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Ugh!! Back Riveting mistake!!

J

jdmunzell

Well Known Member
I just KNOW that I am the only one to do this, but just in case I'm wrong, here's what I did. I am in the process of backriveting the stiffeners onto the aileron skin. Everything was going well when I started riveting this rivet and discovered that the back plate had shifted and I had nothing for the rivet head to rest on for the flush finish. Wound up with a slight but unsightly divit in the surface of the skin.

I've already redimpled the hole but the entire thing still has this divit.. Wondering what magic procedure will help flatten this area around a new rivet... perhaps setting it back in the backing plate and then slightly hammering either with slow rivet gun or manual hammer, over a small socket that would surround the dimple, but drive down on the skin. Also has to the stiffener to help in the process.. I was hoping to send a few pics, but I can't seem to be able to do that, which is also very frustrating!!:confused:
 
Way back in the 1900s (1999 to be exact), I did the same thing...smoothed it out as best as I could and just kept on trucking. That mistake along with the one where you let the skin come up off the plate so the rivet gun puts a different kind of dent in your skin. I don't think there's a total fix for this...
 
Find the best auto body shop in your area. Ask that they let their best bump-out artist have a look at it. Some of those folks can do magic. I have seen a repair in 2024-T3 that's indistinguishable from the surrounding skin.

Magic - if the guy is good.
Dave
 
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I saw your thread title and thought. I just did that last week to my rudder. I'm hoping it's less noticable as time goes on. My wife took about 30 seconds to find the error (longer than I expected) so I'm OK with it.
 
Once the metal is stretched it's practically impossible to shrink it back like it was before. At $41.75 plus shipping for a new A-801 skin, I wouldn't even think about taking it to a body shop.
 
I did that with my rudder. That thud is the most sickening sound, isn't it? :( The .016 skin tore. I said swear words I didn't even know existed. :mad: I cut a new skin out of some .016 sheet we had laying around and made new stiffeners...no big deal. Even if you fill it, you will always see it. New aileron skins are cheap!
 
longranger said:
Once the metal is stretched it's practically impossible to shrink it back like it was before. At $41.75 plus shipping for a new A-801 skin, I wouldn't even think about taking it to a body shop.
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Especially 2024 which has little ductility. New skin or make an depression to be filled. Use a high strength magnet to mark the back plate. I did the same thing.
 
One thing going for me here is that I could still designate that side as the underside of the aileron, instead of the top. But the OCD side of me wants to just order another skin and some new stiffeners and just be careful to NOT DO IT AGAIN!!

I may try the socket over the dimpled hole on the backplate idea, to see what happens! Stay tuned! :eek:
 
longranger said:
Once the metal is stretched it's practically impossible to shrink it back like it was before.
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Exactly right. Ive done the same thing. Since I wasn't in a location where a skin could be sent easily, I made sure the "ding" ended up as an "innie" and had it filled.

I recommend that you move to the next part and let it settle a while. It will either fester, in which case you will replace the skin, or it will heal, in which case you will finish that aileron and skip forward to where you were when it healed.
 
don't be impatient!

I should know better by now, but I was simply trying to rush finishing this little task, as my mind was thinking about the rest of my day's agenda... I should know better...

That's when the "stupid" stuff happens! Ugh... :mad:
 
I did the same on one of my elevators. Smoothed it best I could and it's still there after about 50 hours.

Just like the bump in the skin behind the baggage compartment, the stop-drilled crack in the canopy after I flexed it a little too much and the second row of holes in the empennage fairing - each a little reminder that I built the plane in my back shed, it isn't perfect but it is mine...:)
 
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".....Just like the bump in the skin behind the baggage compartment, the stop-drilled crack in the canopy after I flexed it a little too much and the second row of holes in the empennage fairing - each a little reminder that I built the plane in my back shed, it isn't perfect but it is mine..."

Good point! Thanks! :)
 
Been there, seen it, and done it. The OCD in me will not allow me to move on. The new skin and stiffeners are not that expensive. I have to always remind myself to SLOW DOWN and double check what I'm riveting. It's a lot less expensive and more productive, but still hard to always do.
 
Bondo?

I don't know if I've missed something but if you are painting the surface what's wrong with a thin screed of Bondo? I have had to do this a few times to cover "smileys".
 
81270 said:
I don't know if I've missed something but if you are painting the surface what's wrong with a thin screed of Bondo? I have had to do this a few times to cover "smileys".
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Because it has been back-rivetted, the lump is proud of the surrounding skin, not below it, so it isn't easily covered with anything.
 
"...Because it has been back-rivetted, the lump is proud of the surrounding skin, not below it, so it isn't easily covered with anything...."

Exactly! I walked back into the shop after a day or two of ignoring it after I had tried to "fix" it best I could. There it was, still looking like Mt. McKinley with the overhead lights casting its gleam down upon the shiny aluminum..

Went back upstairs and ordered a new skin plus some new stiffeners for the aileron. I figured at this point of the aileron build, I'm not out much! So OCD took over... :rolleyes:

I'm sure there will be other goofs at a point where its best to just move on and hide it best I can, but this one was minimal mistake!
 
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