Fixing the 'dimple-8'

The story starts out like this:

Newbie gets his new pneumatic squeezer, and makes about 30 great dimples before screwing up.

You guessed it, I punched an extra hole right by the one it was intended for in the HS skin. This is where the inboard leading edge rib will mate to the skin.

I've lurked here long enough to know this is no big deal. I decided to drill it out to a #30. The problem is, the hole is still a little "8" shaped and I can't see this being a sound joint.

Should I

1. Build on
2. Put in another rivet in between this screw up and the adjacent hole? Of course, this would put it right near where I fluted the rib.

I'm also concerned because the edge of the hole is a little gnarled and I'm thinking its a good place for a crack. I tried to dress it up but that also makes the hole bigger.

It's on the bottom of the stab so cosmetics don't concern me too much here.

Suppose I should use the power tools for setting rivets, not dimpling, huh?

Thanks for advice.

Build on. Inboard rib flanges...if it's on the top, it gets hidden under the emp fairing. If it's on the bottom, well, it's on the bottom! Since yours is on the bottom...phew...no sweat.

Remind me to point out my "extra hole" on the bottom of my HS skin next time you're flying in very close trail...

Welcome to the extra hole club. Build on. I'll show you my 'dimple 8' someday.

800hrs on Flash and still flying somehow <g>.

b,
d

Ha. Thanks for the quick replies. I guess this is one of those things 'real builders' do. Still haven't drilled my finger yet, but it's a long road ahead!

Building on...

My first "drilled finger" was on my 3rd airplane in 1984. Actually it was a team effort. I was holding the back of the longeron on my Moni Motorglider and my building partner was drilling every other hole. He forgot to skip a hole and found my thumb.

You're lucky, my dimple-eight is on the top of my HS! Now I always use the hand squeezer to make dimples...

Keep on building, and if you're like me you will move on to bigger and more impressive mistakes. Did I say mistakes? I meant "things"...

mcb

Mel said:

My first "drilled finger" was on my 3rd airplane in 1984. Actually it was a team effort. I was holding the back of the longeron on my Moni Motorglider and my building partner was drilling every other hole. He forgot to skip a hole and found my thumb.

Click to expand...

My drilled finger happened when the bit went right through an existing hole in the wood block I was backing the hole up with, and into the side of my thumb. OUCH.

As compensation, my dad took me up to the training center to fly an MD-90 sim the next day.

LOL! I drilled my finger on my first day of emp work! I was like "gee, I always wondered how someone could do such a thing!".

Btw, keep on using the pneumatic for dimpling... it's a life saver. After this you'll slow down with the squeezer and will move on to all the other types of mistakes.

-Rick

My extra hole is in the HS also. However, it is not really a "dimple-8". I messed up so bad that the extra hole was a long way from the target. I was able to just set a rivet in it and move on.

I don't usually use the pneumatic dimpler on skins since you usually have to drag out the C frame anyway. But, I sure do love it for ribs and other non-skin parts.

I have lost count on the number of drilled digits. I dropped the drill the other day and ended up with a #40 hole in my ankle. Since I couldn't buck a rivet there I had to drill it out to #30 and use a CherryMax! Ouch!

Dimple 8

I did the extra hole and dimple in an elevator skin = stupid, huh - well, it was late at night... Called Van's to order new skin and they said just flatten out, fill hole with JB Weld and carry on. I pounded too hard on the skin to flatten and stretched it. This can't be fixed and I needed a new skin. So be gentle flattening the dimple if you can. Bill

i am done with the vs hs and rudder and i still have not had any extra holes in the plane or my fingers am i doing somthing wrong? should i drill a extra hole so the bad luck can drain out?

Bill Dicus said:

I did the extra hole and dimple in an elevator skin = stupid, huh - well, it was late at night... Called Van's to order new skin and they said just flatten out, fill hole with JB Weld and carry on. I pounded too hard on the skin to flatten and stretched it. This can't be fixed and I needed a new skin. So be gentle flattening the dimple if you can. Bill

Click to expand...

Just put flush rivet sets in your squeezer instead of dimple dies and use that to flatten it out, it works great and is hard to over do it.