Proper is all relative to what your experience is Denny. If you haven't taken the time to see what the actual proven heat differences are between the two methods, all you can do is relate to what you are used to. That's fine and all, but there is ZERO difference between:
1) Heat the rivet in a rivet heater or otherwise.. a) take it out of the heater COOL, b) put it in the hole COOL, c) have a person standing there with a bucking bar and push a cold bar on the hot rivet COOL, then d) Once you are all ready hit it with the gun. OR
2) Put the rivet in the hole, use a bucking bar that's clamped on because you don't have a helper using a 1/2 bucking bar that's clamped onto the work solid COOL, then heating the rivet from the other side until its white hot and just about ready to curl, COOL, then setting the torch on the holder and driving it home. The frame isn't heated very much at all because you are concentrating your heat on the rivet. I suspect no more heat transfer than the other method. Maybe a little, but insignificant.
I know you guys are skeptical, but when you are skeptical, TEST it to see the difference. Use an IR gun so you can be really critical. I had a helper that day as shown in the pic, but he is the town blacksmith (92 years old) and he showed me how to remove the need for two people. After testing the rivets, he was right.. as he always has been. And you of course are wrong on this one. Its one thing to have all of those years of experience, its another to trash ideas you haven't tried yet. But people do that all the time here. SO I call them out when they do. AND apologize when I am proven wrong. Not today Im afraid.
PLEASE for the love of GOD know what you are talking about. Test the differences before trashing other peoples ideas. Its a great way to do this when you don't have a helper. We don't all have Union memberships in our past where they insisted on having two people to do the job. In my little ole town we make do and pride ourselves on doing BETTER quality work because its truth, justice and the American way! Not some communist concept of forcing a job to take more people than is necessary.
Either trust me on this, or disprove me. Otherwise, stay with what you are good at. Have we set the record straight yet?
