Dropped the Bucking Bar, what to do?

Captain_John · #1 09-03-2005, 07:18 PM

Ok, I know I am not the first one to have done this. The Leading edge was coming out SWEEEEET and I guess I was (am) tired and you know the rest. Here is a pic...

Any advice?

HELP!

CJ

dan · #2 09-03-2005, 07:52 PM

Smack it with a ball peen hammer, turn the outie into an innie. Then fill. Nobody will ever know the difference (assuming you paint).

I still have a small outie on my rudder and a bucking bar outie on my leading edge as well. Before I paint in 17 years I'll innie it and fill.

)_( Dan
RV-7 N714D (608 hours)
http://www.rvproject.com

Captain_John · #3 09-03-2005, 07:57 PM

Thanks again, Dan!

I do plan on painting the plane anyways.

I was wondering if you had any intentions whatsoever of painting your plane.

I will keep on riveting!

CJ

alpinelakespilot2000 · #4 09-03-2005, 09:07 PM

CJ--

Been there, done that.

I wouldn't worry about it if the skin isn't broken. Fortunately I don't have any "outies" on my leading edges, I got them all out on the empennage. I still have one on my left elevator that is about the size of a pea. It is right on top where the counterbalance skin underlaps the main skin inside of the skeleton. I'm not sure what I'll do with it, but don't need to worry about it now. I'll just as easily be able to do something about it later if I choose to. It looks like you could just wait too.

Be VERY careful about knocking it out with a hammer. I saw someone else try that and made more of a mess, but I'm sure a skilled hammer would do the trick.

Good luck.

N941WR · #5 09-03-2005, 09:15 PM

Hold your bucking bar behind it, take your ball peen hammer and tap it from on top. Tap very lightly, hardly enough to move the metal. Keep tapping for what seems like a life time and eventually you will move the metal back down to close to flat again. Whatever you do, do not hit it hard.

And...

Let us know how it comes out.

rv8ch · #6 09-04-2005, 02:19 AM

Quote:

Any advice?

I'd try to find a good metalshaper to have a look. Where you live I'm sure you can find some good ones. There is a list here to get you started: http://metalshapers.org/pros/

Captain_John · #7 09-04-2005, 05:06 AM

Well, I was thinking that I could bring it to school and have one of the Auto Body instructors tap it back into shape with one of their hammers and shop dollies.

I hate to hire a "pro". I am more inclined to possibly screw it up more myself for free and be happier than paying someone to make it marginally better. Let's face it, it is bad. I don't want to make it expensive AND bad.

Just a thought. Will peening it back to shape work harden it and keep it from becoming an issue (crack) later?

CJ

sf3543 · #8 09-04-2005, 08:48 AM

If you are going to tap it yourself, use a piece of lead, not a bucking bar, behind it. As you tap the metal, the lead will give a little. If you use a bucking bar, you will deform (stretch) the aluminum even more than it is now.
This is an area for a pro, if you want good results. If it is at the edge of the rib, there's probably not a lot you can do about it. The metal has already been deformed and you can not get it back to it's original shape. But, if you can get it pushed in, you can fill it, as others have said, and paint will cover it nicely. The other option is a new skin, which in the scheme of things, isn't that big of a deal. Besides, the old skin will get used for something before the project is over.
Good luck.

osxuser · #9 09-04-2005, 10:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sf3543

If you are going to tap it yourself, use a piece of lead, not a bucking bar, behind it. As you tap the metal, the lead will give a little. If you use a bucking bar, you will deform (stretch) the aluminum even more than it is now.
This is an area for a pro, if you want good results. If it is at the edge of the rib, there's probably not a lot you can do about it. The metal has already been deformed and you can not get it back to it's original shape. But, if you can get it pushed in, you can fill it, as others have said, and paint will cover it nicely. The other option is a new skin, which in the scheme of things, isn't that big of a deal. Besides, the old skin will get used for something before the project is over.
Good luck.

Even better, get a sack filled with lead shot and use a light (4oz or so) ball peen. Looking at it I'd imagine you could get it pretty close to the orginal shape with this method so your filler would be very light. Like was said before, many little taps, no one big one. If your comfortable with it, you could use a 8oz ball peen, but depending on how soft the aluminum is, you can get some pretty big movements fast with the heavier hammer.

Captain_John · #10 09-04-2005, 11:05 AM

I like the Bag O' Shot idea!

The other thing that crossed my mind, that I probably won't do is to take my cutout from the Duckworks light and make it a strongback! But then I would have these odd rivets on the leading edge.

I will takes my chances and just tap it.

Less is more to me.

CJ