Today I was able to get most of the tank stiffeners riveted on both tanks. I was riveting these parts “wet”. I ran out of sealant with four to go at the end of the day.
I started the day with the left side skin and stiffeners all ready to go. When I finished the left side I did the MEK wipe on the right side skin and stiffeners and continued.
I was mixing batches of about 30 grams of sealant at a time. It was a little difficult measuring the black stuff (activator?). At a ten to one ratio that would be 3 grams worth. My scale seems to only measure down to 5 grams.
The process I settled into was:
-Work two stiffeners at a time - Pluck 14 rivets out of the MEK soak (7 rivets for each stiffener) and let them air out on a paper towel - Coat each skin dimple with a thin layer of sealant with a tooth pick - Press a rivet into each dimple - Put a piece of tape over each rivet head - Coat each stiffener base with a layer of sealant and place - Lop off the resulting “hat” of sealant on top of each rivet with a tooth pick. Apply that bit of sealant to one of the previously driven shop heads - Back rivet all 14 rivets - Repeat
A bit of sealant in each dimple and then the rivet
