Rivet Guns
I initially bought a 2X Atlas Copco rivet gun, but eventually found I had trouble setting the 1/8" rivets in the elevator counterweight brackets. Messed up quite a few and drilled them out, eventually had to put a couple of 5/32" rivets in. Then later when setting 1/8" rivets in the aileron brackets, had more trouble and tried out a 3X Atlas Copco gun. Instant success! So I had to buy another gun. Right now this is an ideal setup, but rather expensive. If you can afford it, I would recommend buying a good brand name of 2X and 3X guns from Avery, Cleaveland, Brown, etc. Then you don't have to worry about whether it is your skill or the wrong gun. For rivet sets, my guns came with a flat set for flush head rivets, I got a 3-1/2" and a 12" universal head set. I would recommend some intermediate lengths as well. For bucking bars, all you need is one good tungsten bar, say the 5/8" x 1" x 4" with a 15 degree angle on one end. The high density of the tungsten makes this a heavier bar than iron or steel bars twice its size. It is especially convenient for riveting the skins to the spars in the control surfaces. I have a C-frame dimpler which I am satisfied with, but you will need to build a table to support the workpiece while you are dimpling. I also have a Chicago Pneumatic rivet squeezer which is my favorite tool. I haven't tried a manual squeezer, but if you are doing solo riveting, I think the pneumatic one will be much easier to use. You'll need a bunch of rivet dies for this including dimpling, flat and universal head. Any of the CP clones from the major tool suppliers should be OK, I bought CP to ensure replacement parts would always be available. Haven't needed any so far.