Tip: Tool to keep surfaces tight when hand squeezing

[Pirkka]

I just completed riveting of HS and now as you have given tips for me here I will give something for an exchange. Idea actually came from my buddy who was helping with riveting and we had problems with this issue.

The pictures taken are only for demostration purposes. For this particular place there would be easy to access with other tools as well and in fact the this particular tool is for AD3s while this rivet is actually AD4.

The problem:

Skin and rib ain't tight together as they should be before riveting. When you put hand squeezer there, you may not have anymore easy way to push them against each other.




Solution:

A piece of rubber tube. This is pretty thick stuff and therefore it's not much over 1.5D. The hole in the tube could be even smaller, but this is what I was able to found my shop. The correct lenght rubber squeezes surfaces tightly against each other before the rivet starts to squeeze. Small difference in thickness of the tube will have big difference when squeezing. In fact, for AD3s and AD4s you'll need own helpers.

Non-focused rivets are only for size reference (426AD3-3.5s).



Put the rubber tube to the shop head side and squeeze gently with the squeezer.



As this rubber tube is pretty thick I don't squeeze rivet to the final length so after it has started to squeeze I remove the tube as the surfaces will stay together already.



After this, just finish the rivet normally.


Note:

Depending of the tube, it may rub primer a bit. I haven't seen this a problem but you never know...

I tried whether this would work with rivet gun too, but it's a bit too hard to push bucking bar that the rivet would even start to squeeze...

[frankh]

I like it...Frank

[hevansrv7a]

I used half of a rubber grommet for -3's. Great minds thinking alike?

[jcoloccia]

I use fuel tubing from the hobby shop. It fits the rivets perfectly (you can get several different sizes) and it's squishy enough that you can get the rivet to final size.

[dan]

Good tips...but before you start riveting, make sure flanges sit flush. 10 seconds with the hand seamer can make all the difference in the world. Then you don't have a problem to work around.

[cytoxin]

Originally Posted by dan

Good tips...but before you start riveting, make sure flanges sit flush. 10 seconds with the hand seamer can make all the difference in the world. Then you don't have a problem to work around.

but you may find yourself having a partially riveted in, fuel tank, or other rib and upon removing a clecoe the flange lifts a bit. then this solution is a great tip. i dont think he is advocating poor workmanship but a way to over come a small bump in the road and god knows theres enough of those to go around

[Rick6a]

Originally Posted by cytoxin

but you may find yourself having a partially riveted in fuel tank or other rib and upon removing a clecoe the flange lifts a bit. then this solution is a great tip. i dont think he is advocating poor workmanship but a way to over come a small bump in the road and god knows theres enough of those to go around

Very true. There is nothing new under the sun. The tool cribs at McDonnell-Douglas stocked bits of rubber for just such a task. Commonly, the condition is caused by driving out a defective rivet located on a tab. All the more reason to back up the hole with a bucking bar or similar when driving out a bad rivet, especially one located on a tab. Still, even in the best of circumstances, it is sometimes very useful to use a modified grommet or other bit of rubber over the rivet to help prevent a gap from occuring between the parts when shooting or squeezing the rivet.