When was the last time you blamed the hammer?

In The Matrix, a child tells Neo, “There is no spoon.”

The point isn’t that the spoon doesn’t exist, it’s that his understanding of reality is wrong.

The same thing happens every day in blind riveting.

The Usual Suspects

When something goes wrong, the first assumption is almost always the same: It’s the tool.

Or sometimes: It’s the people.

In nearly 25 years in this industry, I’ve heard both countless times.

What I’ve almost never heard?

“I think it’s the fastener.”

 That’s interesting to me. Because outside of work, we don’t operate that way at all.

Think about it — if a picture falls off the wall, you don’t blame the hammer. 

You instinctively troubleshoot two things; the application and the nail.

The application: In drywall instead of a stud? Should it have had an anchor? Did this require more nails?

The nail: Was it too small? Too soft? Too short? The wrong kind?

So, why in the world of blind riveting do we often do the opposite? 

We blame the tool first.

Early in my career as a sales engineer for a well-known Japanese brand of blind riveter, I saw this pattern over and over again. My tools were getting blamed for failures that didn’t make sense. After enough visits to the same plants, I knew something wasn’t adding up. 

So, I went deeper. 

Guilt by Association

I remember one plant in particular. They sent the same tools in for repair multiple times. Each time, the tools were returned "in proper working condition" — yet complaints persisted. By the time I was able to visit the plant in Mexico, I was stressed. Just walking past their overflowing rework area gave me a pang of guilt. As a proud, technical sales professional who sold them those tools, it was intimidating.

I'll be honest, my first thought: I really hope this isn’t a tool problem. 

My next thought: I need to solve this.

That moment changed how I approach everything. Now, I start in a different place. I strip everything back.

Remove assumptions.

Remove bias.

Ignore what I’ve been told.

Ignore the tools I've already seen and anything I sold.

Focus on one question: What is happening?

Not what we think is happening. Not what we’ve been told is happening.

What is actually happening?

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Blind riveting is a system.

The tool, the fastener, the substrate, and the installation all have to work together. When you understand, troubleshooting becomes clearer. When you don’t, it's mostly expensive guesswork.

Tools get repaired unnecessarily.

Time gets lost.

Teams get frustrated.

And blame is disguised as communication.

The biggest shift I see in people after Positively Riveting training? Confidence.

They stop guessing.

They start seeing.

They can explain what’s happening, communicate clearly, and make decisions that lead to solutions.

That’s what Positively Riveting is about.

“Opening the World’s Eyes to Blind Riveting” isn’t just a tagline.

It’s about helping people see what’s actually happening — clearly, confidently, and without bias. And remember, the fastener doesn't care which brand/s of tools you're using and neither do we.

So, the next time something goes wrong…

Don’t just say “the tool isn’t working.”

Ask, "What exactly is the failure mode?

Or better yet, ask yourself, "Are we blaming the hammer?"

Until next time… M