Gouged rudder skin during build - reuse stiffeners?

[RyanM]

Hi,
After reading many posts of "just order new parts and use it as a learning experience" I'm going to do just that! I managed to drop my back riveting plate on the rudder skin as it was laying on the workbench ready to be back riveted. It put a nice gouge in the skin and it needs to be replaced.

My question: I've already got the stiffeners cut, dimpled, and primed. Can I re-use these stiffeners with a new rudder skin? Will match drilling the new skin with the already match drilled (and dimpled) stiffeners be an issue?

Side note: Christmas will be here in 8 weeks. I ordered my wings!!

Thanks!
Ryan

[N908RV]

Originally Posted by RyanM

Hi,
My question: I've already got the stiffeners cut, dimpled, and primed. Can I re-use these stiffeners with a new rudder skin? Will match drilling the new skin with the already match drilled (and dimpled) stiffeners be an issue?

That sucks, sorry to hear that. Better on the rudder than your foot, I guess. I would order the skin and not worry about it. Given their QA on these parts it shouldn't be a problem matching the current stiffeners to a new skin. They should all have exactly the same spacing. Your match drilling will have little if no impact at all.

[OldAndBold]

My rudder is nice and very stiff now after a full day of non-stop bucking.



Seriously, that must have been some gouge to drill out that many rivets... it took me a full weekend to build the rudder skins. Couldn't you have beaten it back into submission with a rubber mallet? I dented the elevator skin at one spot with the dimpler and decided to just live with it - after hitting it with the mallet and putting it out of sight for a day I decided it wasn't the big deal I had originally thought it was.

--JCB

[RyanM]

I dropped the back riveting plate on it just before I had actually set any of the rivets. I had them all taped into place ready to go, and was going to get the back riveting plate under neath it and it slipped right out of my hand. So, luckily I don't have to drill any rivets out.

Ryan

[OldAndBold]

But how much of a gouge are we talking about here?

[RyanM]

It's pretty deep. I did attempt to see if I could flatten it out but its pretty ugly. The corner of the back riveting plate is what made direct contact. I'd question its strength there, and even more so, I won't be happy with the appearance of it if I didn't replace it. So its going to get replaced. The skin is only $38 bucks.

Thanks!
Ryan

[Robert M]

Which one are you building? I have a pair of unused rudder skins for a -9/A.

[MatthewD]

Originally Posted by OldAndBold

................and putting it out of sight for a day I decided it wasn't the big deal I had originally thought it was.

--JCB

Some of the most useful advice I've ever read on these forums

How true, How true!