N941WR
Legacy Member
My steps for drilling out flush rivets.
1. Center punch the rivet. There should be a dimple there but not always. Besides, it doesn't hurt to make the dimple bigger.
2. Start drilling.
3. Remove the drill and look at the hole, if it is off center, "push" it over with the drill.
4. Once the hole is about as deep as the dimple, take an old drill bit of the same size, turn it around and put the shaft in the hole. Bend the drill bit over and the rivet head should pop off. Hint, use an old drill bit because you can bend #40 bit very easily. (Same goes for setting the drill down, be careful not to set it down bit first. If you do, you will bend the bit.)
5. Drill the remainder of the rivet out.
By the time you get to the fuselage you should be able to drill out an entire wing panel w/o buggering up any holes.
Pop or Pull rivets:
1. Find a nail the size of the hole in the rivet.
2. Grind off the point.
3. Put the modified nail in the hole and hit it lightly with a hammer. This will drive out the "pin". (If you don?t drive the ?pin? out the drill bit will wonder off center when it hits it as it is harder than the aluminum rivet.)
4. Drill out the rivet using the appropriate drill bit. (If the rivet starts to spin, try a little JB weld on it to keep it from moving. Just a little, because you will have to remove the rivet head later.)
1. Center punch the rivet. There should be a dimple there but not always. Besides, it doesn't hurt to make the dimple bigger.
2. Start drilling.
3. Remove the drill and look at the hole, if it is off center, "push" it over with the drill.
4. Once the hole is about as deep as the dimple, take an old drill bit of the same size, turn it around and put the shaft in the hole. Bend the drill bit over and the rivet head should pop off. Hint, use an old drill bit because you can bend #40 bit very easily. (Same goes for setting the drill down, be careful not to set it down bit first. If you do, you will bend the bit.)
5. Drill the remainder of the rivet out.
By the time you get to the fuselage you should be able to drill out an entire wing panel w/o buggering up any holes.
Pop or Pull rivets:
1. Find a nail the size of the hole in the rivet.
2. Grind off the point.
3. Put the modified nail in the hole and hit it lightly with a hammer. This will drive out the "pin". (If you don?t drive the ?pin? out the drill bit will wonder off center when it hits it as it is harder than the aluminum rivet.)
4. Drill out the rivet using the appropriate drill bit. (If the rivet starts to spin, try a little JB weld on it to keep it from moving. Just a little, because you will have to remove the rivet head later.)
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