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Dave's RV-7A Builder's Log
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Date:  4-15-2006
Number of Hours:  5.00
Manual Reference:  
Brief Description:  Fuel tank construction

Today's mission was to seal and rivet as many tank ribs as possible. Steve graciously agreed to spend some time shooting rivets, so I began the session by preparing as much as possible in order to minimize his time commitment. After thoroughly cleaning the ribs and the tank skin, I clecoed all of the ribs back in place and got the supplies organized. Sealant, MEK, rags, popsicle sticks, clecoes, rivet gun and set, bucking bars, eye & ear protection, etc. Seemed like the next thing to do was to seal, so we got going.We worked outboard to inboard, and got into a pretty good rhythm. Steve would take a rib out and clean it one more time while I would put the sealer on the skin and spread it around. Then he would cleco one side, I would get the other side and we'd begin riveting. It took us about an hour per rib, but we got all of the ones I needed bucking assistance with. From here on I can probably use the squeezer and do most of the rest by myself. Thank you Steve!Thoughts on fuel tank sealant? It's a mess...yes, we got it on everything...yes, we put too much on in a couple of spots...yes, I'm worried that I didn't get enough in a couple of spots. Nothing to do now but let it cure and hope for the best!Clean up wasn't too bad. We tried to reuse the clecoes as we went, so I only had about 25 to clean...not too bad. We probably went through 10 pairs of gloves each, and a fair number of rags as well, but that's the cost of doing the job I guess. All-in-all, not as bad as I thought, but certainly not something I want to work extra on. The next session will involve finishing the fuel capacitance system, then finishing off the tank.
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The well dressed tank builder

The well dressed tank builder

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Steve and his assistant

Steve and his assistant

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Looks like a mess...hope it's enough!

Looks like a mess...hope it's enough!

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