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Some minor VS skin damage...

PokePilot

Member
I'm in the process of setting up my workshop and I've been keeping my skins in the box in which they came. Well, I noticed a bend in the lower right corner of my VS skin and discovered that it had punched right into the side of the cardboard, resulting in an about 8 degree bend through the first prepunched hole. An amazing discovery when I just got the kit a week and a half ago and haven't even received my tool kit yet :(

I took a wood block and a mallet to it and gently tapped it back into shape, but there's still a tiny amount of deformation to that corner. I don't think it will affect anything structurally ? it's bent slightly inward toward where the VS spar will be and the damage is really only visible from a distance if the light catches it. If anything I think it's just a cosmetic issue at this point.

I know the usual advice is to "flatten it out and build on", but does anyone recommend replacing the skin? For $85 plus shipping I don't know if it's worth scrapping an otherwise perfect skin for one tiny corner, but I'm open to suggestions.

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I agree, I would not replace that. Unless of course you plan on polishing but idk who actually does that sort of thing. :D
 
Gently bend it out. You should avoid a hard edge for whatever you're using on the convex side of the bend. A nice radiused block of wood is good, with the radius under the bend and shaped to match it. I'd use another block on the concave side to - as I said - gently flatten the skin. Use your hand to press the second block as needed. No fancy tools for this one.

If ultimately you're still unhappy with it, check to see if this part is hidden under the tail fairing. If so, build on.

Otherwise, if you run out of any local resources, sure, go ahead and replace it. Us RV builders often do that, or at least I seem to. I've got a whole area in my garage attic reserved for scrap.

Dave
Skinning my RV-3B fuselage
 
Dimple

I think when you dimple that hole a lot of the creAse will come out. Also if you edge break the edge will stay down too. I think it will be very hard to see on the finished bird. JMHO
 
Gently bend it out. You should avoid a hard edge for whatever you're using on the convex side of the bend. A nice radiused block of wood is good, with the radius under the bend and shaped to match it. I'd use another block on the concave side to - as I said - gently flatten the skin. Use your hand to press the second block as needed. No fancy tools for this one.

If ultimately you're still unhappy with it, check to see if this part is hidden under the tail fairing. If so, build on.

Otherwise, if you run out of any local resources, sure, go ahead and replace it. Us RV builders often do that, or at least I seem to. I've got a whole area in my garage attic reserved for scrap.

Dave
Skinning my RV-3B fuselage

Ah, I didn't even think about the tail fairing. The damage is already pretty difficult to see, but it looks a lot worse in the pictures than it does in person. I'm pretty sure most of it will be hidden by the fairing and paint. I might play with it a bit more to flatten it further but ultimately I think I'll keep the skin. Thanks!
 
I wish I could say I have no "dings" on my build but it would be a lie. A few errant hits with the rivet gun here and there. Bondo will be my friend.
 
since that is a tail kit I am assuming that you are just starting and after looking at all the pictures of people's perfect projects you are planning on yours being perfect too. That's a great goal and something to strive for, but unless you are super human and plan on spending 20 yrs building your airplane, you will have to deal with some build errors somewhere along the line. It isn't going to be perfect. There will be botched rivets, the odd elongated hole, smilies, even slightly damaged skins from time to etc. Most people end up recalibrating their expectations, and still building a really nice safe airplane. There are those who achieve superhuman levels of perfection, but they are rare. I don't know how the heck they do it. :confused:
 
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