June, 2005 fuselage work

June 1 - clean up tools, dimple RT F745 and firewall.   Update web site   0.5 hr + 1.0 hr doc

June 2 - rivet RT F745 to firewall, remove & prep LT F745, rivet LT F745 to firewall.  I was having a very hard time driving the rivets.  For an all-metal plane, made up of solid rivets, I HATE RIVET DRIVING!  I always have a hard time with it.  I do everything else well, but I sure do have problems when I have to drive (as opposed to squeeze) rivets.  They kept forming over to one side, even when I deliberately cocked the bucking bar against the way it was trying to go.  I drilled one of these F745-firewall rivets out about 5 times.  Each time I redrove it, it looked worse than the last time.  In the end, I had the hole so enlarged, I used a 5/32" flush rivet in the hole.  Driving the 5/32" rivet kind of hammered up the stainless steel a bit as the gun walked all over, but the rivet looks like it's in there solid.  When I'm trying to rivet with one hand and buck with the other, the damn gun likes to walk all around.  Did I mention that I hate and dread driving rivets?  For about 3 of the others, I gave up trying to drive rivets, and used my friend, Mr. Cherrymax Rivet.  I am still dreading when I have to try to rivet up that last lower skin panel on each wing, bucking blind.  I also changed from the pressure regulator to the flow regulator, and that seemed to go a little better after that.  The problem with having a Quick Build is that I have not had to do all that much rivet driving, so I've never gotten very good at it.  I go months at a time without driving a single rivet.  Of course, I squeeze every rivet I possibly can, and that works very well.  2.5 hr

  Here are my crappy rivets for the RT F745.  The top one is a 5/32", which I should have squeezed anyway, and the 4th one down is a CherryMax.  Also, note that I didn't bother priming the F745s.  I've been questioning the value of priming alclad pieces anway, and if moisture gets in this area, with the avionics, I've got much bigger problems than a little corrosion.

June 3 - Finally finished riveting the damn F745s to the firewall, and started prepping, deburring, and dimpling the F601K firewall recess panel.   Countersink F601E stiffener, squeeze F601K side rivets, cleco F601K into place - tough fit.  Prep F643-1 for riveting to F743B bracket and firewall.   2.5 hr + 1.0 hr doc

  F601K firewall recess clecoed in place, ready to rivet in.  The little side corner rivets were already squeezed before I clecoed the F601K in.  I guess I'll need to seal the holes at the corners with ProSeal or similar.

June 4 -  Rivet F743B bracket to F643-1.  Rivet F643-1 to F768A sub panel.  Karla helped rivet F601K to firewall.  Despite both of us dreading it, it went pretty well.  3.5 hr

June 5 - I had to redo 2 F601K rivets - one Karla screwed up & one I screwed up.  I also had to do a third one (upper RT corner) that was obscured by the fuel line.  I just did all 3 in Cherry Max & was done with it.  Ready to mount the engine.  0.25 hr

  Turtle in the driveway

June 7 - some firewall work - see engine page for details

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