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Riveting the top tailcone skin

JDA_BTR

Well Known Member
Figured I'd ask for advice before I mess up my tailcone! I'm up to the point of putting the topmost skin on; everything up to this point is done.

Seems like I could clean the shop floor well, put down some clean craft paper, and set the tailcone on the nearly level concrete. It isn't too rough of a floor but it isn't perfect either. Then I could put some blankets inside and lay inside and back rivet to an assistant on the outside holding the large flat back rivet bar.

Will I rough up the bottom too much? Would it be better to put the tailcone on some surplus low-shag carpet for this task, or will that potentially cause the bottom skin to lay unevenly and warp/dent/bend???? Don't want to learn the hard way! I don't think I should lay it on the two work stands currently holding it up. I also have a hollow core door I could put down.

Now I'm thinking craft paper over the hollow core door is my best bet?..

Who has done this already? It seems tough to reach in and get the gun/bar everywhere on this piece even if it is done section by section?. by getting inside the assistant can easily place rivets and hold the back rivet bar.

Also the 470-4-4 rivets for the center spar are in a tough spot to squeeze but I think I can squeeze them if the body of the squeezer is aft of the bulkhead it attaches to. I kind of wish I had put that to the bulkhead first and riveted it to the skin as part of the last step.
 
TailCone Top Skin Riveting

I went ahead and built these.
Went quick with a band saw and a couple of electric drills.
Had Home Depot cut the plywood.
Hope they will be needed again later (Magnetometer, Wire Ties etc.)
Designed to distribute my 210 pounds and control mental stress.
view

view

Peter Anderson
Calgary, Alberta
 
I'm kind of crazy , so I attached a strap to the very tail end and carefully hoisted it up in the air with my overhead hoist. With everything ready and a plan I had my assistant stand under the tail assembly and lowered it down over him (pointed end up). I carefully rested the baggage end on benches so it would not move about but it was still securely attached to the hoist. We then carefully riveted all remaining rivets very comfortably. Easy peasy if you have a hoist.
 
I placed the aft fuselage on a workbench covered by towels then placed pillows and more towels inside fuselage. My 17 yr old "smallish" daughter slid inside and held the bucking bar for me. She had a few hours experience previously helping me buck rivets. I gave her some ear plugs and safety glasses and it worked great. Couldn't have done it without her!

She works cheap by the way. $10 an hour, plus a company car, free room and board, health and dental plan, clothing allowance, purse allowance, hair and makeup allowance, etc.
 
We (helper is my girlfriend/project manager/chief assistant) just completed this step last week. Our approach is not as elaborate as either solution already presented.

We turned the tail cone assembly upside down on padded saw horses. I used the rivet gun from below and she held the bucking bar from above/inside. She could lean in from the forward end reaching back almost to the second bulkhead (and therefore access about 80% of the rivets). Then we moved the entire assembly to a work table, still upside down, with the table padded with towels. The section that was already riveted was on the table - the unriveted part extended off the table. We placed rolled up towels on each side of the top rib and against the forward bulkhead, with a pillow on top of the towels and the top rib. She then crawled inside the fuselage with her waist/hips on top of the pillow. She could then reach easily into the rearmost section with the bucking bar and I used the rivet gun from below.

I should note that this method of using the rivet gun from below, with the bucker holding the bar above, is our preferred method of bucking and we have used it with great success. I have a reinforced plywood board on top of saw horses with a cutout in the middle (2' x 3') for access with the rivet gun. The bucker has only to keep the bar centered and in place and gravity does much of the bucker's job. It is harder on the rivet gun operator (neck and arms and back) but the gain in control is well worth it in my opinion. Most of the fuselage "cone" was done this way, rotating it as needed, as well as other sections completed to date.
 
I had thought of Ron B's vertical method but wrote it off as too crazy. Since he wrote about actually doing it now I'm back to figuring out where I can find a hoist point. Still need to line up that riveting buddy too.
 
"crazy" Ron B.

I had thought of Ron B's vertical method but wrote it off as too crazy. Since he wrote about actually doing it now I'm back to figuring out where I can find a hoist point. Still need to line up that riveting buddy too.

I did the "crazy" Ron B. Approach:). The only difference is I was on the inside with my back riveter and my youngest son was on the outside with the bucking bar. The hoist came from HF for $49.00. I already had it for hanging my sailplane during yearly landing gear maintenence.
 
The vertical hoist idea sounds fun! But my ceiling is too low anyway.

I'm going to go with the carpet on the floor then padding inside route. I just hope I don't crease any panels laying on them!
 
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