Author: "Clive Mitchell" <cwmitche@...> Time: Wed Aug 6, 2003 7:30 am PDT Link
I have been having a great time doing my empennage. Been doing a lot
of learning and have completed the HS, VS and rudder. From my
experiences so far I would make the following observations.
People should start with the VS. It has the least parts, everythings
reachable and it's by far the easiest component to complete from the
empennage. A real enthusiasm builder!
Read a lot about pillowing of the HS so approached this with some
trepidation. If you follow the manual you start with the center nose
rib, move on to the outside nose ribs, front spar and so on. I did
this with the first side and it hasn't turned out as well as I would
like with a slightly uneven curve to the leading edge. It's not bad,
visitors don't notice, but I know where to look! I had previously read
all the suggestions about shims and extra supports etc but what seemed
to make things far easier for me and gave a better result on the
opposite side was to get all the other nose ribs, main ribs and even
some of the spar clecoed in place to give the whole assembly shape
before rivetting the center nose rib.
The rudder went well apart from trying to do the rivets at the rear of
the top and bottom ribs where there's no space. What did you guys use
to buck those? For the trailing edge I prepared all the parts, put
some epoxy down both sides of the wedge then clamped it all together
using an elevator spar on each side and a cleco through every hole.
Waited a couple of days then removed the spars and cleaned up the
holes. Put the rivets in by using the squeezer, keeping the
countersunk head flush with that surface and squeezing until the die
was almost hitting the surface on the other side. Finished it off by
laying the countersunk side on the backrivet plate and flattening the
shop head into the dimple using a mushroom set. Rivets look good and
the edge could not be straighter.
Anyway, on to the point of my post! Have prepped all the elevator
parts and attached the stiffeners and am ready to start on the spars.
I remember reading various bits about how using blind rivets is a sign
of weakness etc but I've been staring at it for a while and it just
looks like an awful lot of trouble. So hands up, who used blind rivets
on the underside of their elevators and who didn't? Any tips?
regards
Clive Mitchell
Author: "Newsted, Gary" <Gary.Newsted@...> Time: Wed Aug 6, 2003 7:36 am PDT Link
At some point when closing up a closed shape, the use of blind rivets is
perfectly acceptable. You can get creative and design long bucking bars
if you prefer, but blind rivets are designed for this very situation.
When you get to your flaps and ailerons, blind rivets are again the way
to go. If you're a stickler for glass-smooth surfaces, you can always
fill in the rivets before painting.
Author: "busterstocks2001" <busterstocks2001@...> Time: Wed Aug 6, 2003 8:29 am PDT Link
I made a bucking bar that looks like a double headed hammer out of a
dowel and scrap steel that slips into the leading edge and it made
the riveting very easy using AN rivets. One head is wood and serves
to just hold the other end square to the surface.
It just goes against my grain to have all these riveting tools then
use blind rivets.
> I have been having a great time doing my empennage. Been doing a lot
> of learning and have completed the HS, VS and rudder. From my
> experiences so far I would make the following observations.
>
> People should start with the VS. It has the least parts, everythings
> reachable and it's by far the easiest component to complete from the
> empennage. A real enthusiasm builder!
>
> Read a lot about pillowing of the HS so approached this with some
> trepidation. If you follow the manual you start with the center nose
> rib, move on to the outside nose ribs, front spar and so on. I did
> this with the first side and it hasn't turned out as well as I would
> like with a slightly uneven curve to the leading edge. It's not bad,
> visitors don't notice, but I know where to look! I had previously
read
> all the suggestions about shims and extra supports etc but what
seemed
> to make things far easier for me and gave a better result on the
> opposite side was to get all the other nose ribs, main ribs and even
> some of the spar clecoed in place to give the whole assembly shape
> before rivetting the center nose rib.
>
> The rudder went well apart from trying to do the rivets at the rear
of
> the top and bottom ribs where there's no space. What did you guys
use
> to buck those? For the trailing edge I prepared all the parts, put
> some epoxy down both sides of the wedge then clamped it all together
> using an elevator spar on each side and a cleco through every hole.
> Waited a couple of days then removed the spars and cleaned up the
> holes. Put the rivets in by using the squeezer, keeping the
> countersunk head flush with that surface and squeezing until the die
> was almost hitting the surface on the other side. Finished it off by
> laying the countersunk side on the backrivet plate and flattening
the
> shop head into the dimple using a mushroom set. Rivets look good and
> the edge could not be straighter.
>
> Anyway, on to the point of my post! Have prepped all the elevator
> parts and attached the stiffeners and am ready to start on the
spars.
> I remember reading various bits about how using blind rivets is a
sign
> of weakness etc but I've been staring at it for a while and it just
> looks like an awful lot of trouble. So hands up, who used blind
rivets
> on the underside of their elevators and who didn't? Any tips?
>
> regards
> Clive Mitchell
Author: "Mike Hoover" <mikehoover@...> Time: Wed Aug 6, 2003 12:44 pm PDT Link
I used blind rivets on the bottom of the elevator spars. That choice is a no-brainer. I'd like to hear suggestions for bucking 426's.
Mike
SC
90709 wing kit paid for and waitin'
----- Original Message -----
From: Clive Mitchell
To: RV-9A@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Wednesday, August 06, 2003 7:38 AM
Subject: [RV-9A] Blind rivets
I have been having a great time doing my empennage. Been doing a lot
of learning and have completed the HS, VS and rudder. From my
experiences so far I would make the following observations.
People should start with the VS. It has the least parts, everythings
reachable and it's by far the easiest component to complete from the
empennage. A real enthusiasm builder!
Read a lot about pillowing of the HS so approached this with some
trepidation. If you follow the manual you start with the center nose
rib, move on to the outside nose ribs, front spar and so on. I did
this with the first side and it hasn't turned out as well as I would
like with a slightly uneven curve to the leading edge. It's not bad,
visitors don't notice, but I know where to look! I had previously read
all the suggestions about shims and extra supports etc but what seemed
to make things far easier for me and gave a better result on the
opposite side was to get all the other nose ribs, main ribs and even
some of the spar clecoed in place to give the whole assembly shape
before rivetting the center nose rib.
The rudder went well apart from trying to do the rivets at the rear of
the top and bottom ribs where there's no space. What did you guys use
to buck those? For the trailing edge I prepared all the parts, put
some epoxy down both sides of the wedge then clamped it all together
using an elevator spar on each side and a cleco through every hole.
Waited a couple of days then removed the spars and cleaned up the
holes. Put the rivets in by using the squeezer, keeping the
countersunk head flush with that surface and squeezing until the die
was almost hitting the surface on the other side. Finished it off by
laying the countersunk side on the backrivet plate and flattening the
shop head into the dimple using a mushroom set. Rivets look good and
the edge could not be straighter.
Anyway, on to the point of my post! Have prepped all the elevator
parts and attached the stiffeners and am ready to start on the spars.
I remember reading various bits about how using blind rivets is a sign
of weakness etc but I've been staring at it for a while and it just
looks like an awful lot of trouble. So hands up, who used blind rivets
on the underside of their elevators and who didn't? Any tips?
regards
Clive Mitchell
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Author: "Ken" <ken_moak@...> Time: Wed Aug 6, 2003 8:55 pm PDT Link
I used blind rivets except where I could squeese the solid ones
through the cutouts. I saw on someones web site where they bucked
them but it seemed like a lot of work. I guess someone can lay
underneath and make fun of the rivets.
ken
Wings
--- In RV-9A@yahoogroups.com, "Clive Mitchell" <cwmitche@i...> wrote:
> I have been having a great time doing my empennage. Been doing a lot
> of learning and have completed the HS, VS and rudder. From my
> experiences so far I would make the following observations.
>
> People should start with the VS. It has the least parts, everythings
> reachable and it's by far the easiest component to complete from the
> empennage. A real enthusiasm builder!
>
> Read a lot about pillowing of the HS so approached this with some
> trepidation. If you follow the manual you start with the center nose
> rib, move on to the outside nose ribs, front spar and so on. I did
> this with the first side and it hasn't turned out as well as I would
> like with a slightly uneven curve to the leading edge. It's not bad,
> visitors don't notice, but I know where to look! I had previously
read
> all the suggestions about shims and extra supports etc but what
seemed
> to make things far easier for me and gave a better result on the
> opposite side was to get all the other nose ribs, main ribs and even
> some of the spar clecoed in place to give the whole assembly shape
> before rivetting the center nose rib.
>
> The rudder went well apart from trying to do the rivets at the rear
of
> the top and bottom ribs where there's no space. What did you guys
use
> to buck those? For the trailing edge I prepared all the parts, put
> some epoxy down both sides of the wedge then clamped it all together
> using an elevator spar on each side and a cleco through every hole.
> Waited a couple of days then removed the spars and cleaned up the
> holes. Put the rivets in by using the squeezer, keeping the
> countersunk head flush with that surface and squeezing until the die
> was almost hitting the surface on the other side. Finished it off by
> laying the countersunk side on the backrivet plate and flattening
the
> shop head into the dimple using a mushroom set. Rivets look good and
> the edge could not be straighter.
>
> Anyway, on to the point of my post! Have prepped all the elevator
> parts and attached the stiffeners and am ready to start on the
spars.
> I remember reading various bits about how using blind rivets is a
sign
> of weakness etc but I've been staring at it for a while and it just
> looks like an awful lot of trouble. So hands up, who used blind
rivets
> on the underside of their elevators and who didn't? Any tips?
>
> regards
> Clive Mitchell