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Dave White RV-7 Build Site
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Date: 10-27-2013
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Number of Hours: 1.00
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Manual Reference:
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Brief Description: Bending the trim tab ends
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So, with a bending jig ready, it is time to make the first bend.
Now, this is a notorious part of the build, and goes wrong so frequently that Van's include a replacement trim tab skin as part of their standard spares on their website. However, since I had already dinged the tab skin by dropping a tool on it (see earlier entry), I plan to make the best of a bad lot and use the damaged skin as a practice piece - waiting for the replacement to arrive.
So, having carefully drawn the bend line as called out by the plans, and remembering to both remove the protective blue plastic from the metal that goes in the jig (otherwise it could slip), and to use double-sided adhesive tape to hold the skin into the jig (again, to stop it slipping), it was time to clamp the bejasus out of everything and go to work.
Initially the lower skin piece was thwacked with a piece of softwood hit by a small plastic mallet to bend it upwards 90 degrees, and then the rivet gun with flat head rivet set, with pressure set low (25psi) was used to finish off the bend.
Once I was happy with that, the same technique was applied to the upper skin, which was bent to overlap the lower. Again, the rivet gun was used to make sure that a clean and even bend resulted.
Once the initial bends had been completed to my satisfaction on the outboard end of the tab, I repeated the process to close up the inboard end.
I took the opportunity to use the rivet gun and the hardwood of the inner part of the jig to attack the dents in the damaged part of the skin - and actually it didn't turn out too badly at all. Arguably I feel that *could* now use the skin as part of the final trim tab, but since I have already ordered a replacement part, currently on its way via USPS, I will eventually discard this piece as a trial effort - unless I totally screw up the new piece. ;-)
It may have only been an hour's work, most of which was carefully aligning workpiece and jig, but even so it was nerve wracking. I'm very pleased with how it turned out, tho'
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Outboard - before bend
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Inboard - after bend
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Out of the jig
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