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12-16-2013, 01:08 PM
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Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Granbury, TX
Posts: 543
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Best way to fix VS "outies" caused by ribs
Well, I guess I can add my name to the list of folks that have been bitten by the forward ribs in the RV-10 VS being a little long resulting in a couple of minor "outies" in the VS skin.
Unfortunately I found out about the issue, after I had struggled a bit to cleco on the VS skin. I have trimmed ~1/8" or so off the nose of the ribs, which should make fitting the skin back on the frame much easier.
Anyway, looking for ideas as how to best take care of this.... the "outies" aren't bad enough to justify spending $100+ on a new skin. I was planning on trying to tap them out with a dead blow hammer. I figured worse case, I'll tap them into "innies" and just fill them with epoxy/microballoons at some point later in the build. Any better options?
Thanks,
Jason
__________________
Jason Tremble
RV-7A (Flying and Sold)
RV-10 in process (@#$$%# Cabin Top & Doors)
Paid for 2020
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12-16-2013, 11:07 PM
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Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Mpumalanga, South Africa
Posts: 1,065
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This issue comes up a lot on all types.
The problem is not that the ribs are too long. On the sharp radius at the front of the rib, the small flange tabs bent over result in a square instead of a curved profile. This means that the corners sit proud of the theoretical shape. The way to prevent the outies is take these corners off. This results is the tab crease being shorter than the width of the tab - a sort of scallop shape. Clearly, you have to be careful not to remove too much material. It also helps if you then bend down slightly the edges of the tabs to give them a curved shape.
As to what to do if you end up with outies, I agree with your plan - knock them in slightly and then fill the small depression.
__________________
Paul
Mercy Air, White River FAWV
RV-10 ZU-IIZ - "Zeus"
Building Bearhawk Bravo - RV-18 not available
2019 Donation Made
Last edited by paul330 : 12-16-2013 at 11:09 PM.
Reason: typo
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12-17-2013, 02:22 PM
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Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Hartford, CT
Posts: 97
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I had the same issue, and used a rounded bucking bar to compress the deformed metal back into shape by hand. Use a rounded corner of a bar locally if you need more force to compress the metal. You could barely tell there was an issue, even when you knew where to look. The paint covered the remaining blemish.
A hammer may be more force than you need. You may end up stretching the surrounding metal if you hit it too hard.
Aaron
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12-19-2013, 02:08 PM
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Join Date: May 2009
Location: Bay City, MI
Posts: 421
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Other than cosmetics, is there a structural concern?
__________________
Dennis
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12-19-2013, 02:26 PM
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Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Windsor, California
Posts: 924
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Be careful using a dead-blow or soft-faced hammer. These hammers tend to depress the unsupported skin area adjacent to the sharp-pointed outie thus accentuating the boo-boo. I used a smooth-faced bucking bar on the point of the outie to carefully encourage a flattening effect. However, this action likely creates a hardened stress riser point in the skin. My next plane will be PERFECT!! 
__________________
David Heal - Windsor, CA (near Santa Rosa)
EAA #23982 (circa 1965) - EAA Technical Counselor and Flight Advisor; CFI - A&I
RV-12 E-LSA #120496 (SV w/ AP and ADS-B 2020) - N124DH flying since March 2014 - 940+ hours (as of September 2020)! 
V AF donation through June 2021.
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12-19-2013, 03:07 PM
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Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Brisbane, Australia
Posts: 37
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Now that you are aware of this, file the nose of the ribs in future where the sharp change in radius occurs to remove the "peak". I`m sure it`s in the manual somewhere.
To repair what you have now - I used my rivet gun with the flat snap in it and turned the gun right down using the regulator I have screwed into the back of the gun.
Start soft on the gun as always and dial it up one click at a time until you get it right. Mark the dead centre of the outie with a sharpie. Put some packing tape on the snap and place the snap right on the peak of the outie and the impact will dress down the peak on the rib under the skin and all will be good. I`m not talking about belting the **** out of anything, just gently dressing the "outie". It takes a lot less force than driving the 3.32 rivets and won`t damage the structure. If done right, you can rest a straight edge on it, and the packing tape on the snap will mean you have no marring on the skin at all.
Once the gun is set up, the second and subsequent outies will dress out with 1 very short burst of the gun. Just a couple of gentle and precisely targeted taps (dead on the peak), that`s all.
If you`re like me, the hardest part is getting over the fear of doing it the first time. After that, you wonder what all the stress was about.
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12-19-2013, 04:35 PM
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Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Hubbard Oregon
Posts: 9,035
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Quote:
Originally Posted by paul330
This issue comes up a lot on all types.
The problem is not that the ribs are too long. On the sharp radius at the front of the rib, the small flange tabs bent over result in a square instead of a curved profile. This means that the corners sit proud of the theoretical shape. The way to prevent the outies is take these corners off. This results is the tab crease being shorter than the width of the tab - a sort of scallop shape. Clearly, you have to be careful not to remove too much material. It also helps if you then bend down slightly the edges of the tabs to give them a curved shape.
As to what to do if you end up with outies, I agree with your plan - knock them in slightly and then fill the small depression.
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Paul is exactly right. More info in Section 5.2 of the Recently Updated Section 5 of the construction manual.
As Paul said, the only way to really fix an outy is to turn it into an inny though yuou can sometimes make it go back flat if it is not ver bad. As already mentioned don't use a hammer to do this. Choose a tool and use hand pressure. I often use corners or edges of bucking bars. Sometimes even the round end of a small ball peen hammer by pushing it against a dent at a single point.
__________________
Opinions, information and comments are my own unless stated otherwise. They do not necessarily represent the direction/opinions of my employer.
Scott McDaniels
Van's Aircraft Engineering Prototype Shop Manager
Hubbard, Oregon
RV-6A (aka "Junkyard Special ")
Last edited by rvbuilder2002 : 12-19-2013 at 04:39 PM.
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12-20-2013, 12:04 AM
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Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Mpumalanga, South Africa
Posts: 1,065
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rvbuilder2002
Paul is exactly right.
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That makes a change! Anyone told my wife or employer? 
__________________
Paul
Mercy Air, White River FAWV
RV-10 ZU-IIZ - "Zeus"
Building Bearhawk Bravo - RV-18 not available
2019 Donation Made
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