RV-12 Longeron Help
There are three challanging tasks during hull construction of the RV-12. They are in my opinion the longerons, the fuel tank and canopy. I have found the canopy most difficult and the longerons the easiest of the three. They all require reading more than once and understanding the instructions before starting.
You will need a minimum of a 6" vice with padded jaws and a small sledge hammer ~3lb. After you trim the longeron to length you should have two pieces of scrap angle. Use one of these, shortened to a convenient length, as a sacrificial piece to hammer on when opening the angle of the longeron.
Make the bends in the longeron by pulling it by hand in one inch increments. You may not think you are making any progress, but you'll be surprised. You may even over do it. Just bend it back. It will distort 90 degrees to the bend. Just correct the bend by turning the angle in the vice and correcting the bend.
The longerons are critical to the future assembly of the fuselage, so accuracy is important. They provide strength to the fuselage and many additional part are attached to them. They will be on and off the fuselage several times before you get a satisfactory fit, so be patient.
Happy building,
Art Pennanen