Dimpled next to hole in VS rear spar

Today I managed to put a dimple where it didnt belong , next to the intended hole (finger trouble using my pneumatic squeezer ) ... its is on the rear VS spar and 10 holes down from the top.

any one else done this and how did you fix it ??
Cheers Bernie

Bernie,

Here is what I would do. I would use the flush rivet squeezer set in your pneumatic squeezer to squeeze out the "bad dimple". This will make the flange of the spar flat again. Inspect closely for any cracks that might of formed. If there are any cracks, stop drill them. Debur the new hole and dimple the intended hole. Make a doubler shim out of 0.032 and put a hole and dimple in that. The doubler will go on the inside of the flange of the spar, while the skin will be on the outside of the flange of the spar. Obviously, use a larger rivet to accommodate the doubler.


Good news is you put the extra dimple in the spar and not the skin, so when its all together there will be no visible damage.

Good Luck!

Yup, everything that Mike said...and welcome to the "figure eight club" - all RV builders end up being members, it's just a matter of when....

A revised technique...

I might be violating all sorts of OSHA rules....

But when I use my pneumatic squeezer in a location where the female die is fixed and the male die is movable, I take the return spring out of the squeezer. Then I can physically slide the male dies "pip" (polite word......) into the hole before I hit the trigger.

This method helps remove the "aiming factor" of teasing the trigger and getting the "pip" into the hole.

Does anyone see any drawbacks to this method?

As always, extreme care is needed with a device that can squish 2000 pounds force near your fingers...

gil in Tucson

thanks for the Quick replies, my next question is

(1) do I make the doubler for the flange long enough to pick up the rivet either side of the repair - as in the photo above or

(2) Just long enough to cover the repair ie only use the one skin rivet to hold the double in place or

(3) Drill new holes 1/2 inch either side of the repair and rivet doubler to flange before the skin goes on

note the hole spacing on the flange is about 1 1/4 "

... and of course the doubler goes on the inside

thanks again Bernie

bullojm1 said:

... I would use the flush rivet squeezer set in your pneumatic squeezer to squeeze out the "bad dimple". This will make the flange of the spar flat again. Inspect closely for any cracks that might of formed. If there are any cracks, stop drill them. Debur the new hole and dimple the intended hole. Make a doubler shim out of 0.032 and put a hole and dimple in that......

Click to expand...

I think you must work for the same company I did.

Bernie RV7 said:

(1) do I make the doubler for the flange long enough to pick up the rivet either side of the repair - as in the photo above or

(2) Just long enough to cover the repair ie only use the one skin rivet to hold the double in place or

(3) Drill new holes 1/2 inch either side of the repair and rivet doubler to flange before the skin goes on

Click to expand...

Bernie,
I would keep it simple for this easy repair - doubler for just the offending figure-8. All you want is a concentric dimple for the rivet's shop head to grab onto. That's the advice Van's has given me on the few times I have eighted my work.