I have had several people ask me how I make my rivet strips. Although I probably do not do anything more special than anyone else I will share the method I use. It is an old school technique that I learned form someone else along the line.
I use .010" styrene, a straight edge and a SHARP single edge razor blade. This method works much better if you use a cutting mat to apply rivets and cut the strip off. I added the dowel handle to the rivet tool to give me better control. You will learn after a couple of strips how much pressure to apply, too little-no rivets, too much --rivet tool punches holes in styrene. The "feel" will come to you quickly on how much pressure you need. I also taped a piece of cardstock to my ruler to help hold it down more securely.
Malcolm