Guess I'm actually gonna need some filler...

[cjensen]

I'll also use this thread as my announcement that the flaps are DONE!! These were fun to build, but there are parts that REALLY SUCK!



Okay, so I was riveting the top skin row of rivets along the spar. I'm cruisin' along, everything is looking GREAT!! Then it happens...My attention slipped for half a second, and the gun slipped off the rivet head. BAM! BAM! Here's my first MAJOR dent...




I'm not frettin' this at all, but I thought I'd share this with ya'll. I was quite about this when it happened, and I'm glad no one was home to hear me. After I cooled down, I finished 'em out without any problems, and just laughed it off.

So, anybody got any filler tips??

[captain_john]

Chad, those things will happen.

When I am riveting things that will be obvious later, I slow WAY down! I figure that if I spend a few minutes more now, paying attention to what I am doing... it will pay off in the end. I learned that when I did my empennage. All my mistakes are on the TOP surfaces!

Figures... that DAMN MURPHY!

A good painter can spot putty that thing right up nice!

CJ

[TomNativeNewYorker]

We use aircraft sealant on Navy aircraft to make dents aerodynamically smooth.

[captain_john]

Tom,

What exactly is aircraft sealant? Are you talking about ProSeal?

CJ

[Spike]

Hey, Im impressed that it took you this long to do that

[cjensen]

Chad, those things will happen.

When I am riveting things that will be obvious later, I slow WAY down! I figure that if I spend a few minutes more now, paying attention to what I am doing... it will pay off in the end. I learned that when I did my empennage. All my mistakes are on the TOP surfaces!

Figures... that DAMN MURPHY!

A good painter can spot putty that thing right up nice!

CJ

Yeah...the bad thing is, is that I WAS working slow. When I say cruisin', I mean I was on slow cruise control. CONTROL!! That was the objective, and it still happened.

I HATE Murphy!!

We'll just putty it up, and not look back. No biggie...

[dons]

Yeah, that first one hurts. I'm glad I got it out of the way early, the longer it takes I'm sure the more descriptive the words are when it happens.

[Womack2005]

I have a similar "character adding mark" on my rudder. One moment of inatention is all it takes

Of course the dent on my rudder isn't as big as the one you have on your flap - Good golly that is big!

Just kidding, mine is about the same

Build on!

[TomNativeNewYorker]

Tom,

What exactly is aircraft sealant? Are you talking about ProSeal?

CJ

I guess it is pro-seal. On F-14 Tomcats, dents without any accomponying damage, we would fill/sand with MIL-S-83430 sealant PRC# PR-1750.

I have also used MIL-S-8802 on other aircraft for the same purposes. Sorry, but I am not sure of the exact manufacturer part numbers because we dont deal with them as much as we use the mil-spec numbers.

The PR-1750 sealant that we would use to make dents aero smooth on the Tomcat, is the same type sealant we used for seam sealing external access panels on the aircraft. Usually, any sealant left over for another purpose was used for filling dents instead of wasting any leftover.

I would think you could do the same if you mixed up too much for another task.

[captain_john]

Tom, that's okay... I DO deal in Mil Specs too!

MIL-S-8802 IS ProSeal!

Harumph! Yean another use for this peculiar thixotropic goo!

CJ

[RV7Factory]

Chad, you really trashed those flaps with that ding. If I were you, I would order new parts and start over, both flaps. While you are at it, send me the old flaps so that you don't have to look at them anymore.

[cjensen]

Man...Brad, you're right. I'm no good at this...

I'm quitting this project...right after it flies. Then I'm gonna fly it!!

[JohnR]

Boy, Chad, I don't know, but I might just kep those flaps and use them. You may be able to salvage them.

I have one ding on my wings that I have to deal with. There were two of them but I fixed one already. They were from where I dropped my bucking bar. I had a towel folded in the wing but it was not enough. I saw it when I put the wings in the cradle, needless to say I was bumed. Then I looked at the other wing because I was afraid I may have done the same thing there, sure enough I had dropped the bar also. Who would have thought it. The bar was only dropped about 6 inches and still made a ding. Guess that might be a negative to the tungsten bars being so dense.

I decided to work on the one a little, and after doing so I can not even find it at this point. I was going to show it to someone the other day and could not find it when looking. I still have the other ding to fix but figure once things are painted no one will be able to see any of the small unplanned customizations (is that a word) I have made.

I wouldn't sweat it at all, but it would still tick me off.

[Lorin Dueck]

Chad -
These things happen...
I have a matching twin mark on my right elevator.
.... and yes - it's visible on the top surface

Never thought of using ProSeal to fix it though....

Lorin D.
9A Wings (Ailerons)
N194LD reserved

[dpansier]

I did something similar and was not happy, what I did to reduce the chances of this happening again was to clamp a 1” x 2” wood strip along the rivet line.
Place the wood strip ½ the diameter of the flush head away from the rivet line.
In areas not open to clamping I used double back sticky tape to hold the strip in place.
With the strip in place it is easy to position the rivet gun head and prevent movement.
If you want to be extra careful you can place a strip on both sides of the rivet line with just enough clearance so the head will fit in.
I used this method when my wife helped out on the fuselage, she handled the gun from the outside and I was lying on my back inside. I numbered all the rivet locations both inside and out to make sure we were both on the same rivet.


Regards,
Don
RV-7 finish kit
IO-390

[cjensen]

WOW Don!! That is a GREAT idea!! Thanks for the tip!!