Ok to use this part?

Hi all,

So I started my tail today and managed to screw up right away (brilliant work I know). I was cutting the tab off the VS-014-01 front spar doubler as per the instructions and managed to snag it on the bandsaw. This hacked a chunk out of one corner and put a quite a sharp little bend in that same corner.

A few heavy knocks with a hammer and tungsten bucking bar on an anvil flattened it out, and a bit of filing has got rid of most of the damage. However the hammering has potentially thinned the material a tad. It certainly looks like it, although I measured it with digital vernier calipers and can't see any difference so perhaps it's an optical illusion. In addition, the corner is hardly perfectly rounded now, as you will see in the photos here:

https://www.instagram.com/p/B0yIwxrg_iT/?igshid=64xtft4esucx

Anyway, I'm wondering whether to press ahead with this part or not. On the one hand, the damage and repairs are limited to one corner and the majority of the stress should be taken by the other rivets. On the hand, it's a fairly critical part and I don't want my tail falling off.

I'm leaning towards persisting with this part, but I'm perhaps biased by the multi week lead time for getting parts over here. I would of course also need a new spar since they are match drilled. In addition, the sawing of the VS-702 spar went so well I hate to risk screwing it up on the second attempt!

I understand this is a bit of a noob question, but given the instructions make it sound like having even a scratch will result in failure I don't want to take any chances until I get a feel for what is acceptable. Unfortunately I don't have a photo of how it looked before the "repairs". It was pretty beat up, albeit in the affected corner only. It's definitely possible that hammering the metal has weakened it in some way.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Regards,

Greg

It looks fine to me.

If you were stateside I would say if you have concerns replace it on the cheap but being in Australia I imagine it would take some time to get the part and the shipping cost not worth it. I would build on!

I understand this is a bit of a noob question, but given the instructions make it sound like having even a scratch will result in failure

Click to expand...

If this were the case every single RV ever made would fall out of the sky Basically if you can "clean off" a scratch with a scotchbrite pad you're good to go!

Best advice someone gave me early on -- think like you're building a "tractor" not a "space shuttle"

Thanks, I figured it was ok but thought I'd check as the hammering was more like panel beating than simple straightening. It really does look like it thinned the material a bit.

Anyway, I will press on!

I wasn't referring to scratches that shallow but point taken about the tractor!

No Problem Drill Sargent!

Greg,
Do you have 2D edge distance to all the rivet holes? [measured from the center of the hole] If so, you are OK. If not, you can actually repair that part. When I built my empennage, [pre matched hole] many of the HS ribs were actually to long. I went to my RV guru, Jody Edwards. Telling him I thought that I needed to call Vans and get replacement parts. He laughted and said all I needed to do was cut off the bad flange, & make a "scab" flange. A scab flange is just a piece of aluminum, bent to a 90 degree angle and cut to replace the damaged flange. It should be made from the same material 2024-T3, and be of the same thickness as the damaged part.
With the parts clecoed together, locate the scab flange and drill it to the web of the piece you cut the flange off of. Draw a center line on the new scab flange's flange Move the scab flange until you can see the center line you drew [use a Sharpie pen] when looking through the pilot holes in the part it gets riveted to. Clamp it in position and drill through the first pilot hole in the matching part, into the scab flange. Install a cleco and repeat for the rest of the rivet holes.
Remove the damaged part and it's scab flange. Debur and rivet them together and you have a repaired part. Send me a PM with your email address and I can email you some photos of what I'm talking about.
Scab flanges are actually very easy to make.

Charlie

Thanks Charlie,

Yes the edge distance seems ok.

Thanks, I'll send you a PM. That sounds like something useful to know for later.

Regards,

Greg