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diamond

Well Known Member
Thought I was kickin buns in my build and realized after I primed the rudder stiffeners that my Left and Right markings came off. So I have some beautiful stiffeners but no idea which go on the left vs right skin. Is that going to be a big deal or will I be OK if they don't make it on the correct skin?
 
It's happened before... I won't really go into the details :) But if they fit onto the skin you are working on it will be fine. There is some tolerance once everything is dimpled and ready to back rivet that I very much doubt you'll ever be able to tell the difference.
 
I thought I might lay each stiffener on both skins to see which it fits best, but I'm guessing the differences will be so slight that the fit will seem right either way.
 
If I remember, those were tricky to figure out when I first started building. The part that threw me was one went up and the other down. They didn't fit if they were all in the same position. It was long ago so I may be remembering wrong.
 
I swapped one (or two?)

Good memories of the past building the empennage in NYC. I swapped two stiffeners and worried too much. :D





 
Stiffeners

I think you're already on the right track. See where they fit the best. Study the plans and makd sure you get them oriented correctly. Also remember those dollops of proseal at the trailing edge before closing up.
Here's a tip I use. I label parts where the labels won't show when they get assembled. For example, the stiffeners are labeled on the flange that will be against the skin. Same for areas on the skin where they will end up. On mine the labels show through the primer. This way, I don't get heartburn over any markings showing.
 
Maybe this will bring some comfort....While dimpling my rudder, I accidently let the nipple get out of one of the freshly match drilled holes. This created what looked like a snake bite in my skin. Some guys on this page made a variety of recommendations, but I ordered a new skin and just drilled it out (not match drilled), deburred, and dimpled. All the stiffeners lined up great even though they were match drilled to a different skin. I know your frustration and I am only a little bit ahead of you (Just finished trim tab). I would cleco them back in and if they look good.....rivet away. Just my un-professional opinion.
 
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