MikeJ 7A

MikeJ 7A

Active Member
Inventoried my tail kit today. Everything looks great except my R-912.

Looks like someone dimpled it the wrong direction and then flattened out the dimples. It also has "R912" lightly hand etched into the web.

Tried to take a good photo, but too many reflections. If you look close at this shot you can barely see the circle marks that look like they were left by a dimpler.

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I think I'll call Van's on Monday and ask for a replacement.

Has anyone else ever seen something like this?

Mike
 
One of the F-7114 gussets in my kit is all-original with blue plastic and everything... the other one looks to have been drilled and primed. I keep meaning to do something about it, but presumably Van's statute of limitations has expired so I will probably end up buying a new one. I don't mind using an untouched part that somebody has decided to send back unmolested, but it's very odd when you get a piece somebody else has already dinked around with. My fault for not calling it to Van's attention when I discovered it, though.

mcb
 
PJSeipel said:
Did it still have the blue plastic on it when you got it?

No, but none of my ribs did. All the parts that had straight bends or flanges did have the blue plastic but the parts that had curved flanges (ribs) did not. I assumed the bending of curved flanges was not possible with the blue plastic on it?

This was the only part that had the part no. etched into it.

Mike
Click to expand...
 
You can form parts with the plastic in place, but it's kind of hard to heat treat them as the ribs are. Back in the '80s, we didn't get any plastic film.
 
similar thing with my wing kit

I had a similar experience with my wing kit. All of the flap ribs were obviously new, covered with blue plastic, marked with the white paper label, and perfect. Except for one. It had no plastic, was marked by hand with a vibrating pencil, and looked as if it has been used by Lindburgh hiimself. When I first saw it on inspection, I thought "I'm not putting this in my plane"

It was cheap enough that I just bought a new one, rather than call Vans about it. I'll make something out of the old one.
 
Carl at Van's says: The "etched" impression of the part number is a transfer from the form block that is used to make the rib in the press. The form blocks all have to have an identifier and it often transfers to the web of the part during the process.... and the little "ring" around the rivet holes is a result of the punch press dies, not a flattened dimple"
 
blue on ribs?

None of my wing ribs came with the blue vinyl on them... only skins and spars. I thought thought this was normal...
 
Ribs that have to be heat treated prior to forming cannot have the blue vinyl left on and apparently those heat treated ribs "often" but not always show the form block ID transfer.. ribs that are formed in the hard or T-3 condition can have the blue vinyl left on them and they will not show the part number transfer.
 
Check de hole diameter, if it was dimpeld and flattend again, then you will find a difference, also you will see that the material will have very small bendingmarks.

Best would be that you make a testdample, drill, dimple and flatten, you will see that this will look a bit worse than yours.

Theres no foil on the heat treatend ribs.

Regards,

Dominik
 
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