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Will Womack

Well Known Member
I am going to try back riveting for the first time tonight (7A rudder stiffeners - separate rudder skins). My question is: How many times can you use the rivet tape if it is even reusable? Any tips or tricks?

Thanks.
 
about 3

Being the cheap SOB that I am, I get 3 uses out of mine and use the same strips as I go along until they just dont stick no more.

Kahuna
 
Will Womack said:
I am going to try back riveting for the first time tonight (7A rudder stiffeners - separate rudder skins). My question is: How many times can you use the rivet tape if it is even reusable? Any tips or tricks?
Thanks.
Click to expand...
You can use it as long as the (relatively weak) adhesive holds up. When you run out of official aircraft quality rivet tape, common clear packing tape works just as well.

Rick Galati RV-6A "Darla"
 
I've used the 3M Scotch Tape in the BLUE box (not very sticky) available at the office supply stores. Up to 3 uses per strip. I like it better than genuine rivet tape.

PS
According to an A&P and Army helo mechanic I know, regular scotch tape use is prohibited by some a/c mfgs because the glue can get under the rivet head and cause all sorts of probs, etc, etc. But then again he always says stuff like that.

Another cheap SOB,
Steve
 
Regular scotch tape sucks

I don't know about prohibited, but it's certainly a pain in the butt. I was too cheap at first to buy rivet tape, and used scotch tape. I don't think any adhesive got under the rivet head, but plenty got ON them. It took a fair amount of time to get rid of it with Goof Off.

It's an aesthetic issue to me...so I bought some rivet tape at $7/roll.
 
But I thought "genuine rivet tape" is just another vesion of Scotch tape that doesn't split into circles once you have riveted on it? I've had one roll for years, and its not about to run out any time soon! Agree that you just keep using it until it don't stick no more - its only there to stop the rivets falling out before they're set.

Pete
 
Will,

As the others have said, just keep using the rivet tape strips until they won't stick anymore. One roll of rivet tape will go a L-O-N-G way if you reuse the strips until they no longer stick.

And one more thing you will learn tonight? After back-riveting, you will wish that you could back-rivet the entire plane. The process works THAT easily and THAT good! :cool:
 
i agree, Gary! i really wish there was a way to backrivet the entire airplane! it works great, an the results are more consistant than a gun and bar could ever dream of being.

i am another cheap sob, but i do buy rivet tape when needed. i tried using regular scotch tape, and while it works great to hold the rivet in place, it doesn't come off easily like rivet tape does. too much of a pain to me. my sop is to use the rivet tape as many times as possible, then buy a new role.

have fun tonight, you'll love the results!

:)
 
cjensen said:
i agree, Gary! i really wish there was a way to backrivet the entire airplane! it works great, an the results are more consistant than a gun and bar could ever dream of being.........................
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Actually Chad, you CAN backrivet a great deal of the airframe if you want to. Many times...... while building the wings especially, I had dear wife simply hold a suitable bucking bar firmly against the rivet head on the exterior side of the skin while I set the shop heads from inside......a pretty good way to avoid dents.....unless YOU slip off the rivet!!! The technique is as old as flush rivets.

Rick Galati RV-6A "Darla"
 
Thanks for all the replies. I am looking forward to trying something new tonight. The roll of rivet tape I got from the "Yard" tool kit looks like packing tape with red striped down the sides.

I have also heard that back riveting can be used in other places as well. Have to look at that when I get my wings (which I hope to order within the next week!)
 
FYI. Regular scotch tape DOES suck....as does all forms of masking tape, duct tape, tapeworms and ticker tape. Scoth MAGIC tape, however, works PERFECTLY. You can yank it right off, and it leaves no residue. You do have to be slightly careful as you pull it over the rivet heads but it's night and day comparing it to any other kind of tape. I just did the rudder stiffeners and I think I only broke the tape once. Also, when you break it it's totally no big deal.

$7.00 for a roll of tape? I just refuse to buy it on principle.

-John
 
When to order wings

Also, as an aside: I'm thinking now is the time to order the wings. For those of you have already done so, when did you order?

Thanks
 
my thinking is that it probably doesn't matter all that much. there's an 8-12 week wait right now for SB wings, an like 3 months for QBs. i am going SB, and i am going to try to plan for my wings to be here around the time i finish up the fiberglass on the emp. i'm about ready to rivet the right elevator, so i still have the left to do, and the fiberglass. i am planning on ordering mine at the end of november to get 'em sometime at the end of january to the end of february. i just don't want to have the materials sitting around while i finish the emp.

of course, this is just me, and i'm very methodical. i have yet to skip a step or work on something else if i'm waiting on a tool or replacement parts or whatever.

is there a "holiday season" for vans and orders?
 
I ordered my wings when I finished the VS. It would have worked out perfectly except that I had to take a 4 month break from building due to work and stuff.

FYI: When Vans says that the blue plastic is harder to remove if it's been sitting around for a while, he is NOT kidding. When I got back to starting up again and went to peal the stuff off the rudder skins, it was nearly impossible to do without kinking the skin. Took a VERY long time. The wing kit has been sitting in my garage since July. I'm not looking forward to peeling all that blue junk off....

If I had it to do again, I would order the wings when I finished the emp. Then spend a month or two fitting the fiberglass tips, building the wing jig, cleaning up the shop, building a wing caddy, and studying the wing preview plans & instructions.

-John
 
cjensen said:
is there a "holiday season" for vans and orders?
Click to expand...

Yes. Don't expect anything to get shipped between Christmas and the first week of January. They do inventory right after the first of the year. A few years ago there was a snow storm on top of that. Nothing left the factory for weeks.
 
jcoloccia said:
FYI. Regular scotch tape DOES suck....as does all forms of masking tape, duct tape, tapeworms and ticker tape. Scoth MAGIC tape, however, works PERFECTLY. You can yank it right off, and it leaves no residue. You do have to be slightly careful as you pull it over the rivet heads but it's night and day comparing it to any other kind of tape. I just did the rudder stiffeners and I think I only broke the tape once. Also, when you break it it's totally no big deal.

$7.00 for a roll of tape? I just refuse to buy it on principle.

-John
Click to expand...

Exactly, do not confuse the problems associated with normal scotch tape with Scotch Magic REMOVABLE tape that come in the blue box. I am almost done with my wings and have built everything up to this stage (including the empennage) with ONE role of the stuff. It DOES NOT leave sticky residue on the rivet heads, lasts for multiple rivets without breaking or splitting (I riveted the entire top side of one aileron with one 1x1" piece of tape) and costs less than half of what rivet tape does.

Regarding when to order wing kit--that depends on how fast you're building the empennage obviously, but whatever you do, order before the end of the year. My wings cost me (if I remember correctly) almost $500 more because I bought them in March 2005 versus December 31, 2004. At Van's price increases on the kits happen at New Years.
 
Scotch 811 tape

The good removeable Scotch tape is part number 811. Any art supply store will have it. You can reuse it a few times.
 
Magic!

I did not even realise that there was "real" rivet tape - I have only ever used Scotch Magic tape, it is all that is required.

Pete
 
"real" rivet tape

The "real" rivet tape has no adhesive down the center...just on the edges. That way, it won't muck up the rivet heads.
 
If you don't have rivet tape and need to hold rivets while you pound or squeeze them, post-it pads also work great. I think they are basically the same thing as rivet tape.
Besides back riveting, the tape works well for holding in rivets when using a squeezer. I have had some pesky rivets that just didn't want to set right and holding them on with the tape worked wonders.
I would recommend back riveting all the rivets that you can. It is easier (usually) and eliminates the slight dimple sometimes made when setting rivets in the conventional manner. Back riveting leaves a very smooth surface. Several tool houses make various back riveting sets that range from short straight sets to long sets with curved and off set ends to facilitate riveting around rib flanges and longerons. I personally never saw the need for the fancy back riveting sets with the plastic guards on them. I just use a flush rivet set with a small head and do it by eye. Like all other riveting, you get a feel for it very quickly.
 
3/4" masking tape

We used 3/4" masking tape, and after you peel it off the roll, wrap it around your mid-section (shirt) once, pull it off then 'run' with it! Cheap and works fine ;) Rosie
 
Back riveting

The comments about back riveting as much as you can are sure on track--------and if you put some effort into it, the sides and bottom of the tail cone can be done almost totaly by that method, just dont join the bulkhead halves together first, rivet them to the side skins along with the stiffeners, and the stiffeners to the bottom, takes a bit of body english to fit the "j" stiffiners on the bottom skin in the bulkheads, but it can be done. You will still have to buck the side/bottom seams, and the top.

Study the plans a bit, it should all make sense--------and try it with the parts clecoed first if still in doubt.

My friend/mentor has already done his 10 this way, and I am planning on doing so also.

Mike Starkey

Helps to have a big back rivet plate.
 
rivet tape

To reduce the sticky of scotch tape, slide it across your shirt (over belly) once or twice before using.
Ted
 
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