I'm a new builder and I'd like feedback on my rivets. In the photos you can see some A5 rivets along the rear spar of my 650 B horizontal stabilizer. I think these rivets are representative of my work so far. Please let me know if there are any issues that you can see in the photos.

Views: 337

Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

I don't see any issue with these. If you are using the correct rivet head, and the rivet is completely through the hole it is pretty hard to mess up.

If you are pulling rivets with the head in close proximity to a flange or wall is where you are likely to see issues. You just need to make sure the riveter is square to the surface the rivet is in and not pressed against the wall at an angle; otherwise part of the rivet head wont be in contact with the surface after you pull it. I had to grind the side of the nose on my hand riveter to get into some of the tighter areas. The back of the rear wing spar comes to mind as a problem area. 

Thanks for looking. Indeed riveting is easy and fun.

Grinding down the nose of the riveter is a good idea. It's been a tight fit in a few spots around flanges.

Rivets look good. 

Hi Stephen, rivets look good.  My check was to see if I could get a finger nail to catch under the rivet head, if so I'd drill it out and reset it.  The unfilled holes look to need so we burring.  Are those holes made by Zenith as full size?  When using the power riveted I had to be careful to keep the head square to the surface so as to not dent the skin with the side of the head.

Keep on building!

I have been doing a final check for burrs before setting the rivets.

Sometimes there are "cortec burs." Basically, the cortec must have entered the hole and when I inserted clecoes into those holes, the cortec peeled.

The in-focus holes in the photos are not final size but were drilled by Zenith.

RSS

New from Zenith:

Zenith Planes For Sale 
 

Classified listing for buying or selling your Zenith building or flying related stuff...


Custom Instrument Panels
for your Zenith
:

Custom instrument panels are now available directly from Zenith Aircraft Company exclusively for Zenith builders and owners. Pre-cut panel, Dynon and Garmin avionics, and more.


Zenith Homecoming Tee:


Zenair Floats


Flying On Your Own Wings:
A Complete Guide to Understanding Light Airplane Design, by Chris Heintz


Builder & Pilot Supplies:

Aircraft Insurance:

 
 

West Coast USA:

 
Pro Builder Assistance:

 

Transition training:

Lavion Aero

K&S Aviation Services

Aircraft Spruce & Specialty for all your building and pilot supplies!

How to videos from HomebuiltHELP.com

Developed specifically for Zenith builders (by a builder) these videos on DVD are a great help in building your own kit plane by providing practical hands-on construction information. Visit HomebuiltHelp.com for the latest DVD titles.

© 2024   Created by Zenith.Aero.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service