After reading and askinq questions on the internet (Van's Airforce is the best forum ever!) I got ideas about how to remove the blind rivet. Many said it was super easy, but I still practiced on some scrap with one. It was extremly easy! Why Van's makes a big deal about it in the manual, I don't know. I did the following: - Find a nail that fits in the hole (I have many as a woodworking guy) - Grind off the pointy end with the grinder. Just so you have a nice flat tip. - Insert into the center of the hole and tap it gently with a hammer. - The center part pops out the back with just a little effort (and skin wasn't even bent). - Drill out the rest of it with the #35 (7/64) bit. Hold the shop end if it spins around.
It left a perfectly clean hole, even nicer than other "normal" rivets.
I then repeated the process I forgot earlier to attach the skin to the rib - remembering these strips this time - and the blind rivet. Back where I should have been after a delay. Build on!!
The blind rivet came out super easy. Don't fear the blind!
This is how it should look. Rivets holding skin, R-918 strips, and rib.
