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Top Wing Skin Riveting

ColoradoSolar

Well Known Member
I am looking for advice from the collective. I am working on the left wing top skin (Section 16) and I am having a terrible time trying to set the inboard 5 rivets on the rear spar that are "behind" the W-1007C Rear Spar Doubler Plate. I have tried my squeezer and numerous different bucking bars and I can't get those rivets to set straight. On the right wing I plan on leaving the W-1007C off until I rivet on the skin which should solve the issue. But for the left wing what can I do short of drilling out the rivets in the W-1007C?
 
Had the same problem...

I was in the same boat just a week ago and also concluded that I would leave the doubler off the next wing. Then I remembered the bucking bar that came with my tool kit has a little foot on it. I usually use the tungsten bar so forgot all about it, but there it was.

It was able to just fit in place between the doubler and the skin as the rivet bucked. It slightly mars the doubler, so might want to tape it to protect it.
 

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I was in the same boat just a week ago and also concluded that I would leave the doubler off the next wing. Then I remembered the bucking bar that came with my tool kit has a little foot on it. I usually use the tungsten bar so forgot all about it, but there it was.

It was able to just fit in place between the doubler and the skin as the rivet bucked. It slightly mars the doubler, so might want to tape it to protect it.

I tried that exact bucking bar and it wouldn’t fit.
 
Don't be afraid to grind a custom fit into a bucking bar, or even make a few out of random pieces of steel. I have at least a half dozen modified or custom bars for specific rivets. Most were needed for the fuselage.
 
Tungsten with an angle on one end - wasn't an issue.

Warning...

DO NOT grind tungsten bars - it is poisonous
 
Home brew

Don't be afraid to grind a custom fit into a bucking bar, or even make a few out of random pieces of steel. I have at least a half dozen modified or custom bars for specific rivets. Most were needed for the fuselage.

Agree. Cold rolled steel works great. I usually tape my tungsten to the home made bar for extra mass.
 
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