first gas tank rib

[Adam W]

wow riveted and sealed my first rib in the left tank what a lousy job i did
my rivets are sitting higher than id like. they appear tight and i believe sealant is everywhere it should be.
any tips on a better riveting job the stiffeners and fuel filler were easier with back riveting but also not as good as all my previous rivetting
im using a mushroom set with a rubber ring compressor down to 45lbs
ill take any advice
thanks in advance

[wirejock]

Originally Posted by Adam W

wow riveted and sealed my first rib in the left tank what a lousy job i did
my rivets are sitting higher than id like. they appear tight and i believe sealant is everywhere it should be.
any tips on a better riveting job the stiffeners and fuel filler were easier with back riveting but also not as good as all my previous rivetting
im using a mushroom set with a rubber ring compressor down to 45lbs
ill take any advice
thanks in advance

It may be the proseal but you mentioned the others are flush.
Try heavy packing tape over the rivet to hold it down then feather the trigger for a few taps to partially set. Every gun is different but 45 psi seems kinda high for a #3. Just my $.02.

[morlino]

These help prevent rivets from sitting proud because of the proseal:
http://www.cleavelandtool.com/Tank-Skin-Dimple-Die-Set-for-3_32-Rivet/productinfo/DIE4263T/#.WB-zLpMrIUE

[Aero_Octaveus]

I take it that your setting the rivets "wet" rather than waiting a day for the proseal to set up? The tank dies help, but at the end of the day I found riveting the tank very challenging. The tank dies help so that you can get a little proseal under the rivet head and not have them sit proud, but I found the tradeoff is that the rivets like to "tip" or "tilt" a little more than usual. I found that I had to drill out and re-set more rivets than I really wanted. It seems extra care is needed holding the bucking bar just right. (Keeping the bar clean with a wipe between each rivet set helped) Btw...Not the most fun drilling out rivets in proseal!

Hang in there...keep the faith and try your best. Get the dies it will help.

You may be of the fortunate few who feel that riveting in proseal is easy. I myself wasn't that fortunate. I found it a bit of an art.

[rmartingt]

Take the rubber ring off your rivet set. Better yet, get a swivel flush set like this one: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B005VR9256/

It'll really cut down on smileys elsewhere in the build, too.

Rivets are going to sit just a bit higher on the tanks. I would keep working wet and not do the "set up before riveting" method because you'll get better clampup between the parts.

It's messy and there's not much a way around it. Though if I were to do it over I'd mask off the ribs and skins before applying sealant.

[Adam W]

thanks to all
i am setting them while wet didnt know there was an option
i cleaned the bar every few rivets ill change to every rivet. i will also try the tape as though im back rivetting

ive heard people refer to a tool called a rivet shaver. is this a way to fix the rivets that sit a bit proud?

[PIN 37]

ive heard people refer to a tool called a rivet shaver. is this a way to fix the rivets that sit a bit proud?
__________________

Yes you can use a rivit shaver and I bought one of them for the very same reason. At the end of the day I did not use it and after primer and paint the rivits are not noticeable any more than anywhere else on the wing

[rvbuilder2002]

Or contrary to all of the advice so far...
You could do what I have done on all of the tanks I have built over the years 20 - 30 or so, but have lost count) and scoop the sealant out of the dimple before inserting the rivet. I have never had a leak at a rivet.

No rivets sitting high
No reduction in joint integrity from a coating of rubber like material between the rivet head and the material you are attaching.

Think about it.... you apply sealant to the rib. It gets placed against the skin which applies a layer between the rib and skin. You set a rivet which pulls the rib and skin even tighter together causing the trapped sealant to squeeze around the rivet even tighter.

[Adam W]

the packing tape was a great help
and the idea of removing the proseal from the dimple makes alot of sense

thanks to all again
did a couple more ribs and its improved but not as good as id like getting there

[ryschneider]

Scott McDaniels, I am about to start working on my tanks on an RV-7. Since you said that the sealant squeezes out during this process would you recommend a very thin layer to start? And based on your comment of scooping out the sealant, a very thin coating inside the dimple, is that correct? Then I'll come back afterward and add a fillet to the rib/skin joints. My wife is a cake decorator, I may enlist her for this job. Thanks, Ryan