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Dex RV7A Build
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Date: 12-30-2007
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Number of Hours: 15.00
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Manual Reference: Dimpling/Priming
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Brief Description: Dimpling Priming 1.
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This is a bit of a mega-update as I screwed up, twice!!! After dis-assembling the HS ready for priming and rivetting, I started dimpling the skins with my pneumatic squeezer and well worth the investment. However, be very careful!! I was getting into a routine with the dimpling when my thumb twitched and punched a lovely hole in the skin where there shouldn't be one!! Anyway, I put it down to experience and ordered a new 601PP from van's and started on the second HS 601PP, you guessed it, did the same again!! Changed my order to 2 skins!! Cut a long story short, skins arrived in 6 days - excellent service from Van's, especially to here in Saudi, and the skins are now properly dimpled with no extra holes - at least I've got plenty of spare metal now for later in the project!!
One thing I did find is that, even with the hand riveter/nail/dimple-die setup, it is pretty difficult to dimple in the tight spots at the leading edge. So I modified a bucking bar by gringing the edges on a bench grinder, drilling and countersinking various holes to use as a female dimple die. When used with a flush set and a normal rivet, the dimples produced are superb!! It also comes in extremely useful to make any final adjustments on your dimples to get the rivets nice and flush. Modified bucking bar shown in pics 1 & 2. Since further modified the narrow end of the bucking bar by 2 further holes, makes it easier to get into the corners. This tip is highly recommeded.
Eventually sourced some Zinc Chromate and Alodine in Saudi, pretty nasty stuff. Takes a lot of preparation to get this stuff right but the result is at pic 3. The Zinc Chromate just didn't look right from my experience in that it was nearer brown than yellow, I'm sure it's fine but didn't want to take any chances, so out with the paint stripper and off it came!! More time wasted. In the meantime, I'd ordered Precote and AFS primer from Aircraft Spruce which arrived a few days after the pic was taken. This stuff is superb.
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Tight to get at dimples!!
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Modified Bucking Bar
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First Priming Session
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