Empennage

Rudder (4.5 hrs )

Page 7-10, Step 5:  Finished skins to spar riveting (both sides from middle to top; and middle to bottom).  Lots of 426 3-3 rivets set by Cleaveland Aircraft Tools Main Squeeze.   Sure works great !

Started page 7-11, Step 1:  Rivet Counterbalance Rib to skins.  Installed Counterbalance lead weight. Needed longer extension for 1/4" drive to reach via my smaller torque wrench in relatively tight space.  Got one at Menards for $2.50 today, so quickly completed at 20-25 in-lbs.  Good these are locknuts.

 

Step 2:  Completed Top Rib riveting.   Pleased with results.

Almost done...except for TE rivets and roll leading edge.

Empennage

Rudder (3.5 hrs )

Step 1 on page 7-10.   Inserted spar assly into rudder skins & riveted into shear webs using LP4-3 blind rivets (18).

Blind rivets at shear webs.   Univ heads from prior assl'y at hinge doublers, w/ nutplate for rod end bearing (hinge)

Step 2:  Added Attach Strip to bottom rib of LH skin.  Really difficult to get to shop head near aft end. So, per instructions, spread TE skins slightly.   Unfortunately, these were just "adhered" from prior steps via 3M UHB tape...but did separate, and appear to re-attach.   My 1/4" thk small bucking bar (even ground down to thinner corner) barely fit and was NOT sufficient to swell shop ends of 3/32 rivets - even with tungsten bucking bar back up.   Eventually spread enough to use Main Squeeze with thin set.    Whew...done, but a real challenge.

Step 3:  More blind riveting along bottom rib.  Also showing in pic above.

Step 4:  Rudder Horn brace installed.    Satisfying - since I could access all rivets using Main Squeeze tool.

Long set in Main Squeeze just barely enabled access to set Univ head rivets.

Step 5:  Remaining 3/32 rivets at edges along bottom done.   Only need to complete along Spar before moving on to next page.

Empennage

Rudder (1.5 hrs)

Completed all of page 7-9, steps 1-5.  Blind rivet shear clips & stiffeners together joining LH skin onto RH skin.    My wife was great assistance to "peel up" LH skin for access, as I worked from bottom to top, adding clecos at TE. These steps cannot be done alone !   The instructions are to insert only 1 into the aft stiffener location, hence the reminder X on the drawing.

Key is checking that the LH skin's stiffener at the aft location is on top, while the shear clips in front are on top of both stiffeners.  

As we worked from bottom stiffeners toward top, we removed covering from adhesive a few inches at a time, shifting clecos from bottom skin/TE to capture all 3 layers from top side.  ...ie LH/TE/RH skin.

Finished with weights on TE while tape adhesive sets up.   Using large alum angle already screwed to table edge, with another large alum angle on top, prior to adding boards and weights - all to keep TE straight.

Empennage

Rudder (4 hrs)

Page 7-8  Step 1:  Back rivet stiffeners to RH skin,  then stiffeners to LH skin.    

Pic below shows tapes over rivets after inserted.   Turned over skin, added stiffeners and proceeded to back rivet.

Primed only at rivet lines.  Ran out of Napa 7220, finished with Duplicolor "green".

Step 2:  Add bottom rib -B and Attach Strip to RH rudder skin. [ see pic below]  

Note:  no primer under TE location since taped off per instructions.  This enables tape adhesive to stick to aluminum instead of paint for better bonding)

Step 3 page 7-8: Blind rivet shear clips to RH side stiffeners/skin assembly.

Step 1 on page 7-9:  Applied 3M VHB tape to both sides of TE wedge.  First cleaned with acetone.  Let tape adhesive set up for 20 min.   Then peeled off covering on tape to apply to RH skin.  Careful aligning with dimpled skin to C'sink TE wedge.    Cleco'd 100%, then let adhesive set up on RH skin/TE interface.    No picture...

Empennage

Rudder (3.5 hrs )

Complete Step 7 from page 7-7.   I "spot" primed inside rudder skins along rivet lines (only surface having been worked…otherwise Alclad provides protection).

Step 8 on page 7-7: Countersink Trailing Edge.  Set up drill press to countersink perpendicular to TE wedge surface.   Both sides .... but had to be careful to go deep enough to fully accept skin dimples but insure not too deep to enlarge hole diameter (if meet from either direction) !   Careful iteration on trial piece was necessary, including trial fit with dimpled samples.

Also, finished dimpling spar and rib flanges.   Ready to start riveting...

Empennage

Rudder  (4 hrs )

Continuing page 7-7 with Dimpling.   RH & LH skins, flanges on ribs and spar, stiffeners.
Finally ready to clean all parts with Acetone.   Primed both sides after several hours drying on one side, but could have sprayed within minutes

Lots of small parts.   I'll do scuffed areas of rudder skins tomorrow - just not sufficient room for all at once.   Cold outside, but able to heat shop in mid 50's.   Used high intensity halogen lights to directly warm aluminum during and after spraying.

Empennage

Rudder  (4.5hrs)

Completed finl drill (ream)  holes on RH skin started yesterday with LH side per page 7-7.

Then onto Step 5: put slight bend on RH and LH skin trailing edges with roll former tool.   This will hold edge tighter to TE piece when riveted.

Hard to get good pic of slight bend.  This is prior to Acetone cleaning and Priming.

Next deburr ALL holes in both skins, all stiffeners, etc.      That's a lot of holes !

When that was done,  used maroon scotchbrite to scuff all mating surfaces (those with Alclad affected during processing.   I'm following sequence of  DDSDAP  (Drill, Deburr, Scuff, then Dimple, Acetone to clean, and Prime).    Van's tech support has told me OK to either prime before or after dimples...but I prefer after so can scuff surfaces better vs recessed dimples.  Also primer won't get removed during dimpling.