Screwed up the first non minor thing. I had finished riveting the elevator. Got out the trim tab and started to set it up for bending. I had bent the tabs on the elevator in a somewhat different manner than the Van's manual advised. I wanted to use the same fittings to bend the trim tab.
For some reason I was not being as careful as I normally am and just started plowing ahead making it work. I clamped the trim tab in the wooden V fitting I had used on the elevator. I put the wooden cutout inside the tab, clamped it all together and started bending. Well, I hadn't clamped it very well and it started slipping. Rather than stepping back and restarting, I tightened the clamps and kept going.
Long story short, the wooden blocks slipped and I ended up bending the tab significantly behind the bend line tearing the skin as a result. Thank goodness it was an $18 part.
Lesson learned. When in doubt step back and re-read the manual. The new part is on order and this one will be used to test the Van's approved method for bending.
