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[December 1, 2005]


Today started out somewhat frustrating. Well, not at first because I got my pneumatic squeezer and yokes! Finally I can put the first 6 rivets in and get things going. I was tracking my DRDT-2 dimpler that was supposed to be delivered yesterday. Yesterday, FedEX ground tried to deliver at 5:52pm to a business. Where I work, the shipping and receiving department leaves at 4:15pm. Today, I called them up and asked where the truck was at about 4:15. I told the receptionist to look out for it and let me know. At 5:00, no truck, so I went outside and waited in my car for the truck to come. Finally, at 6:00, I got frustrated and called fedex. They said that the truck was already there at 4:15pm and that no one was there to pick it up. ARG! They told me that the truck will try to deliver one more time, then I can pick it up at the holding station. I am going out of town this weekend, so that works. If they keep up there consistency and come late tomorrow, I will go over to their office after I get back home Monday to pick it up. Oh well, at least I have Yokes!!!

When I got home, I popped the Yokes in the Avery hand squeezer and did my first rivet. What a milestone...One down, tens of thousands left. After that I drilled out the holes to the rear spar, disassembled everything and put marks in it with a electric etcher I picked up the other day at Harbor Freight. The etcher worked great, but it reminded me of a tattoo gun buzzing noise, but without the ink and pain.

After that. I put together the spars and ribs for the left side and drilled, deburred, re-clecoed. Then the fun part came - attaching the left HS skin! It took some work to get the leading edge just right, but when it was all clecoed together, WOW, it looked like something. After that, I marked the inner ribs to be fluted and called it a night.

Finally, my pneumatic squeezer and more importantly, my yokes from Clear Air tools!


And with my new toys from Clear Air tools, I was able to put in my first rivet - an AN470AD4-5. I used the hand squeezer from Avery to do these first few to get a feel for it before I break out the pneumatic squeezer.


Here is another shot of the backside of the first rivet. I used the rivet gauge for this first one (and I will for the first few).


The first 6 pack done


This is the electic engraver I got from Harbor Freight. It sounds like a tattoo gun when running.


This is one of my first etches. It doesnt take much and it is super easy.


Onto real work. I clecoed together the left spars and ribs


Cleco clamp in place...time to drill!


I used this spring clamp to hold together the end rib and front spar. No other clamp got around the flange on the rib.


Finally, something that looks like an airplane part. This is the skin clecoed to the spars/ribs.


Another shop of the skin...the thing looks like it can fly!


The second rivet didn't go in as easy as the first. One of the tricks I learned from Tom Emery's class is to use an Awl to make the hole slightly larger. It did the trick.


When I put the ribs and spars together, the rear spar had a #40 hole and the rib had a #30 hole, so I needed #30 clecos. I put them in at first from the spar to the rib, but they connection was loose. When I reversed them, the fit was much tighter. Time to drill!

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Last Modified: August 13, 2023