RV7-Factory

Not to many pictures tonight but a ton of work. I was first able to get the Left HS Skin riveted on with no real trouble. It became clear that I really should but some tape on my Flush Rivet Gun Set. The first flush rivets and surrounding skins have some scuffing that will go away once prepped for paint. After a while my eye again calibrated to the proper setting of the flush rivets. I spot checked them with the gauge and all seemed good to go. The other lesson learned was you really need to keep a good grip on a tungsten bucking bar. If it is just slightly tilted when bucking, it won’t take long to make a mess. It does make bucking go fast however.

I ate some dinner, returned and started on the right skin. I shot the rivets on the HS-707 rib and had to replace the top nose rivet a couple of times. I thought I was satisfied until I was done for the night and looked at it again…I may need to put a cherry max in there because it is now closed up. I will check with my local expert first, but in the end…it will be OK.

As I moved further aft on the HS-707 rib, the rivet flush set in my gun slipped off the rivet and left a minor indentation in the skin…grr. Why did it have to be on the top of the skin. It is not terrible and a little prep when painting may make it disappear 😉 . Either way…it will still fly just fine. I then joined the other half of the HS and installed the HS-708 Rib with blind rivets in the tight space. Then I attacked all the field rivets on the right skin. I then clecoed the rear spar in. And here is where it ended and the picture was taken.

All that remains are all the rivets around the perimeter of the skins. So close, but it was time to stop before I got too tired. All in all, it looks great…I have a plane part near completion. I may get it done tomorrow or over the weekend.