Right Aileron Completion for Van's RV-7 (No pop rivets)

We completed the right aileron last week. Notice anything? We used solid rivets instead of the recommended pop rivets. How did we do it you ask? With this...



It is a spring loaded bucking bar. There is a hole at the end of the spring. You position the spring over the top of the cleco on one side of the aileron and buck the rivet on the opposite side of the aileron like so...



Next work detail = working on the right flap.

Hi Brian
What an ingenious way to buck rivets on both sides of the aileron.Wow ,good job. I also looked in a way to do this ,but decided agains it for two reasons, one it is on the bottom of the aileron where no one will ever see it, and secondly more importantly when you follow the instructions and you get to the point of riveting the bottom of the aileron skin to the spar they have you weigh it down on a flat surface while riveting the bottom of the spar to eliminate any twist in the aileron ,and ensure a perfectly flat control surface.
Regards
Arie

Arie,
The potential twisting that you are referring to was a concern of ours also. However, we bucked all the rivets while the aileron was resting securely in the jig seen in the photo above and had no problems.

Almost diabolical. Is that a used tie rod?

How about the counterbalance?

Mike,
We used pop rivets on the counterbalance.

Tool Close Up

Has anyone made the EAA spring bucking bar?

This is an older thread, but figured it is the right place for another/similar bucking method. I recently saw EAA video on a "custom bucking" bar that was spring loaded.

I have tried to replicate this spring loaded bucking bar for an RV7 aileron. The bar weighs .9 lb compared to my tungsten 1.2 lb. The spring preload is around 18 lb. The face is polished and midway between the upper and lower bend angle.

Although it has been tested at 65psi w/ ~4 second burst, and will consistently set the rivet, feedback from others would help. The plan is to have the spar horizontal and allow gravity to hold the bar in the spar channel.

Before I experiment on real parts does anyone have experience to share, good or bad?

Questions are -
1. Can the aileron be made straight if bucked end to end? Or start in the center?
2. Should upper & lower sides be bucked this way or one side the old fashioned way?
3. How does this mass and preload compare?




Thanks, Bill