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Flap skin riveting question

TCONROY

TCONROY

Well Known Member
Regarding the RV-7 flaps: I'm about to start riveting the skins on. The top skin overlaps the bottom skin on the bottom side of the flap. Along that edge of the top skin, should I use my Avery edge rolling tool to put a slight bend in that edge to prevent the top skin from rising up on its edge since its right next to the aft rivet line?
 
well...

Ask me how I know that it's easier before dimpling.

I did one with dimples, and one without. They end up looking the same, but it's easier to keep the tool seated and with a uniform angle when its not bumping along all of those dimples. Go a little slower and you'll do fine. The tendency is for the tool to bump off of a dimple and veer towards the edge. I think I've got minor evidence of this folly on my left one.
 
I made the same mistake on one of my wing skins recently. I had just built a nice new workbench for dimpling and was excited to give it a wirl. I was 98% done dimpling the skin when I realized that I fotgot to roll the edges. I was able to roll the edge outside of the dimples without a problem. It didn't come out quite as nice as the skins I rolled before dimpling, but once it was rivited in place, you couldn't tell.
 
Careful...I made the mistake of trying to do this on a skin that had already been dimpled and it went really wrong. Had to scrap the piece and get a new one. Since then, if I forget to roll the edge before dimpling, it doesn't get rolled...
 
N277PM

Yes, do that before you dimple. I screwed up the leading edges of the ailerons by using that nasty little tool. I was told to instead take a piece of hardwood and cut a 1/4" slot, then a 3"16" slot and use that instead of the wheels. I practiced on some scrap, I have lots of that now, and I like the results much much better. I plan to do it on all the edges.

Paul
LAF
N277PM
 
Last edited:
Thanks for the help everyone! Van's turns us loose after babying us through the emp kit instructors. I'll need to really start thinking ahead now on little things like this.
 
Slots

Pbr47906 said:
Yes, do that before you dimple. I screwed up the leading edges of the ailerons by using that nasty little tool. I was told to instead take a piece of hardwood and cut a 1/4" slot, then a 3"16" slot and use that instead of the wheels. I practiced on some scrap, I have lots of that now, and I like the results much much better. I plan to do it on all the edges.

Paul
LAF
N277PM
Click to expand...

Are you talking about the slots being 1/4 and 3/16 deep? Not wide.
 
Tool

Yes the slots are 1/4" and 3/16" deep. Width just enough to fit the skin. I used some oil on the block helping it slide along.

Paul
N277PM
LAF

Doing the flaps now.....
 
hard to tell...

If I had to guess, what you're proposing to build is the tool that is one of the "practice projects" printed on the airfoil practice kit supplied by vans... with a distinct difference. Instead of a slot for skins cut in an edge of the tool, the slot is cut into one of the faces so that the tool can be held in an open palm.

Am I visualizing this correctly?

Hard to tell without a picture.
 
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