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So I added a lightning hole to my VS-705:

Sorry about the crummy pic So I had the pneumatic squeezer all lined up, with the post of the dimple die through the hole, but as I moved the lever, I had a seizure or something and it moved. I'm wondering what my options are, considering this happens to be a hole that is marked as an attachment for the empennage fairing. I'm not really hot on ordering things from Van's since it seems to take more than a week to deliver anything even though I'm 3 hours away

Actually, if that is one of the fairing attach holes you might be OK. You can enlarge and smooth out the hole, then just put a nutplate behind it for the fairing attach - no one will ever know.

T.

Yup Kell,

Thomas is right on the money!

Once you open that up to a #19 for the 8/32 screw, I am willing to bet all your worries will be erased!

You are okay...

CJ

What those guys said.

Ditto to all of the above. I think we have pretty much all done the same thing at some point on a skin or somewhere. Looks like your going ot get by with no new aluminum.

Yeah ... all things considered, that is a great place to do it!

I managed to do mine on one of the stiffener holes in the fuel tank skin!

T.

Excellent, thanks! I went ahead and sprayed it with primer in the hopes that it would work one way or another, so I sould be able to finish up the VS today, then I'll be all stabilized

Had two on the wing skins - just smoothed the hole with a jeweler's file and built on. I'll fill with a filler before paint.