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Tight rivet location

D

dspender

Well Known Member
Just began the empennage. Page 7-8 Fig 3 is Riveting the R-1004 Bottom Rib to the Right skin. The aft most rivet is in a very tight space. I cannot get a bucking back or even no hole squeezer yoke in there. The directions call for no other options than an AD3-3 rivet. However when attaching the Left skin to this Bottom Rib Page 7-9 Step 7 calls for using a CCR264SS3-2 blind rivet in the aft most location. How did you do that aft most rivet in the right skin? Do you or is it allowed to use a blind rivet on each skin at this location?
 
A pair of modified vise grips can make a good squeezer for those spots. A little grinding/filing to smooth the serrations and make the jaws parallel at your finished height. You might get to use it a dozen times during the build.
 
We have used a blind rivet for both spots. The problem with this approach is that these blind rivets protrude more than the regular rivets so once you blind rivet the first skin the second blind rivet will not fit. To solve this we have inserted a flat piece of aluminum and hit the already set rivet with a punch through the top rivet hole and into the flat piece of aluminum. That flattened out the shop head a little, just enough to fit another blind rivet on the opposite skin.
 
Another way is to take the mandrel out of the rivet and cut the rivet down then just put the mandrel back in.
 
Thank you for the suggestions. I am going to search for an appropriate vise grip and see what type of tool I can create. I will search into the mandrel option as well.
 
Back rivet

You can also get that back rivet set using a flat wood chisel or equivalent flat metal. Set your assembly on a back rivet plate, put the chisel on top of the shank of the rivet and use your flat rivet set on the chisel just outboard of the aleron, flap and set the rivet.

Gary Specketer
 
I tried the vise grip, trimmed away the teeth, but couldn't apply enough even pressure to set a straight rivet. I like the thought of a chisel over the rivet and possibly supported level about an inch from the rivet and drive down on the chisel hoping to compress the rivet.
 
I don't remember exactly what I did in that spot, but you should be able to get the rivet in one side and then squeeze with the no hole yoke. The second side is usually the problem. One trick is to pre-squeeze the rivet very slightly. Another idea is to use any metal as a bucking bar. Like a chisel that was suggested. You just have to use it until you can get a larger tool in the space. A back riveting plate can be used if it will fit. If all else fails put a blind rivet in and forge ahead.
 
Gary 40274 suggested the wood chisel and it worked great. The no hole yoke is too large to fit in the space. The chisel just fits and I held the handle level with the rivet. Then as I drove the rivet with the back riveting set onto a back plate the rivet set perfectly. Neat trick.
 
dspender said:
Gary 40274 suggested the wood chisel and it worked great. The no hole yoke is too large to fit in the space. The chisel just fits and I held the handle level with the rivet. Then as I drove the rivet with the back riveting set onto a back plate the rivet set perfectly. Neat trick.
Click to expand...

You'll find that you'll need to do the same trick on a few more rivets before you get done with the build.
 
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