I spoke to Ray a while back, and he seemed to really know what he was doing...
I am working on the leading edges now, and am staring at my winter project which will be the tanks. Still on the fence if I am going to take a shot at it myself or not. Leaning towards doing it myself, sort of a rite of passage.
If you're thinking about doing it, then DO IT! It's not that bad.
It's very tedious dipping every rivet in the proseal, then trying to get it off your glove into the hole,
I'm in the middle of it and it's really not that bad. Remember when you were a child and were playing in the mud? Like that but with an airplane involved.
Dave
Out of curiosity, why even use wet wing tanks anymore? I guess there must be some advantage to doing so but why not a form fitting plastic container of some kind with replacement access built in? It seems to me that wet wings are doomed to leak at some point.
Half way thru riveting my right tank. I didn't use tank dies resulting in non flush rivets due to the proseal. I am not building a show plane, but I wonder how noticeable this will be after paint. Should I spring for tank dies and redimple the left tank, or can this be minimized in the paint phase?
I'm pretty sure Van's will tell you they didn't use tank dies, but the same ones on all the skins.
Avery Tools carry them I think. I never had good success using one. I found they chatter.
I'm pretty sure Van's will tell you they didn't use tank dies, but the same ones on all the skins. I did and mine are fine, but not sure that's why.
That is correct, but we also do the unthinkable and remove most of the sealant from within the dimples before inserting the rivets so they don't sit above the skin surface.
define high speed.
Can you use a drill with a normal microstop?
Repeated...because it is worth repeating.
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Been looking at this for 3 evenings. Hesitant to jump in.
Should I spring for tank dies and redimple the left tank, or can this be minimized in the paint phase?