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How many extra rivets did you need?

R

ravenstar

Well Known Member
Hi everyone, I have a trivial, but nagging problem with my build: As I prepare to rivet the side skins on the fuselage I'm looking at my dwindling supply of LP4-3 rivets and wondering how Van's could have underestimated the number I'd need by such a large margin. I've already ordered 2,000 extra rivets and it looks like I'll need at least another 1,000 before I'm done. Now I've replaced a few rivets, but I'm not that bad at riveting. Way back at the beginning I remember receiving two boxes claiming to have 12,500 rivets between them, and I'm pretty sure I remember using both boxes and recycling them, but I still can shake the feeling that I must have missed something.

So I'm just wondering, has anyone else had to order so many more rivets, or should I tear my workshop apart when warm weather arrives in hope of finding a hidden prize?
 
Did not order any extras and still have hundreds. I have not done the canopy or turtle deck yet, so I know I'll need a bunch there. But if you're just at the side skins and have already run out, then yeah something is not right.
 
Don't sweat the small stuff. Maybe your order was shorted unintentionally at the factory, or maybe a bag got misplaced in your shop somewhere. It may show up from a hiding spot one day. In any case, it's not expensive to place another order and get 'em installed. There will be plenty of parts that get messed up, misplaced or damaged during the course of the build. It's just part of the process.
 
Thanks. I didn't count them, but I'm pretty sure the factory sent me the promised number of rivets, so I must have misplaced a box. It is easy enough to order more, but they're not exactly a trivial cost when it comes to ordering thousands. I guess my organization system has let me down. They'll probably show up just after I pull the last rivet.
 
For some reason I want to say the Rivets in my kit were packaged as two boxes of 5000 each and one package of 2500.

That lines up quite well with your accounting if you somehow, lost, or never got the package of 2500.

For what it is worth: Bay Supply has LP4-3 rivets under the cross reference part number GSMD41-43APG, and for WAY cheaper.
An entire airplane of rivets from Bayfast would be $180.

I ordered some to check the quality, and they were at least as good as the rivets from Van's.
 
rv12iS-builder said:
Two boxes, 2500 and 5000, is what I received too (although I didn't actually count them!)
Does anybody know about how many we actually use in the complete airframe?
Click to expand...
If I remember correctly, the big box that is supplied is a count of 10,000, and the small box is 2500.
These two boxes should be a sufficient amount to cover the need for the 4–3 size.
 
My recollection is that I had a 10,000 and 2,500 box of rivets as well, at least it looked right. I dumped the smaller box into a plastic container with a handle and lid to make it easier to move around, and I refilled it twice before the larger box was empty. But I'm about to use up my second extra 1000 rivet box putting the side skins on the fuselage, so I'm beginning to think my memory is faulty. I'm pretty obsessive about keeping my workspace organized and neat, so I'm more annoyed with myself than anything. At this point I don't think I need another 5000 which is the minimum I could order from Bay Supply right now, so I'll go with Van's. Thanks everyone for your replies!
 
That sounds like you got 5000 and 2500 boxes, not 10000 and 2500. Someone else posted they got 2 x 5000 + 1 x 2500, so maybe you misplaced a box? Or never got it in the first place.
 
I definitely only received two boxes of rivets, a large and small one. It's entirely possible as I think about the size of the 1000 rivet boxes I've been getting that the larger one was only 5000. That's helpful for figuring how many more rivets I should order.
 
rvbuilder2002 said:
If I remember correctly, the big box that is supplied is a count of 10,000, and the small box is 2500.
These two boxes should be a sufficient amount to cover the need for the 4–3 size.
Click to expand...
Scott is correct. I double-checked my large box that I thought had 5,000 rivets, but it clearly says it contains 10,000 rivets, not 5,000.
 
ravenstar said:
At this point I don't think I need another 5000 which is the minimum I could order from Bay Supply right now.
Click to expand...
If you haven’t ordered yet, Bay Supply part number GSMD41-43APG-B is their house label of the same product. 100 min qty, 1000 for $20.60 or 5000 for $80
 
Seems like Vans would do well to make the fastener kit just a drop ship quantity from bay supply. $825 from Vans, or $180 from Bay Supply. ☹️
 
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