Last night I was intending on match-drilling the parts of my F-904 central bulkhead. But trying to fit in one of the wing spar bolts proved to be near-impossible. Yes, my first attempt involved a rubber mallet no less. The "this isn't right" instinct kicked in, despite the bolts being close-tolerance.
After another half hour of yanking and twisting out with a socket wrench, the part of the bolt that managed to go into the bulkhead hole had the alodine layer peeled off. Which makes sense, given the alodine is probably a few thousandths thick.
I have read on some builder sites, notably Robert Paisley's own RV-7 blog, that some have gone ahead and scuffed off the alodine layer from all of their close-tolerance bolts. Does this seem fairly common / acceptable, before I start sending emails and pictures to the mothership?
Thanks!
After another half hour of yanking and twisting out with a socket wrench, the part of the bolt that managed to go into the bulkhead hole had the alodine layer peeled off. Which makes sense, given the alodine is probably a few thousandths thick.
I have read on some builder sites, notably Robert Paisley's own RV-7 blog, that some have gone ahead and scuffed off the alodine layer from all of their close-tolerance bolts. Does this seem fairly common / acceptable, before I start sending emails and pictures to the mothership?
Thanks!