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Christopher's Web Site
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Date: 8-24-2015
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Number of Hours: 3.00
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Manual Reference:
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Brief Description: Blind (pop) Rivet Removal
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My original thought was that I would immediately jump into the nut plate installation phase as soon as I completed the floor, but as I began to count and locate the required nut plates, I realized that with the exterior skin and bubble in place, it was not going to be an easy, or even possible task. The result was the decision to begin the removal of the temporary blind rivets on the exterior, and finally rearrange the shop to accommodate the removed bubble.
To remove the exterior, I decided to drill out the rivets and cleco the panels in place to keep everything together until I was ready to completely dissemble the ship. This would also allow the bubble to remain in place until I had help removing it safely.
The rivet removal process was not difficult, but did bring with it some stress. The key for me was using a smaller size drill to weaken the rivet head, then use a punch to wiggle and snap off the top of the rivet against the sheet metal skin. The stressful part was being careful not to expand the hole of the metal bigger than the intended rivet.
Unfortunately, there were several areas discovered where the original shop miss-drilled holes and in one case actually forced two rivets in the same hole, leaving a challenging gap to correct. The exterior sheet metal supplied by the shop does not appear to have been carefully measured, cut, or installed. Pieces from one side of the ship to the other are not symmetrical, and several of the highly visible panels appear to have been forced into place with the attitude of “Well, it’s close enough”. I think in some cases these panels may only serve as templates for new panels to be made. It’s so sad, because some of the panels are absolutely perfect, and others seem to have been measured and cut by a guy with a dog and a white cane. Not sure what was going on there, but this is a “homebuild", so It’s my problem now to correct. I’m not complaining…just observing….
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Clecos replacing blind rivets
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