gold Rivets, you won't have any corrosion as it's the only one that won't.

Google "galvanic chart".  You'll get charts that show where various metals fall on the scale from "cathodic" to "anodic".  Metals that are close on the chart or overlap will not corrode each other. The further metals are apart on the chart, the more quickly they corrode.

By quick googling, it appears that copper is slightly less galvanic?

 

I assume I'm working with mild steel. It appears that aluminum is anodic and copper is cathodic. The aluminum would be more likely to corrode, whereas the copper would make the steel corrode? Or am I wrong?

 

It also looks like stainless is galvanic to mild as well. I think I'm overthrowing this but I should probably use plain steel painted rivets.

Like for like or stainless. Rule of thumb.

 

" steel threads and aluminum heads mean antisieze "

This article explains it better than I could. http://www.corrosion-doctors.org/Definitions/galvanic-series.htm