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Guidance on removing a few rivets that are pro-sealed

N14KR

Active Member
Resolved :). See bottom post
I was preparing to rivet the two remaining inboard ribs to my fuel tanks and realized i should not have riveted in two spots on each tank attach assembly.
I missed that note....grrr.

a67ENq-nm


Some additional pics below. I need to remove the proseal and those rivets so i can then rivet the inboard ribs. How to best do that? I’ve not yet had to remove rivets that have cured a few weeks in proseal. I did previously bought PolyGone 310-AG sealant remover but interested in how others more exprienced would tackle this. (have not used PolyGone yet either).

a67ENq-ni


a67ENq-nj


This is the needed humility as I’ve been saying “wow, tanks really haven’t been that bad.” to myself recently.

Many thanks as always for your counsel.
 
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I am hardly an expert wrt tanks, but I did have to remove and replace the inboard rib on my QB tank (long story). I found the polygone to be most effective with thin layers of proseal - not so much for bulk. You can use a plastic razor blade (Aircraft Spruce) or a phenolic scraper (The Yardstore) to remove most of the bulk. Alternately, MEK will remove even old dried proseal very effectively. Obviously, don’t get it anywhere near proseal you want to keep. :eek:
 
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No chemicals.

I would drill out the rivet and mechanically remove enough proseal to be able to set the new rivet. Lightly countersink to remove any proseal in the dimple and scrape away proseal on the shop site. If you have a rivet shaver, carefully use that to remove proseal on the inside.

Using any chemical is probably asking for trouble as it may easily affect the surrounding proseal.

Finn
 
Resolved!

Thanks so much for all the input.
I think it got lucky because the sealant was about a week old so wasn’t 100% cured yet. Using a plastic blade as suggested above I was able to remove most of the sealant and cleanly drill out the rivet. Then just cleaned up afterwards and it’s ready for the rib!

a67ENq-nn


Thanks again all!
 
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