Question about double-flush riveting

tvlawyer · #1 09-15-2006, 12:06 PM

I am looking at my airfoil project that I built in the RV Assembly workshop last weekend. I notice on the trailing edge of the airfoil, there is a lot of room around the shop heads. I know this happened because I dimpled that side of the skin the same size as the factory side. Is it possible to reduce the depth of the dimple on the shop side so I don't have all that gap? Does it matter? I'll be using the DRDT-2 dimpler to start my tail next weekend.

TShort · #2 09-15-2006, 12:16 PM

Are you building an -8?
If so, there is no double flush riveting in the -8 kit...

Thomas

tvlawyer · #3 09-15-2006, 12:58 PM

is right! I am building an 8 so I'm tickled to hear that.

pierre smith · #4 09-15-2006, 01:22 PM

Hi Larry,
Just a few double flush rivets to assemble the two pieces of center rear canopy rail.

So you've decided on an 8, eh?

tvlawyer · #5 09-15-2006, 01:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pierre smith

Hi Larry,
Just a few double flush rivets to assemble the two pieces of center rear canopy rail.

So you've decided on an 8, eh?

Yep. I'm going to make it look like a little P-40... shark's teeth and all.
I will call it "Professional Courtesy" because that's why sharks don't eat lawyers.

I just received a tracking message from FedEx. The tail's in the mail!

Pierre: do you have any input on my question about double-flush riveting?

dan · #6 09-15-2006, 08:28 PM

Larry,

The shop heads on double-flush rivets will never quite fill the dimple...definitely not like a nice factory head on an AN426 will. There will always be a "halo" of space around 'em. That's normal.

Since you're building an -8 you won't encounter any riveted trailing edges like that. Other models like the -9 and -10, and the -7's "new" rudder use riveted trailing edges.

For the sake of argument, if you were building a -9, I wouldn't "under dimple" and try to get the shop head to fill the dimple better. It'll never look like a factory head. Close, but never exactly.

On the flip side, you might think to use a longer rivet -- i.e. on the practice project try a -3.5 instead of a -3. But even that doesn't fill the dimple smoothly.

Regardless, we're talking about tiny fractions of an inch here. There will come a day when you call Van's for advice on something, and you'll get the infamous response: "You're building a farm tractor, not a Swiss watch."

svanarts · #7 09-15-2006, 08:41 PM

Don't know Jay Pratt, never met him or talked to him but he has the best one-liner to keep in mind when building your RV: "We're trying to get to Denver, not Mars."

Mistakes will be made. Accept it and move it. If not getting the shop head to completely fill your dimple when back riveting is the worst thing that happens while building, I want to come learn from you!

Enjoy the journey and then enjoy the ride.