Pull Rivets = Water Tight?

[FiveNinerTIM]

With all the "Primer Wars" etc that I have read over, I am curious if the pull rivets used on the RV-12 are considered "water tight". Do they constitute points of entry for moisture to get into the wing interior, etc?

My assumption is that there are no issues, but are there actual specs, standards etc that must be satisfied for them to be used on GA aircraft?

Thank you

 

[Mel]

Pulled rivets are not typically water tight. Of course even driven rivets are not totally water tight. Yes, they are more so than pulled rivets. If you want them as water tight as driven rivets you will need to drop epoxy in each hole.
If you intend to paint, that will help too. In my opinion, the epoxy route is overkill. There are many aircraft built with pulled rivets that are flying with no issues.

 

[Canadian_JOY]

Ummm... Don't want to sound like too much of a dissenter, but there are pulled rivets which are designed specifically to be water-tight with respect to their cores. These are the ones used on the floatbuilding kits from Murphy aircraft. I don't recall their actual part number or manufacturer, but Murphy would be able to tell you. If they're good enough for aircraft floats then they're pretty water-tight. The actual rivet-to-skin water-tightness will always be subject to the same quality of workmanship constraints associated with driven rivets. So if you want it really water-tight, a little dip in PRC sealant before inserting the rivet into its hole works pretty well as an insurance policy.

 

[Mel]

Ummm... Don't want to sound like too much of a dissenter, but there are pulled rivets which are designed specifically to be water-tight with respect to their cores. These are the ones used on the floatbuilding kits from Murphy aircraft. I don't recall their actual part number or manufacturer, but Murphy would be able to tell you. If they're good enough for aircraft floats then they're pretty water-tight. The actual rivet-to-skin water-tightness will always be subject to the same quality of workmanship constraints associated with driven rivets. So if you want it really water-tight, a little dip in PRC sealant before inserting the rivet into its hole works pretty well as an insurance policy.

I think the question was about the pulled rivets used in the RV-12 kit. I don't think these are the same rivets you're talking about.
You can seal any pulled rivets with pro-seal. The fuel tanks on my bi-plane are built exclusively with pulled rivets, but it takes extra care to seal each one.
Yes, there are "sealed" pulled rivets like the ones used in the fuel tank baffles on other RV kits, but these are not typical.
You can seal any pulled rivet with pro-seal. The fuel tanks on my bi-plane are built exclusively with pulled rivets, but it takes extra care to seal each one.