shoot and buck. | Andrew's RV-7 Build Log

Some More Right Wing Lower Skin Riveting

November 4, 2012

Well, I decided that with an hour to kill this afternoon after the Bears game (they whooped up on the Titans), I would go outside and see if I could do something productive.

I managed to get a few more rivets set in the bottom skins.

Let me apologize in advance, the pictures are in a weird order.

First up, I peeled back the skin to make sure I could get to the rivets I was interested in. But also, AND THIS IS KEY, you have to make sure that once you set those rivets, you won’t back yourself into a corner where you can’t reach another set of rivets, so I checked (what I’ll call) “future” rivets.

Basically, I reach through the lightening holes and then up with the bucking bar.

I can reach both sides for about 4 rivets before I have to reposition a little.

Also, be sure to be carfeul with the skin. Even the manual warns about creasing it.

After spending so much time cleaning, I was amazed at how quickly the workbench started filling up again.

I’m going to make an effort to keep everything clean at the end of each work session.

After 30 minutes of (loud) shooting and bucking, I called it quits on the loud stuff for the day.

I did the last wingwalk rib, and the main and aft spar rivets just outboard of that rib. I colored the heads black where I set them, just to help me count. This was 40 rivets.

Since the skin doesn’t have to be peeled back as much anymore, I set another 13 rivets of the hinge. (I’m getting good at installing and removing the flap. Not that I have to, I just like to store it on the wing. Seems the safest there.)

I also pre-loaded the next bay of rivets.

If you’re counting ribs, I am now halfway (4 of 8) done with the lower inboard skin. It’s going to get easier moving outboard, too.

I like seeing the clecos slowly disappear.

1.0 hour. 53 rivets. It’s not really a streak until it’s three days in a row, so don’t jinx me.

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Posted by Andrew

Almost Done with the Right Flap

July 29, 2012

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Taylor and I came SO close to finishing the flap today, but my amazing fiance had some chicken parm in the oven, and by the time the clock struck 6pm, we had to head in to get cleaned up.

Sorry, I’m getting ahead of myself. (The chicken parm was SO good.)

Anyway, I started the day off by finishing up some dimpling, cleaning, and priming of the two very small shims that go on the aft two holes of each end rib.

Not very exciting, but here they are.

Then, I clecoed on the top skin.

I”m so excited it’s going together for the final time.

While Taylor worked the cleco pliers to get the flap assembled to “every other hole,” I grabbed the flap side of the hinge from the wing and prepped it.

Deburred, and filed down the stump where there used to be an extra “eye.” Yes, that’s Dentyne in the background.

Gotta have fresh breath while building.

Here’s Taylor putting some rivets with tape in every other hole.

Nice action shot. I don’t get many of those when I’m building solo.

After blazing through the lower skin and ribs (goes really fast when one person is doing the clecoing and rivet-placing).

I love this part of building.

I did run into a small problem though. On the left flap, I waited to rivet the nutplate on the backside of the inboard rib. On this flap, I did it early, but then got stuck with one of the rivets. not enough room for a bucking bar, so I reverted to a blind rivet.

That one right in the middle. No big deal.

After flipping over the flap and getting all the top side rivets done (including getting the spar blind riveted into the ribs and the top skin rivets to the spar…