T

Tkitchen1

Member
Grettings all, I am in progress on my 9 left elevator. I had no problems with the right side but I am having trouble keeping the spar flat to the upper side of the skin while it is over the back rivet plate. I thought that I might try a bucking bar on a stick. Has anyone tried this? if so do you have any pictures.

Thanks for any help
 
T,

It's not exactly clear to me either what you are describing. One can only do half of the elevator using a backrivet technique (at least what I think you are describing). I used a bar on a stick to do the second row of rivets. Basically, I have a bucking bar that is shaped like a fat "C" (got this from Isham). I went to the hardware store and bought a 1/8 by 1/2 inch piece of steel and drilled a hole in the steel at several locations about 10 inches apart (so you can move the bucking bar as needed). I then drilled and tapped a hole into the inside of the bucking bar, so that the C fits around the steel piece, and screwed the bucking bar onto the steel. This arrangement fits down inside the leading edge of the elevator. The technique is to use your hands to hold the steel bar through either the end of the elevator or the attach holes in the leading edge, thereby supporting the bucking bar under the appropriate rivet. Since this requires two hands, you need a partner to run the rivet gun. This worked well for me (with the wife running the rivet gun).

Hope this helps.

cheers,
greg

A couple images. I used the top of the C to buck the rivets. This bar just fits inside the elevator.

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I think you are making this too hard. Hundreds of others have built their tail sections without having to revert to something like you are describing. I don't remember how I did mine, but give it a little more thought and I think you will figure out a way to do the job with what you have.
 
My "bucking bar on a stick"....just a bit too massive for tiny AD3 and AD4 rivets found in RV's though. :)

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Lol! Ricks bucking bar reminds me of the old airline days. We cobbled together some mighty "unique" bucking bars for working on 747's, replacing belly skins on DC9's and such. Some quite clever (involving screwdrivers and the like).... You've never got to experience a rivet gun until it's a 9X or 10X, or you've used huge chunks of depleted uranium from old balance weights as bucking bars. The Depleted Uranium stuff was even better than tungsten - just not as easy to come by!

Nice to see one of those old clunkers again! What was the original question....sorry to join in on the thread drift - Galati just made it irresistable.

On topic, after working on almost all of these RV's, I've yet to find a place where it's absolutely necessary to put one on a stick of some sort. Not saying it wouldn't have been the way to go, just that I personally haven't seen the need - but I learn something new every day. :)

Cheers,
Stein
 
Handle option

Ted I came across a similar problem last night while finishing up my top wing skin. 99% of the time my trusty little tungsten bar does the trick but because of a little nerve damage to my left hand I had a impossible time reaching three rivets way down deep on only one of the ribs. Since I didn't want to use pop rivets I took one of my old cast bars and taped a 3/8 hole in one end about 1" deep. I then screwed in a 3/8" X 9" stove bolt with a bunch of nuts up near the bolt head to form a handle. Worked great and I still have the option of removing the bolt/handle to use the bar in other areas. I have some good pictures of it that I'd be glad to email you. I seem to have lost the skill of posting photos. Been trying for a hour or so and I give up.:eek:
 
I agree with Richard Scott above. I think you're making this much too hard.

On a -9 elevator (which is different than the 6/7/8 elevators) there is no reason you should be needing to try to back rivet the spar to the skin. In fact, it would be pretty tough to do so! You should be able to reach down from the trailing edge with a bucking bar to get at the forward side of the spar to buck the rivets. (That's why Van's specifies pulled rivets for the bottom of the elevator at the spar--because, at that, point, there's no way to reach the front of the spar).

If I remember correctly, Van's describes a much more straightforward way to do this and might even have a picture of them doing it in the back part of the emp. instructions.

Hope this helps.
 
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