VansAirForceForums  
Home > VansAirForceForums

- POSTING RULES
- Donate yearly (please).
- Advertise in here!

- Today's Posts | Insert Pics


Go Back   VAF Forums > Main > RV General Discussion/News
Register FAQ Members List Calendar Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
  #11  
Old 04-22-2015, 08:09 PM
wirejock's Avatar
wirejock wirejock is offline
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Estes Park, CO
Posts: 3,947
Default Shooting rivets

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dan Langhout View Post
I ran mine at 90 PSI. It would squeeze -4 rivets with no problem. I would not expect any problems unless you are trying to squeeze really long rivets. As others have said, it generates more force the more it closes.

A mistake I occasionally made was to switch from shooting rivets with the gun (pressure set to 20-40 something psi) to the squeezer without resetting the pressure back to 90. It sure enough wouldn't squeeze at the lower pressure!
Good thing you didn't use the gun at 90 psi!
One reason why I have a manifold and two hoses with regulators.
__________________
Larry Larson
Estes Park, CO
http://wirejockrv7a.blogspot.com
wirejock at yahoo dot com
Donated 12/03/2019, plus a little extra.
RV-7A #73391, N511RV reserved (2,000+ hours)
HS SB, empennage, tanks, wings, fuse, working finishing kit
Disclaimer
I cannot be, nor will I be, held responsible if you try to do the same things I do and it does not work and/or causes you loss, injury, or even death in the process.
Reply With Quote
  #12  
Old 04-23-2015, 10:12 AM
longranger's Avatar
longranger longranger is offline
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: 45G, Brighton, MI
Posts: 1,867
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dan Langhout View Post
...A mistake I occasionally made was to switch from shooting rivets with the gun (pressure set to 20-40 something psi) to the squeezer without resetting the pressure back to 90. It sure enough wouldn't squeeze at the lower pressure!
I don't trust myself enough to check the regulator back at the compressor every time I change tools, so I have a small regulator that stays with my rivet gun, and just leave the compressor set at 90psi all the time.

__________________
Miles (VAF# 1238, Paid up as of 2018)
RV-7 TU 904KM (reserved)
Wings Fitted and Finish Kit on site

Construction Log
Picasa: Empennage Album, Wings Album, Fuselage Album

1955 Cessna 170B flying since 1982

'To get something you never had, you have to do something you never did.' -Unk.
Reply With Quote
  #13  
Old 04-26-2015, 07:58 AM
localizer localizer is offline
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Greenville, SC
Posts: 50
Default

Hello everyone!
Thank y'all for advice.
Im happy to report that my squeezer mashes rivets as if they are made of butter. As soon as I opened the gap between dies, I'm getting pancakes (more like crepes) out of a rivet no matter what size it is. I now need to figure out the exact opening width to minimize ram's travel. Working on it...

So, to answer Tom's question about which squeezer I have, i can say "a good one, cadmium colored with a black yoke". :-) I don't know who made it.

Now a question. How do you hold a squeezer? Ram travel distance is pretty long. Every single rivet I pancaked is surrounded by chewed aluminum. I cannot seem to find a static point at which to apply the sueeze. Which head of a rivet do you hit with it?
__________________
Yuri
DA40
RV-10 - build in progress
Reply With Quote
  #14  
Old 04-26-2015, 08:09 AM
wirejock's Avatar
wirejock wirejock is offline
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Estes Park, CO
Posts: 3,947
Default Squeezer

Post a photo of the chewed aluminum.
Set it too wide first so it can't over squeeze then creep up on a perfect shop head.
There's no right way to hold it or position it. Basically, whatever works.
Make sure you have the correct rivet sets in the yoke for the job.
They can go either way. Most of the time, the set for the factory head will be on the ram side and shop head die in the yoke.
__________________
Larry Larson
Estes Park, CO
http://wirejockrv7a.blogspot.com
wirejock at yahoo dot com
Donated 12/03/2019, plus a little extra.
RV-7A #73391, N511RV reserved (2,000+ hours)
HS SB, empennage, tanks, wings, fuse, working finishing kit
Disclaimer
I cannot be, nor will I be, held responsible if you try to do the same things I do and it does not work and/or causes you loss, injury, or even death in the process.
Reply With Quote
  #15  
Old 04-26-2015, 08:11 AM
60av8tor 60av8tor is offline
 
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Harrisburg, Pa
Posts: 759
Default

Yuri - not sure I understand what you're saying - rivets are squeezed too much..? Not sure I understand the chewed aluminum comment - have a pic? There is a spacer under this flange, hence the gap. Other than that, do they look similar?



Not sure what brand squeezer you have but mine came with a table of recommended gaps per rivet size. It's not perfect, but an excellent starting point. Eventually you will be able to eyeball common sizes - 3-3.5s. I can email a pic of the table if you'd like.
__________________
Jon
RV-7A purchased flying - Sold 6/16
RV-10 empennage delivered 1/22/14 (325JT)

Build: http://hhav8or.blogspot.com/

Last edited by 60av8tor : 04-26-2015 at 11:39 AM.
Reply With Quote
  #16  
Old 04-26-2015, 08:31 AM
jlfernan's Avatar
jlfernan jlfernan is offline
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Port Orange, Fl
Posts: 476
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by localizer View Post
Now a question. How do you hold a squeezer? Ram travel distance is pretty long. Every single rivet I pancaked is surrounded by chewed aluminum. I cannot seem to find a static point at which to apply the sueeze. Which head of a rivet do you hit with it?
You may want to take an EAA sheet metal class before proceeding or in the least get together with an experienced builder and spend some time working on the basics. What you are taking on is very exciting, but it must be approached in a serious manner. Practicing with part that are going to end up on your plane is not wise. Have fun!
__________________
http://www.mykitlog.com/JorgeF
Jorge Fernandez
Spruce Creek, FL
Reply With Quote
  #17  
Old 04-26-2015, 08:47 AM
akarmy's Avatar
akarmy akarmy is offline
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Auburn, WA
Posts: 668
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by localizer View Post
How do you hold a squeezer? Ram travel distance is pretty long. Every single rivet I pancaked is surrounded by chewed aluminum. I cannot seem to find a static point at which to apply the sueeze. Which head of a rivet do you hit with it?
Assuming right handed, I usually hold the part with my left hand, squeezer in the right hand. You want the "head" of the rivet to be pressed tight against the part, so I usually have the head on the movable ram side. Then apply pressure against the head while slowly pulling the trigger with your right hand. It should smoothly tighten up if you press lightly and once you make contact with the tail of the rivet you can finish the squeeze. You want to make sure you keep the squeezer at 90deg to the work or yes you will damage the surrounding structure.

Keep backing off the ram until you don't get pancakes but instead nice muffin tail like you see in the picture above. Good luck, and like Jeff says practice on some scrap until you are comfortable or find a class or EAA chapter to get some help in person if needed.
__________________
Andy Karmy
Covington WA

RV-8 - Flying!
RV-9A - sold

Dec 2019 Paid
Reply With Quote
  #18  
Old 04-26-2015, 09:36 AM
krw5927 krw5927 is offline
 
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Wichita, KS
Posts: 1,958
Default

Right. You don't "hit" a rivet with a squeezer. For starters, take out a rivet that you will want to squeeze. Just the rivet, say AN426AD3-4 (or whatever's appropriate for your practice pieces). Set the rivet on the workbench. Now grab your squeezer with the dies in it, connect it to air, and pull the trigger with nothing in it, just the squeezer by itself. If the two dies touch, open the adjustable ram (make it shorter) so that at full travel, the dies don't touch. Then open it some more, so that at full travel, the dies are apart by ALMOST the length of the rivet sitting on your workbench. You want the die gap to be a little smaller than the rivet, so that squeezing starts.

Now put the rivet in the hole of the parts you're assembling (scrap first until you get the hang of the squeezer). Set the top (non-moveable) die of the squeezer against the manufactured head of the rivet. Try to hold the squeezer as square to the part surface as possible, and slowly "feather" or gently depress the trigger of the squeezer, so that the ram gently closes. The ram will come up and ever so slightly begin to deform the rivet, and you will depress the trigger more and more until it reaches full travel and the trigger is fully depressed. The squeezer and your hand stay in the same place this way.

Remove the squeezer and close the gap between the dies just a little bit, and repeat. You want to sneak up on this setting. Soon you will have rivets that look like the photos that others posted.

You will begin to get a feel for your particular squeezer, the trigger feathering and the gap required for various rivet sizes. Then you can play tricks like holding the moveable die against the shop head and letting the non-moveable die come up to squeeze the tail of the rivet, for areas where access is an issue. You will see that the entire squeezer and the hand holding it will have to translate toward you while using this method.

Some pics of your squeezer and the "crepe" rivets with mangled aluminum would be helpful in diagnosis also.
__________________
Kurt W.
RV9A
FLYING!!!

Last edited by krw5927 : 04-26-2015 at 09:42 AM.
Reply With Quote
  #19  
Old 04-26-2015, 03:16 PM
BillL BillL is offline
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Central IL
Posts: 5,516
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by krw5927 View Post
Right. You don't "hit" a rivet with a squeezer. For starters, take out a rivet that you will want to squeeze. Just the rivet, say AN426AD3-4 (or whatever's appropriate for your practice pieces). Set the rivet on the workbench. Now grab your squeezer with the dies in it, connect it to air, and pull the trigger with nothing in it, just the squeezer by itself. If the two dies touch, open the adjustable ram (make it shorter) so that at full travel, the dies don't touch. Then open it some more, so that at full travel, the dies are apart by ALMOST the length of the rivet sitting on your workbench. You want the die gap to be a little smaller than the rivet, so that squeezing starts.

Now put the rivet in the hole of the parts you're assembling (scrap first until you get the hang of the squeezer). Set the top (non-moveable) die of the squeezer against the manufactured head of the rivet. Try to hold the squeezer as square to the part surface as possible, and slowly "feather" or gently depress the trigger of the squeezer, so that the ram gently closes. The ram will come up and ever so slightly begin to deform the rivet, and you will depress the trigger more and more until it reaches full travel and the trigger is fully depressed. The squeezer and your hand stay in the same place this way.

Remove the squeezer and close the gap between the dies just a little bit, and repeat. You want to sneak up on this setting. Soon you will have rivets that look like the photos that others posted.

You will begin to get a feel for your particular squeezer, the trigger feathering and the gap required for various rivet sizes. Then you can play tricks like holding the moveable die against the shop head and letting the non-moveable die come up to squeeze the tail of the rivet, for areas where access is an issue. You will see that the entire squeezer and the hand holding it will have to translate toward you while using this method.

Some pics of your squeezer and the "crepe" rivets with mangled aluminum would be helpful in diagnosis also.
+1 LOL, that IS why it is called a squeezer! You should develop the skill to locate the ram anywhere in its stroke and hold it there. It is good to do this in the ram adjustment, sometimes it is too short to rotate and fully extended it is hard to rotate. Just don't be holding it when it returns or the flats will shear bits of skin off! - - skill prevents this
__________________
Bill

RV-7
Lord Kelvin:
“I often say that when you can measure what you are speaking about,
and express it in numbers, you know something about it; but when you
cannot measure it, when you cannot express it in numbers, your knowledge
is of a meager and unsatisfactory kind.”
Reply With Quote
Reply


Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 07:36 AM.


The VAFForums come to you courtesy Delta Romeo, LLC. By viewing and participating in them you agree to build your plane using standardized methods and practices and to fly it safely and in accordance with the laws governing the country you are located in.