Today I did a 4-hour riveting course with Dave Tennant, one of the TC's (Technical Counsellor) from the SAAA (Sport Aircraft Association of Australia).
I had a really fun morning and learned lots including the fact that I need to practice lots more with the bucking bar. Back riveting is fairly strait forward as is using the rivet squeezer, but doing both flush and dome head rivets with a bucking bar in one hand and a rivet gun in the other is a whole new challenge.
I also learned that for flush rivets where the planes call for the hole to be enlarged with a #40 drill, you get a better sized hole using a 3/32 drill especially after the hole has been dimpled. With the #40 hole the rivet is fairly loose where as with the 3/32 hole the fit is much better.
I am also going to follow Dave's advice and etch prime the interior of the structure with a very light coat of a 2 pack etch primer called Protec Paraphos, this product contains no isocyanide and also has the added advantage of a 2 to 3 week pot life. Can't ask for more than that....
