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Close Quarters Riveting

What's the best tool you recommend for dimpling/riveting tight areas close to spars? I had a pin hole puncture in my trim tab and was advised by Vans to drill to #40, dimple and set a #3 flush rivet. After I drilled the hole and deburred, I realized that I'm too close to the spar web to be able to dimple/rivet. I'm looking to expand my tools anyways. What do you recommend? Unfortunately, it's also somewhat beneath the trim tab horns, so only about 1/4" clearance on top and about 7/8" clearance on the bottom.
 

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Pop rivet dimpler with the female die ground to a “D” shape to get in close to the spar.
If you haven’t ground some dimple dies, well, you will....
 
diy

Make your own close quarter dimple dies from mild steel and use a machine countersink to make the depression. The male part of the die is a matching rivet that will be tapped into the hole with a drift punch. The dimple won't be perfect, but it will be good enough in such a location.

The rivet itself can be set with a squeezer or a narrow flush set and thin bucking bar.
 

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Last edited:
Dimple tool

My first choice for something like that is a Cleveland Vice Grip Dimpler.
Second is the pop rivet dimple tool
Third is a 3/16" gun set. The dies fit in the set. Turn pressure down to about 10 psi and feather the trigger. I also have home made bar that holds the female.
Fourth is a home made close quarter jig as mentioned above
 
That's a tight spot.

I think I would forgo putting a rivet in there. Use a debur tool to put a little more of an angle on the hole, then mix up some epoxy with milled fibers and fill the hole; push the material into the hole - forming a sort of mushroom plug.

Sand & Paint...
 
Use an NAS1097-3 rivet. You can countersink with a couple turns of your deburring tool. Set it with a no-hole yoke in a squeezer or a long set in a gun.
 
Not to go off-topic, but "close quarters riveting" reminds me of installing a transponder and encoder in my first plane - a 150.

A&P: "I need you to crawl back in the tail cone and buck these rivets."

Me: "OK"

HOLY ****!
 
I'd use a pop rivet and fill in the hole.
But, if you decide to try riveting a solid rivet, use a soft rivet.
It would be a rivet without the divot in the middle of the rivet head and much easier to squeeze. (AN426A rivets)
 
I'd use a pop rivet and fill in the hole.
But, if you decide to try riveting a solid rivet, use a soft rivet.
It would be a rivet without the divot in the middle of the rivet head and much easier to squeeze. (AN426A rivets)

+1

Pop rivet all day. There are a few spots where I wish I had simply used a pop rivet and called it "good enough" instead of trying to be "better" with a solid rivet.
 
Not to go off-topic, but "close quarters riveting" reminds me of installing a transponder and encoder in my first plane - a 150.

A&P: "I need you to crawl back in the tail cone and buck these rivets."

Me: "OK"

HOLY ****!
I guess he forgot to give you ear protection. That must have been worth a couple of AC/DC concerts for your long term hearing loss! :eek:
 
Pop rivet

Yes, it is proving very difficult to get anything in there, especially with the tab horns on top. I believe I will just pop rivet this one and hope that the primer and paint hide it well. Thanks everyone.
 
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