Bonehead Oops

Below is the email I sent Van's (Insert standard its the weekend I want an answer now blurb) Sorry for the picture size, I'll try and figure that one out:

While finishing up step 7 on page 10-27 my rivet squeezer was not fully on the tail of the rivet when I squeezed, resulting in the flush set digging in to the aft side of the F-01412 bulkhead. Close examination of the resulting bend/gouge/ding/crease did not show any cracking. My question is: Has the structural integrity of the bulkhead been compromised? If so are there any work around other than replacing the part?

I should also note that the damage only affect the F-01412B and not the mating F-01412A.

Here is another picture with a rivet inserted to provide a little better perspective of the area in question.

take two small pieces of hardwood, one inch by one inch, half inch thick or so.
drill a number one hole in the centre of the one piece. Take a C clamp and, with the un driven rivet in place, put the hole of the one piece over the rivet shank. The other piece goes over the damage area. Now clamp the two pieces together.
Hopefully this will flatten the parts out.
A small hammer, bucking bar on the head and a similar, hole in the centre chunk of metal on the forward side, might make it possible to tap the damage out.
Be careful not to hit it too hard or too many times as you could stretch the metal.

Try the C clamp method first.

Doubler?

Once you have straightened/flattened the bulkhead, you may want to add a doubler that will cover all of the holes showing with the proper edge clearance for the rivets you are using. Be sure to use rivets of the proper length for the new thickness. The doubler should be of the same thickness, or greater, as the bulkhead.

Tom Martin said:

take two small pieces of hardwood, one inch by one inch, half inch thick or so.
drill a number one hole in the centre of the one piece. Take a C clamp and, with the un driven rivet in place, put the hole of the one piece over the rivet shank. The other piece goes over the damage area. Now clamp the two pieces together.
Hopefully this will flatten the parts out..

Click to expand...

Good idea I'll give it a shot. I thought about trying to flatten it out using the hammer method but didn't try it since I can't directly access the back side since it is directly back to back with a sister bulkhead.

jdearborn said:

Once you have straightened/flattened the bulkhead, you may want to add a doubler that will cover all of the holes showing with the proper edge clearance for the rivets you are using. Be sure to use rivets of the proper length for the new thickness. The doubler should be of the same thickness, or greater, as the bulkhead.

Click to expand...

Thanks, I like the idea of fabricating a doubler that will cover the entire surface of the bulkhead (since the VS mounts to this surface). I will defineatly run this option by Van's. Hopefully I can get through this without having to replace the part. It's a very detailed/tight area of the plane.