Starting with small individual assemblies, I riveted the platenuts and doubler plates to the inboard ribs, then riveted the angles to the main spars.
I decided to finish the right flap first. I clecoed the ribs to the main spar and then clecoed the bottom skin to the skeleton. I noticed that there would be no good way to rivet the ribs to the rear "spar" formed in the bottom skin after the entire assembly was put together, so I went ahead and squeezed those rivets first. Squeezing them with the shop head on the forward side does cause some deformation of the rib flange, but I doubt this will majorly affect anything structurally.
From there I made sure the assembly was flat against the table, then I clecoed on the top skin and carefully placed the flap in the stand.
From there I made sure the assembly was flat against the table, then I clecoed on the top skin and carefully placed the flap in the stand.
Once it was seated securely and I had clamped the whole thing to the table, I removed the main spar to gain access to the ribs and the rear "spar".
Riveting the line of rivets connecting the top skin to the bottom skin is way easier than it was on the ailerons since everything is wide open, so this went relatively quickly.
From there I riveted the ribs to the skins everywhere I could. There was some interference with the platenut on the inboard rib that required me to use a MK-319BS in place of the normal AN426 rivet, but I was able to reach every other rivet necessary.
The main spar went back into place and I laid the assembly flat on the workbench.
LP4-3 blind rivets are used to attach the main spar to the ribs. The bottom ones were easy to set, but the top holes are difficult to reach since they're under the overhanging top skin. I ended up having to both bend the mandrels and use the offset blind rivet wedge to set these.
I did have a slight issue on a few blind rivets where the mandrel would break off well above the rivet head leaving an ugly protrusion. I'm not sure if it's how I'm holding/squeezing the rivet puller or if the rivet puller is just defective, but it's happened multiple times and it's gotten super annoying. I checked inside with a flashlight and the shop heads appeared to be set correctly, so I just used a dremel with a cutoff wheel to remove the excess mandrel.
To set the rivets along the main spars, I bucked the top rivets and squeezed the bottom ones. A quick session with the squeezer to finish off the remaining rivets on the outboard rib and its doublers and the right flap was finished.
Riveting the line of rivets connecting the top skin to the bottom skin is way easier than it was on the ailerons since everything is wide open, so this went relatively quickly.
From there I riveted the ribs to the skins everywhere I could. There was some interference with the platenut on the inboard rib that required me to use a MK-319BS in place of the normal AN426 rivet, but I was able to reach every other rivet necessary.
LP4-3 blind rivets are used to attach the main spar to the ribs. The bottom ones were easy to set, but the top holes are difficult to reach since they're under the overhanging top skin. I ended up having to both bend the mandrels and use the offset blind rivet wedge to set these.
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| It took a little effort, but the end result isn't bad! |
I did have a slight issue on a few blind rivets where the mandrel would break off well above the rivet head leaving an ugly protrusion. I'm not sure if it's how I'm holding/squeezing the rivet puller or if the rivet puller is just defective, but it's happened multiple times and it's gotten super annoying. I checked inside with a flashlight and the shop heads appeared to be set correctly, so I just used a dremel with a cutoff wheel to remove the excess mandrel.
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| Blegh. |
To set the rivets along the main spars, I bucked the top rivets and squeezed the bottom ones. A quick session with the squeezer to finish off the remaining rivets on the outboard rib and its doublers and the right flap was finished.
