Shockwave

Shockwave

Well Known Member
How? It's eluding me.

How do you get the nail in the last holes to even get the close quarters dimple dies in? Is there another technique I can use?
 
Vise grip dimpler

Avery sell a vice grip dimpler. I think I used that for many of the hard to get into rib end holes. It was a while ago though, so I could be wrong...
 
If its the holes in the end of the ribs (I don't have my manual nearby), just flex the edge outwards a bit, then use the avery vice grip dimpler.
 
Check out www.eaa.org under homebuilder hints - they have two very interesting videos in the sheet metal section about riveting and dimpling in close quarters. Wish, I would have known about that earlier....

Thilo
 
Shockwave said:
How? It's eluding me.

How do you get the nail in the last holes to even get the close quarters dimple dies in? Is there another technique I can use?
Click to expand...
Very simple, actually. Insert the nail through the hole located directly opposite the hole you want to dimple. Here is an example:

msna0i.jpg
 
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The practice kit comes with instructions on how to do that. You drill a #40 hole in a steel plate and countersink it. Then slide the rib over the hole, put the male dimple die in the rib hole, put an appropriate size socket over the die to protect the shank, then smack it a couple times with a hammer. Voila, nice dimple, easy-peasy. If I new how to put a picture up I would.
 
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Low & Slow said:
The practice kit comes with instructions on how to do that. You drill a #40 hole in a steel plate and countersink it. Then slide the rib over the hole, put the male dimple die in the rib hole, put an appropriate size socket over the die, then smack it a couple times with a hammer. Voila, nice dimple, easy-peasy. If I new how to put a picture up I would.
Click to expand...

I did a similar process with the practice kit but using a rivet and a flush set. Drill #40 hole into a sleet plate and countersink it. Slide rib over the hole, put appropriate AN426AD3 rivet into rib hole and 'bucking bar female dimple die'. Tap tap tap ...

Low and Slow ... is that a Weatherly as your avatar? I would love to fly one of those some day. Working my way into the hot seat of an Ag Truck for this season.
 
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Rick6a said:
Very simple, actually. Insert the nail through the hole located directly opposite the hole you want to dimple. Here is an example:

msna0i.jpg
Click to expand...

Rick,
Did your nail head fit through the hole without also pulling through the dies? I tried this method and my nail pulled through the die with hardly any force.
 
Thanks for the replies!

I tried the countersunk steel bar, and got a marginal result with the male die in the rivet gun. Kind of a mashup between the EAA videos and the suggestion here. I tried hitting the die with a hammer protected by a socket and got no result at all. (Didn't think I was hitting it that softly) Since it sounds like I'll need it elsewhere, I ordered the Avery vise-grip dies.
 
Shockwave said:
Rick,
Did your nail head fit through the hole without also pulling through the dies? I tried this method and my nail pulled through the die with hardly any force.
Click to expand...
Chanler,

I took your original post to mean you cannot find a way to insert the nail (used with the closed quarter dimple countersink) through the last rivet hole. That is the problem I addressed in my response. You now describe an entirely different problem. Normally the nail will break if too much force is applied. It can be a fine line between forming an "acceptable" countersink (which by design will not be as high quality or sharp as a regular dimple anyway) and breaking the nail trying to generate that good dimple. You have to learn to "massage" the puller and stop exerting pressure before the nail breaks. For that reason, I long ago started using common panel nails instead of the nails that are usually included with the close quarter set. Since they cost next to nothing, I break them with abandon. Unless the head of the nail was defective, in my experience they almost always break in two before pulling through the die as you report.

3025kcp.jpg
 
Looks like thre's an answer here already!

Good post Rick. I was also gonna mention (since the poster said he was going to buy a set of the vise-grip dimplers) that even with those, judicious grinding of the leading edge with the scotchbrite wheel will give you a tool that will dimple all but the most difficult spots.
Also, another trick when using the pop rivet dimple die sets is to cut the nail to the minimum length that the pop-rivet tool will grab it, then try that. Alternatively, you can find the right size high tensile wire and go extra long (with some blocking spacers in place) and accomplish the task. Good luck with whatever you find that works!
 
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