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A sound that made me sick

M

mikeangiulo

Active Member
I was having a cheery old time riveting my fuselage bulkheads in when my awesome tungsten bucking bar just flew out of my hand. Thud. It hit the fuselage bottom and actually punched a tiny hole in the skin.

I almost puked at the sound.

Now I'm looking at the area and the deformed area is quite small. I think I could set an AN4 rivet in the hole and nobody would be the wiser. I also think maybe it could be where I mount my transponder antenna? It's in the bay where the aft battery will be mounted. Any ideas of what I could use a hole there for??

Man what a lousy way to end a session...
 
I have a ding in the leading edge of a wing when I dropped an aileron control rod while trying to fit it to the bell crank with the wing in a nose down orientation!

Your solution options sound good to me

Jim Sharkey
RV6 - nearly there
 
An old towel folded up and set under where you are bucking can catch those little hard to hold bucking bars. I find I have a better grip on the good old bucking bars. Cheaper too.
 
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Join the Club

Great suggestion to put a towel or some padding in the area you're using a bucking bar. I dropped my brand new tungsten bucking bar and left a divot in the belly of the RV-10 I'm building. I should have known better, I too learned on my -7 to be careful about dropping bucking bars. Needless to say, I was sick when I did it on the -10. Now, I usually take a few seconds and put some tape on the bucking bar...sometimes I even put a 3" "tail" of doubled up duct tape so I can hold on to the bar better. Those tungsten bucking bars work great, but they do seem to have a propensity to jump out of your hands and head straight for the nearest piece of smooth aluminum.
 
mikeangiulo said:
...the deformed area is quite small. I think I could set an AN4 rivet in the hole and nobody would be the wiser. I also think maybe it could be where I mount my transponder antenna? It's in the bay where the aft battery will be mounted. Any ideas of what I could use a hole there for??

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Sorry to hear that Mike. Your idea about large rivet sounds good. Also I saw somewhere in the back of a fuse a fix like little round bevelled mini hatch appr 1 1/2 diameter with flush 8 AN3 rivets. Was clean looking.
 
Don't feel bad. I did a slow motion dance with a large bucking bar three feet above the bottom of the canoe. It put two nice holes in the bottom fuselage skin. One of them I patched, the other became the mounting location for one of my com antennas. No big deal after you get over the shock :).
 
scard said:
Don't feel bad. I did a slow motion dance with a large bucking bar three feet above the bottom of the canoe. It put two nice holes in the bottom fuselage skin. One of them I patched, the other became the mounting location for one of my com antennas. No big deal after you get over the shock :).
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Identify, adapt, and overcome. Should be the builder's motto. :D
 
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Sleeping bags and AD's

Shop garage sales or second hand stores for old sleeping bags and blankets. Put them in the area where you are working.

As far as the damage, set a rivet. If anyone asks just tell them there was an AD issued and the rivet is a mandatory, grounded till complied with directive. The looks are great.
 
Sound of metal hitting concrete

I moved a wing across the garage out of the wing rack and to my horror the wing tank did not have any screws holding it on. Now that was a terrible sound. Bong, bang, follow by a "son of a bit....., shi... shi...!!!!! :mad: It hit on the leading edge at the root rib. Luckily no leaks and the wing intersection fairing was adjusted to cover.

One interesting thing to note is that when you are done and showing off your finished airplane proudly, all these issues become great stories. Also you will have the uncontrolable need to point these imperfections out whenever someone compliments you on how great the plane looks. I guess it is a humility thing.
 
My "OPPS" moment was when my son and I were moving the assembled HS/elevator assembly. I forgot that I had not attached the fiberglass tip--the part he was holding. The right trailing edge hit the floor and bent the end 4-5". Drill out about ten rivets, straighten as best I could (most damage was to the bottom skin, thankfully) and re-rivet. Yes, it is still visible. No, I probably will never replace it. I noticed it a couple days ago, during the second annual condition inspection, probably the first notice in a year. We all do it.

As to the hole in the bottom skin, hey, it sounds like a drain hole to me!

Bob Kelly
 
Quality time is what it is, Bob...

videobobk said:
My "OPPS" moment was when my son and I were moving the assembled HS/elevator assembly. I forgot that I had not attached the fiberglass tip--the part he was holding. The right trailing edge hit the floor and bent the end 4-5". We all do it.

As to the hole in the bottom skin, hey, it sounds like a drain hole to me!

Bob Kelly
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.....that story you and he will both re-tell years later. Yup, I have a drain hole as well...planned that way..:) not!

Regards,
 
O sh** moments

I two have a hole in one elevator that has a pop rivit in it that was made by something falling on it and making a small hole. No one except other builders has ever mentioned it. Makes a good story. My best O sh** story has to do with batteries, I was flying on a short trip when the battery between my feet in the four started to over charge and bubble over. I had to fly about 15 minutes to my destination watching acid bubble out and run down my beautiful belly. Luckily the guys at my destination had some soda that I quickly mixed with some water and pored in and let flow down the inside of the belly. I was lucky and got all the acid neutralized, and have had no corrosion problems but it wasn't much fun while it was happening.

Joe Hine
RV4, C-FYTQ
 
This is a timely thread. Not three days ago I was mounting an aileron with a bolt through the inboard hinge when the entire outboard hinge bolt fell free! :eek: The aileron pivoted around the inboard hinge (thankfully not hitting the ground) but cosmetically damaged the TOP skin of my right wing. :( A hand seamer straightened it out (mostly).
 
I put a three corner tear in the fuse under the right seat turned out to be a great place to mount one of my antennas.
 
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