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  #11  
Old 12-02-2013, 09:39 PM
Aryana Aryana is offline
 
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Western US
Posts: 98
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At first I was like "what do dirty ceiling tiles have to do with nice dimples?"

And then I saw the invisible airplane

That is really smoooooooth and flat.
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  #12  
Old 12-03-2013, 03:18 PM
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Kevin Horton Kevin Horton is offline
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Ottawa, Canada
Posts: 2,357
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Another variable is the fit of the under lying structure to the skin. Make sure all flanges are perfectly bent so their are parallel to the skin. I found on my RV-8 (early fuselage) that I needed shims in a few places between the bulkhead and the skin to avoid having a small space.

Once you are done with the fuselage riveting, you may find a few places where the skin is very slightly depressed at a rivet. I touched those up using a length of dowel and hammer - I went inside fuselage, put the end of the dowel on the formed rivet head and tapped with a hammer until my outside helper told me the skin at that rivet was perfectly flat.
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  #13  
Old 12-04-2013, 07:28 AM
PaulR PaulR is offline
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Geneva, AL
Posts: 491
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Kevin Horton View Post
Once you are done with the fuselage riveting, you may find a few places where the skin is very slightly depressed at a rivet. I touched those up using a length of dowel and hammer - I went inside fuselage, put the end of the dowel on the formed rivet head and tapped with a hammer until my outside helper told me the skin at that rivet was perfectly flat.
Take what Kevin has said very seriously. As hard as you try to make sure all the flanges lay perfectly together, you will have some places that will show after riveting. Whether it's an inexperienced bucker/shooter or the flanges it's inevitable I think. I spent quite a few hours inside the fuse lightly tapping them back out flush before sending it to the painter, and still see some places that could have been better.

My $.02 worth.
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  #14  
Old 12-04-2013, 01:08 PM
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flyboy1963 flyboy1963 is offline
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Lake Country, B.C. Canada
Posts: 2,416
Default sum'r flatter'n udders

[quote=Ron RV8;831340]I'm no pro .....
Here's a few shots of my far from perfect (first time builder) results as a data point... A lot of credit goes to some pretty careful (though inexperienced) helpers..QUOTE]

Ron, that's a beauty! ....but I thought you said yellow 'n preyple???? looks like you got grape with goldenrod!
oh well, you can sand it off & try again, right?

the riveting looks reeeeeeeeeel nice from here!

( does Mooney time count toward a hi-performance endorsement ....like an ar-vee ate?)
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  #15  
Old 12-05-2013, 09:49 AM
jj_jetmech jj_jetmech is offline
 
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Klgb
Posts: 125
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Quote:
Originally Posted by aerhed View Post
http://s954.photobucket.com/user/aer...tml?sort=3&o=0
These were done using a 3/4 thick plate with a male dimple set in a hole. The female in a 6 x 3/4 handset and a 12oz ball peen. So, it's not just the size of the tool. It's also how you use it.
This picture looks like it was taken from the best advantage point... You also have process related distortion based on the circus mirror effect as seen by what is reflected in the skin. This is good quality you can see that. Nice work...
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  #16  
Old 12-05-2013, 10:33 AM
jj_jetmech jj_jetmech is offline
 
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Klgb
Posts: 125
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I greatly appreciate the reply's.... I have been an AP/IA for 22 years... Typically I hate hearing other technician's state that type of claim because we have all seen AP' s that should have their tool boxes taken away... That credential doesn't mean you can build or rivet.... There's plenty of RV builders that are better than most AP's.. This is my first build and I have been wanting to build an RV forever. I have sheet metal skills, but I must say I'm learning a lot. Tail is basically finished and it looks really good, I know it could be better but things I learned building that tail can not be applied it's done...

I'm going to test the dowel trick and pay more attention to the understructure,, I have also switched to the DRDT-2... The C frame may very we'll produce a crisper dimple but swinging a hammer towards my parts makes me uncomfortable...

One thing I learned early in this build is after looking at production airplanes all of my career,,,, accepting that craftsmanship as a standard is a bad idea and should not be applied to my project as acceptable....

For example I was looking at my friends S 35 Bonanza this morning and honestly Beechcraft should be embarrassed the sheet metal work is terrible especially when compared to some of the RV's that are out there.

The RV community has raised the standard it's cool to become part of this community... Just another reason not to go certified!

My fuse arrives Next week and I can apply these evolving skills and things learned from the VAF group to the next phase,,,

Build on I think is what you guys say, Thanks!
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