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Rv-12 Build Questions

Bartsey

Member
I went to Harbour Freight in Ft Myers today and bought several items to get ready for doing something after the kit arrives. One item is the air/hydraulic rivet puller. The puller is supposed to have hydrualic fluid added but the instrucions don't say how much. Something about to just below the rim, but what rim? Anybody know?
We have guys in the local EAA chapter who have built RV's but never with blind rivets so I'm going solo on some things.
 
Servicing the rivet puller.

I went to Harbour Freight in Ft Myers today and bought several items to get ready for doing something after the kit arrives. One item is the air/hydraulic rivet puller. The puller is supposed to have hydrualic fluid added but the instrucions don't say how much. Something about to just below the rim, but what rim? Anybody know?
We have guys in the local EAA chapter who have built RV's but never with blind rivets so I'm going solo on some things.

I had a bit of a setback today with my rivet puller. It needed to be serviced. The hydraulic fluid was low so I serviced it, but I put too much fluid in and and then it would not retract enough to release the pins after they were pulled. The service level is just up to the "O" ring in the shaft hole, which is about half way. It is only a few drops to get to this level. If you put too much fluid in, you can get some of it out by using a pipe cleaner to soak up some. You don't need to service the puller until it does not pull the rivets with one pull of the trigger. The puller will spit fluid for a bit after you service it.

After all this fussing with my pullers, I did not get as much done as I had hoped. I should finish the skins tomorrow and then start on the wing tips. I will have more pictures then.
 
Thanks, Jim. I almost filled the thing all the way to the top of the can which would have made and outstanding squirt gun I suppose.
Now to practice on some scrap almunin----alumminn-----metal.
Bart
 
Rivet puller

Thanks, Jim. I almost filled the thing all the way to the top of the can which would have made and outstanding squirt gun I suppose.
Now to practice on some scrap almunin----alumminn-----metal.
Bart


If you had, you would not have been able to put it back together. Just so you know, the air enters the bottom of the tool and pushes on a large plate that transmits up the shaft to the pulling mechanism which is activated by hadraulic pressure from the shaft. Too little hydraulic fluid under the shaft and the puller does not pull a long enough stroke to pull the rivet with one squeeze of the trigger. Too much hydraulic fluid and the puller will not release the stem of the pulled rivet. The "O" ring on the large plate needs to be lubricated with lubri-plate or similar grease. That allows the plate to return to the bottom of the can easier and faster. Hope this helps.
 
Clecos

What size clecos and how many will be required to assemble the wing? Also, are the buffet tables straight and level enought to assemble the wing?
Bart
 
What size clecos and how many will be required to assemble the wing? Also, are the buffet tables straight and level enought to assemble the wing?
Bart

You can use any old table. Just make sure that you have a pad on it to protect the skins. I used moving blankets on mine. The holes line everything up without any jigs. It is foolproof. You can't go wrong. How cool is that!

As long as I am thinking about it I have couple of tips to share. When you try to put a rivet in a hole and it doesn't want to go in easily, STOP!!! What ever you do, DON"T PUSH!! What is wrong is that the holes are not lined up perfectly. There is usually a flange that a skin is being riveted to and if you push on the rivet, you only make matters worse because you are bending the flange away from the skin which makes the hole sit at an angle to the skin hole and the rivet will never go in. (This is one reason to make sure that you flute the ribs so that they are exactly flat and that the flanges are at 90 degrees to the web.) Use an awl to line them up and try again. After you have used the awl and the rivet still does not want to go in, try rocking the rivet with your fingers while GENTLY pushing. When all else fails, skip that rivet and go on. Come back to it later after you have riveted past that one and often that will line things up.

I found that after awhile, my pneumatic rivet puller would not release the stems. I disassembled the puller and found that some of the hydraulic fluid was remaining in the pulling head because I was riveting with the puller pointed down. I found that if you just hold the puller upright and give the trigger a pull or two, the fluid will drain back where it belongs and things start working again.

Don't lay tools on your plane unless you put a pad of some sort under them. That way you won't scratch or dent your project.

When you turn your left wing over, don't set the leading edge down on your padded table. If you do, you will bend your stall warning vane. I speak from experience.

When you remove the blue plastic from the parts, remove the inside first so that when you remove the other side, it will not get scratched by your bench. I used a moving blanket on my workbench to protect the skins. This was especially important when bending the tabs on the lower wing tip skin because there is a lot of sliding around while bending and measuring.

Speaking of bending the tabs, if you push down on the little wood tool that you make so that you are pressing the skin down on the bench before you start to bend, you get a cleaner bend. Also, don't be satisfied with a bend on a tab that is not exactly what is called for in the plans. Those angles are exactly what is required to make that tab line up with the skin and structure that it is riveted to and once you start riveting, you can't adjust the tabs if they are off a bit. See my comment above about lining up the holes. Van's did an incredible job of designing this skin so that it fits just right if you bend it like the plans say.
 
Many heart-felt thanks, Jim, for all your advice and commentary. I'm a first time builder so the task seems awesome but your pictures and remarks put everything in better perspective. Another side benefit from your pictures is looking to see the equipment you have in the background of the shot. I've already got some of the things on my want list regardless if it has anything to do with building airplanes or not. Except for the rakes and shovels.
My kit is supposed to ship this week (gulp).
Bart
 
When you try to put a rivet in a hole and it doesn't want to go in easily, STOP!!! What ever you do, DON"T PUSH!! What is wrong is that the holes are not lined up perfectly. There is usually a flange that a skin is being riveted to and if you push on the rivet, you only make matters worse because you are bending the flange away from the skin which makes the hole sit at an angle to the skin hole and the rivet will never go in. (This is one reason to make sure that you flute the ribs so that they are exactly flat and that the flanges are at 90 degrees to the web.) Use an awl to line them up and try again. After you have used the awl and the rivet still does not want to go in, try rocking the rivet with your fingers while GENTLY pushing.
Another trick is to rock the cleco in the next hole back and forth and sideways while pushing on the rivet. This will also help align everything.
 
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