Draker
Well Known Member
I think this has probably happened to a lot of builders. You're drilling/punching out a bad rivet in a super hard to reach spot, like the back of the empennage under the j-channel, and boom, you bent one of those annoying "tabs":
![](/community/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fphotos.smugmug.com%2FRV7%2FFuselage%2Fi-dx2K3VH%2F0%2F46de8a47%2FL%2FIMG_4340-L.jpg&hash=8c6197fd77d41712c2284abe285c31ad)
Ouch! Now what? Get the old rivet out of the way, and you still have that bent tab to worry about. Your fat sausage-like fingers are never going to be able to bend that puppy back to align with the hole AND get a rivet in there!
![](/community/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fphotos.smugmug.com%2FRV7%2FFuselage%2Fi-HpNgHKg%2F0%2F1563b4fd%2FL%2FIMG_4341-L.jpg&hash=caf43b5d71b1ef3405b832b4a1f6b63f)
A precisely cut piece of wood to the rescue! Get it just the right length, jam it in there, and use a punch to carefully align the holes.
![](/community/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fphotos.smugmug.com%2FRV7%2FFuselage%2Fi-TK3nrjV%2F0%2Fcb1f07c3%2FL%2FIMG_4343-L.jpg&hash=9088bfc4b094b986767a96a97853686f)
Then, get a pop rivet in there and grab a beer, easy job!
![](/community/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fphotos.smugmug.com%2FRV7%2FFuselage%2Fi-sVbJCdb%2F0%2F44f9922e%2FL%2FIMG_4347-L.jpg&hash=6655a1c42b4b1701b8aead7d2ce7129e)
![](/community/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fphotos.smugmug.com%2FRV7%2FFuselage%2Fi-dx2K3VH%2F0%2F46de8a47%2FL%2FIMG_4340-L.jpg&hash=8c6197fd77d41712c2284abe285c31ad)
Ouch! Now what? Get the old rivet out of the way, and you still have that bent tab to worry about. Your fat sausage-like fingers are never going to be able to bend that puppy back to align with the hole AND get a rivet in there!
![](/community/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fphotos.smugmug.com%2FRV7%2FFuselage%2Fi-HpNgHKg%2F0%2F1563b4fd%2FL%2FIMG_4341-L.jpg&hash=caf43b5d71b1ef3405b832b4a1f6b63f)
A precisely cut piece of wood to the rescue! Get it just the right length, jam it in there, and use a punch to carefully align the holes.
![](/community/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fphotos.smugmug.com%2FRV7%2FFuselage%2Fi-TK3nrjV%2F0%2Fcb1f07c3%2FL%2FIMG_4343-L.jpg&hash=9088bfc4b094b986767a96a97853686f)
Then, get a pop rivet in there and grab a beer, easy job!
![](/community/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fphotos.smugmug.com%2FRV7%2FFuselage%2Fi-sVbJCdb%2F0%2F44f9922e%2FL%2FIMG_4347-L.jpg&hash=6655a1c42b4b1701b8aead7d2ce7129e)