470 Rivet Gun Skin Damage

Close to ordering the Finish Kit and this happened "out of the blue"; wow.

It is covered by the wing.

Seeking comments on:
Is the damage structural?
What can be done now to mitigate structural and/or cosmetic effects?
I recently heard of Teflon being used somehow?

Thanks; all input appreciated.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3AsMx80uQYFQTNQT0xnVUZ6Um8/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3AsMx80uQYFWnQtbEFKcjhfZ2c/view?usp=sharing

Peter Anderson
Calgary Canada

I would not think that would cause structural concerns, but someone with more experience than me should answer you. You should pass this by Van's also for peace of mind.
It will not be in view and once the wings are on for a while you will forget the cosmetic part of this.

you could cut out the damage, remove the sharp burrs from the cut edges, and place a patch doubler over the hole, or use a filler piece as seen here.





or, get advice from Vans. depending on where it is, it could be under considerable stress especially during aerobatic manoeuvres. or they might suggest using a hammer and bucking bar, and hammering it smooth.

I keep a body hammer around -- rubber face on one side, harder urethane on the other. Works wonders for "encouraging" little dings to go away. I've also used a flat set, bucking bar, low air pressure and gentle tapping. It's easy to overdo it though.

Practice on some scrap to get your technique down.

Response from Vans

Concise (but not cryptic) Ken at Vans support gave the following answers to questions of structural damage and cosmetic impovement:

"Unlikely/body putty"

Always learning.

Snap Soc

I've found the Snap Soc rivet set caps quite helpful in keeping the rivet set on the rivet head. You still have to use good technique, hold the gun on the rivet head, have the air pressure set, but the Snap Soc helps.
http://www.averytools.com/prodinfo.asp?number=4514
http://www.browntool.com/Default.aspx?tabid=344&CategoryID=34&Level=a