No More *&*^^%@^%! Bottom Skin Rear Spar Riveting!

[aparchment]

I have had it with the rear spar rivets on the bottom wing skins. They are a major PITA. My forearms are all marked up from sticking my arms through the darned lightening holes to get to these things.

I am calling Van's tomorrow and asking them for a really good reason why I shouldn't put CCC-32s(MK319B5s) pops in place of the 3.5 and 4.0s.

Just needed to rant.

Signed,

Mutinous (and possibly murderous) in Maine

[lancef53]

It might be too late depending on what you have done, but did you try this method?

Are you working alone, are is someone helping you--it would be tough(and frustrating) to do it alone.

That said, I don't see why the pop rivits wont work.

http://www.rivetbangers.com/forums/gall ... temId=4668

http://www.rivetbangers.com/forums/gall ... temId=4741

[weezbad]

no need for pop rivets. all you really need to do is get some help or a roll of duct tape.
if you build up your bucking bar with masking tape. all you have to do is lay it on the rivet and it will stabilize itself. also put in a piece of tubing (split in half long ways) on the offending rib that is getting your arm... i have pics but not at work. contact me if you need some pics.

[cjensen]

Something like this is what Weez is talking about...



Pretty much any size will work. I use left over pitot line from the SafeAir kit.

[aparchment]

Good tip on the tubing, thanks guys. My problem mostly is reaching the rear spar rivets through the holes. Perhaps I am Popeye and my forearms are just too big, who knows.

Antony

P.S. -- Just spoke to Ken at Van's and apparently I am supposed to be reaching the rear spar rivets by approaching them from the leading edge rather than outboard. I am not sure how I am going to reach over the leading edge if the wing is on the bench, but it is probably doable if the wing is in the stand. Also, hopefully I have not riveted too far up the wing walk doubler ribs to allow me to bend the skin back from the leading edge without creasing it. Man this is probably the toughest riveting so far. It's time to call my neighbor to run the gun, since with Ken's approach I don't think I will be able to reach by myself.

[Wicked Stick]

I did all 4 of my bottom skins while the wings were in the rolling wing stand. I just propped up the stand on 4X4's to keep the wheels off the ground and it from moving while CJ and I bucked them.

2 people make it MUCH easier for the areas where you have to lift the skin and reach underneath to buck.

[aparchment]

Yeah but Dave, CJ says that you are a freak of nature. He likened you to Dr. Stretch from the Fantastic Four. He said something else about a prehensile appendage, but at this point he was boozed up and getting lewd; so I cut him off.

Antony

[captain_john]

Yup. I did use the word "prehensile"!

WS is a good friend to have nearby!

CJ

[Wicked Stick]

Yeah but Dave, CJ says that you are a freak of nature. He likened you to Dr. Stretch from the Fantastic Four. He said something else about a prehensile appendage, but at this point he was boozed up and getting lewd; so I cut him off.

Antony

[weezbad]

these may help...my forearms are average, and it was painfull at times. but man when i got the tube on the holes it removed the discomfort completely. i did them solo fwiw. the tape keeps the bucking bar level.
i would go half way up a rib, then rivet the rear spar over to the next , then half way up the next rib, then finsh the previuos rib that was half completed then repeat.

[TomNativeNewYorker]

weeze, you left handed? all the pics show you with the gun in your left hand.

A New Yorker with a NYC shirt on would not have felt any pain while riveting.

[lancef53]

Tom, I saw the pics and wondered the same thing.

I gotta get out more!!!!

[weezbad]

well my sister brought me the shirt from NYC. or i could do like hillary and say yeah im left handed and i love the yankees
No i am not left handed but maybe should have been . my son is maybe i should mention if you cant shoot and buck equally well with both hands you may need some help..never crossed my mind until now
i have been doing mechanic work for so long now either hand works ok. so many things require a left or right hand. now if we could fold our hand both ways,,,that would remove the need for a left and right. i guess riveting blind the right hand has better feel to some degree. i will tell you this, after the wings i almost always shoot with the left hand. i started out the other way around.

not a particular anything. im an army brat.

[aparchment]

One wing down. That was a PITA! It definitely got easier as I went along, and I have pretty good strategies for dealing with the second wing.

#2, here I come.

[tmbg]

I'm sure glad I gained a full-time riveting partner.

I REALLY suck at riveting solo

[Spike]

I have the exact same problem Ian. I need help whenever I get it. The funny thing is when your wife is better a driving rivets than you are. Patti did a kick butt job on wing skins.

[tmbg]

I've been flying through work lately! It's nice when you can get three people all working on it at one time.


Just the other night, I had the ladyfriend dimpling fuel tank skins, Dan countersinking the spar, and I was dimpling ribs and fabricating crap all at once.



I'll have the wings finished this week I think! (Maybe not counting flaps. Ailerons are already done. And definitely not counting bottom skins, of course)