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05-22-2019, 01:05 AM
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Join Date: Apr 2019
Location: Chandler, AZ
Posts: 10
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Thank you for all your input. It looks like it should be manageable without the air drill or grinder. I plan on purchasing multiple other forms of electric tools like drill press, bench grinder, etc. The compressor is just a tough one for me.
In regard to the priming, I plan on sourcing that part out because I don't really have the space to mess with those types of harsh chemicals. Especially that it's a rental house, it will make it even tougher. I'm currently looking for a shop to get quotes on costs to alodine and epoxy primer all the aluminum parts that need priming.
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05-22-2019, 04:50 AM
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Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Bowie MD
Posts: 886
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Rental house is different than a condo set up, tho people still build planes (cars and boats) in those places too and have compressors. You can do a a lot with a 120v compressor and dont really need a big one. With just rivetting and air drilling you could get away with something the roofers use if you wanted. You can always hook up a cheater air tank or two for extra capacity.
As far as priming goes, really spend some quality time in the primer section here. Alodine etc really is old old school as the epoxy primers today are really tough. Akzo 463 for example is bullet proof, stupid easy to put on, and only comes off mechanically (and you gotta really go at it) once its dried - 10 mins in >70F. You really would be spending a whole lot of money (and time lost) farming that stuff out. Just my .02 tho
__________________
Mani
Busby MustangII (FoldingWing) Pending DAR.
Don't be a hater; I'm a cousin with thin wings! 
N251Y (res)
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05-22-2019, 09:33 AM
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Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: WARNER ROBINS, GA
Posts: 391
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Compressor
California Air Tools makes a compressor that is very quiet. I sold my old noisy one when I moved to GA and bought theirs for $160. It?s a #1 seller and has 55 5star reviews as of today. Quiet and works great. U shouldn?t need any more capacity and neighbors won?t know u are using it.
__________________
Keith
RV 7A RV #9700 May 2017
N325KS the Flying “K”
Built in SoCal KCCB, now in GA @ KPXE
550+ Hours & 7X cross the USA
OSH flyin 2018 & 2019 & Petit Jean 2019
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05-22-2019, 11:59 AM
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Join Date: May 2006
Location: Pocahontas MS
Posts: 3,884
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Well....They may not hear the compressor, but I'll bet they'll hear you use it.
;-)
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05-22-2019, 01:00 PM
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Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Denver, CO
Posts: 1,967
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I went with the largest Harbor Freight compressor I could find that was 1) oiled, 2) 2 stage (quieter) and 3) 110V. It has served me well for the last 8 years of building. All my tools are air driven and my compressor is in the workshop with me, without a sound box around it. I do wear ear muffs when working for long hours as the compressor noise is more than I'd like. However, I really didn't want to spend several $K to upgrade the panel in my house to run 220V. Works just fine, as long as you're not spraying paint with it.
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05-22-2019, 02:18 PM
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Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: Southern Maryland
Posts: 134
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I built my empennage with only an electric drill and a pancake compressor running my rivet gun and squeezer. Worked just fine and I believe would continue to work, just with some limitations.
As the build went on though, I knew I eventually wanted to get a die grinder for some deburring, spray primer with an HVLP, and get an air drill so I invested in a Lowes 30 gal 2 stage unit and I couldn't be happier. I decided early on that I was going to to equip myself with tools that I wouldn't need to upgrade in short order and that would make the building process enjoyable. Although I'm in rib deburring **** at the moment, I'll get back to using air and drilling/banging rivets here shortly.
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RV-7:
Empennage complete!
Wings in progress
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05-22-2019, 05:41 PM
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Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Montreal
Posts: 1,456
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If you grab the keyless chuck on most chordless drills it will wiggle. The cheaper the drill the looser the chuck is. The good air drills have solid ball bearings and they are tight. A loose spindle means more runout and therefore a bigger hole with the same bit. That's before you consider the runout of the chuck. Is this a big deal? There are milspecs that dictate what the tolerances are for rivets to achieve full strength. Those are what I would consult to see if this level of accuracy is relevant or not. I certainly would not rely on somebidy saying "I built my whole airplane that way" as any sort of evidence that it is ok.
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Scott Black
Old school simple VFR RV 4, O-320, wood prop, MGL iEfis Lite
VAF dues 2020
Instagram @sblack2154
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05-22-2019, 06:32 PM
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Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Battleground
Posts: 4,348
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Scott is spot on. Also, every guide you will find wants your drill to be spinning at 2000-3000 rpm for aluminum for most hole sizes in an RV. Why? That is where proper drill pressure will allow good chip production, the bit is doing the work, clearing and cooling by passing material. You?re not tearing the material out of the hole, you?re cutting it out.
All this doesn?t mean a lot when we are just drilling sheet. It is a pretty low tolerance task for most RV work.
However, pick up your Sioux spinning at 2400rpm, then you?re typical rechargeable or electric spinning at? Less than 1000, some better ones up to 2000? Less? You will notice the pressure it takes to drill vs the Sioux, or better pneumatic.
So, does it matter? I have no doubt you can build an RV without a pneumatic drill. Can you find one that spins up to recommendations, has decent bearings, chuck, etc....? That?s what I would want if I headed down that path.
__________________
Smart People do Stupid things all the time. I know, I've seen me do'em.
RV6 - Builder/Flying
Bucker Jungmann
Fiat G.46 -(restoration in progress, if I have enough life left in me)
RV1 - Proud Pilot.
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05-22-2019, 07:04 PM
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Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Boulder, CO
Posts: 4,435
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Ali, these airplanes need some riveting. And a hand squeezer isn't going to manage all of them. Some of them need a rivet gun, and for that you'll need a source of compressed air.
Dave
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05-22-2019, 07:41 PM
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Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Atlanta, GA
Posts: 4,218
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A $150 pancake compressor will take care of every air *need* you have to build an airplane. Will you occasionally wait for pressure to build? Sure, but that's a minute or two here and there.
Too many people get caught in the trap of "gotta have the very best of everything". Yes, a 5 hp, two stage, 220V compressor with a 50 gallon tank would be great. Even better if you located it in a room by itself and hard piped air to to a distribution network complete with built in dryers, moisture traps, and the like.
But a huge number of airplanes have been built with a 110v portable compressor feeding air through a flexible hose.
Don't over-think things. Just buy what you need and start building. It's just an airplane.
__________________
Kyle Boatright
Marietta, GA
2001 RV-6 N46KB
2019(?) RV-10
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