DanH

DanH

Legacy Member
Mentor
Is there any system or nomenclature to the Van's kit hardware bags? Do the bag numbers mean anything, or do you just sort everything into bins so you can find the hardware you need without going cross-eyed searching the packing list?

I'm used to scratch-built airplanes; measure the parts, translate to fastener lengths, make a list, place an order. This fancy kit stuff sure is confusing <g>
 
By part number

Label your bins by part number and when you go through the bag put the parts into the respective bins. I tried it by bag number and was all screwed up as the plans tell you what part number and does not refer to the bag number.
 
My .02.

Leave the parts in the bags. I found that they are semi-organized by task (ex. all the elevator hardware will be in one bag). I had a shelf with all of them in order.

I did put the rivets in bins, though.

b,
d
 
Huge but Trivial Rant

Oh have you ever touched a recently frayed nerve :eek:

There is evil lurking at Van's somewhere, I just know it...

...you see, I am reasonably organized guy. I'm starting on the fuselage and have left most everything in bags, a la Doug. Eventually I'll get most of the rivets into clear bin boxes from Home Depot, as well as some of the nuts, washers, and nut plates...

...until last week I get tired of going to the big drawer full of bags and decide to get them all out into bin boxes or stacking bins from Harbor Frieght. A quiet bit of time out on the patio with a cigar...

...I'm cruisin' through it, at times wondering why there are 4 different bags of the same rivet, but not really worried since kit options must dictate some things. Occasionally I wonder why they'd put similar size washers in the same bag with bigger ones as it's a bit of a pain to sort...

...Commonly used stuff get a bin, less common stay in the bag and get lumped into a bin full of, for example, odd 426-3 rivets. I do put all AN3a bolts in one bin, they're easy to sort for the one I want from there, one bin gets all bolts that aren't AN3A or AN4a, etc. The gauge of your process is how much less raw material and hardware is around so there is gratification down the road...

...then I find the magic bag. SOMEONE actually decided to create a bag, Bag 1963-2 on my RV-7 Fuselage Kit to be precise, that has the following content:
148.000 RIVET LP4-3
28.000 RIVET MSP-42
4.000 RIVET CS4-4

It was all I could do not to call Van's and ask about this. :mad: I mean, I'd already been a bit upset at the whole LP4-3 vs. CS4-4 back in my aileron days - they're darned hard to keep apart and the difference is NOT easy to spot. But here they take a bag that is NEARLY ALL OF ONE and put just 4 OF ANOTHER into it...

...evil I say.

End of rant, I feel much better now, can you tell I needed a break :D

George

PS I had Gil Alexander by my garage yesterday for a Tech Counselor visit and by bribing him with lunch, he appeared to have limited the criticism and protected my delicate self-esteem :cool:

It's actually a great thing to do, I cannot be high enough to recommend him, er... something like that. I'll be having him back.

Thanks very much Gil!
 
After talking to Jay and seeing his shop, I bought several 60-drawer bins at either HD or Lowe's -and- a Brother P-Touch Labeler. Everything except really big items got unbagged and dumped into labeled drawers. The drawers are ordered by type of hardware, then size. Finding anything is easy.

I can't imagine having to rummage through bags to find a part.
 
I found it to be well organized

The plans book for my RV-6A had all the bags listed and all of the parts that each specific numbered bag was to contain. I bought 12 compatmented plastic boxes to store the parts for use as required during assembly. I inventoried every bag against the list put all part in cells of the boxes as they were inventoried with a concious effort to place similar parts in the same box (one box contains AN3, AN4, AN5 bolts etc.). I labeled the lid over each cell with the part number in the cell. In the entire airplane build process I never found a single short count, overage count or incorrect part. Many years ago I spent a few very intense years as the Inspection Foreman for McDonnell Douglas Electronics Company Receiving Inspection and I can assure that this kind of performance without any vendor rating system, no source inspection, no resident representative, etc. is outstanding. Your in-house inventory control is YOUR problem.

Bob Axsom
 
YMMV!!

I guess the system that works best for you is the one that works the way YOUR mind works...

I was in the "keep 'em in the bag" camp, because the bags were sorta organized by logical component, and I could find the appropriate parts on the inventory sheet, then go to that bag...with the exception of the rivets and bags of standard hardware (AN3, AN4, etc), which I put into little separated boxes from the dollar store.

Paul
 
Another vote for leave'em in the bag school. I put the brown bags on a shelf and the plastic bags in numerical order into one of those cardboard tray boxes that a case of sodas comes in. When I need something I look it up on the inventory sheet that came with the kit and go to the appropriate bag. For most of the rivets I skip the sheet and just go by sight. I pretty much know where a given size is in the box within a bag or two.

Todd
RV-10
Dimpling the HS stab skins
 
I tried the "leave them in the bag" method and ended up putting everything in plastic bins from Menards which worked better for me. I believe Paul is correct, depends on how you mind works and what you are used to. YMMV
 
So apparently there is no system to the bag nomenclature.

Dear Mothership: How about a hardware system indexed to the plans sheets? For example, Bag 47 contains all the hardware referenced on Plans Sheet 47.
 
Great quote, John!

...you summed it up perfectly.

(It) depends on how you mind works.

Bullseye! I know people passionate about both ways or organizing the bags, and you're right, it depends on the person.

b,
d
 
I've left all of mine in the bags mainly because I have kept them in numerical order in a Rubbermaid container so it's easy to take out of the locker and get to work.

Worked great for the emp kit as those were all in paper bags but the wings and fuse are a mix of paper and plastic. One suggestion, get some zip lock type of sandwich bags and after opening the plastic bag, write the bag number on the zip lock and drop the bag in it.

Or, develop a system that works for you, then share that info with the rest of us.
 
The bags in the tupperware bin is exactly what I'm doing. But then, I'm only working on the emp. When I built the 4 I put everything in a parts organizer from OSH (the hardware store). I'm finding it just as easy to leave everything in the bags at this point.
 
That is the one area that Van's could use improvement in. After building or helping on a Christen Eagle, Lancair, Glasstar and a Rotorway helecopter all had vastly superior parts inventory systems. I separated all of the AN hardware into parts boxes and left the rest in the bags. Don
 
mdredmond said:
After talking to Jay and seeing his shop, I bought several 60-drawer bins at either HD or Lowe's -and- a Brother P-Touch Labeler. Everything except really big items got unbagged and dumped into labeled drawers. The drawers are ordered by type of hardware, then size. Finding anything is easy.

I can't imagine having to rummage through bags to find a part.
Click to expand...
Pretty much what I did. Bags of stuff I couldn't figure how to logically seperate I put in a bin and labelled "bag xxx-aileron attach" or some such thing. All the big stuff I noted on the inventory sheet where I hid it.
One thing I swear by is Altoids tins. I've been collecting them for years, and they are terrific for rivets. I labelled the top, inside the top, and the front edge with the type and size - may seem like overkill, but you always know what you've got - not much room for error. Lined up on edge in a tray and all your rivets are truly handy without a chance of slopping some from one bin to the next.
 
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