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Scuffing around rivets for paint
- Thread starter Blain
- Start date
When we painted our little jet (which is pulled rivets like the -12), John Stahr had a soft scotchbrite “drum” (basically a stack of maroon scotchbright, cut round into a cylinder, on a mandrel) on an angle grinder. We ran that down the rivet lines and it did a good job of scuffing all around them.
Evoke posted a couple videos, one specifically on a wire brush that they taped to hold the wires closely. Otherwise they were using a hand wire brush.
www.instagram.com
Evoke Aircraft Design on Instagram: "We had lots of questions recently over what kind of tooling we use to help sand down our rivets. Well, luckily, in this #QuestionOfTheWeek, Jonathan gives you all the answer you’ve been waiting for! #Aviation #Beh
14 likes, 0 comments - evokeaircraftdesign on March 12, 2026: "We had lots of questions recently over what kind of tooling we use to help sand down our rivets. Well, luckily, in this #QuestionOfTheWeek, Jonathan gives you all the answer you’ve been waiting for! #Aviation #BehindTheSchemes".
www.instagram.com
When they put out that video i ordered one, going to be a long time before I need it!Evoke posted a couple videos, one specifically on a wire brush that they taped to hold the wires closely. Otherwise they were using a hand wire brush.
Evoke Aircraft Design on Instagram: "We had lots of questions recently over what kind of tooling we use to help sand down our rivets. Well, luckily, in this #QuestionOfTheWeek, Jonathan gives you all the answer you’ve been waiting for! #Aviation #Beh
14 likes, 0 comments - evokeaircraftdesign on March 12, 2026: "We had lots of questions recently over what kind of tooling we use to help sand down our rivets. Well, luckily, in this #QuestionOfTheWeek, Jonathan gives you all the answer you’ve been waiting for! #Aviation #BehindTheSchemes".
Weiler 11110 0.006" Wire Size, 302 Stainless Steel Bristles, Banded, Solid End, Stem-Mounted Crimped Wire End Brush, Made in the USA: Abrasive Flat Brushes: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific
Weiler 11110 0.006" Wire Size, 302 Stainless Steel Bristles, Banded, Solid End, Stem-Mounted Crimped Wire End Brush, Made in the USA: Abrasive Flat Brushes: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific
a.co
This is what John Stahr and I used on my RV-12. 3M Scotch Brite 7443. An electric drill works best, a cordless drill battery doesn't last long enough and a die grinder is way too fast.
https://amzn.to/3RBeHx4
https://amzn.to/3RBeHx4
I also filled all my mandrel holes and the scotchbrite wheel didn't hurt the filler, if anything it made them all smoother, look at the bottom of the thread for the post-paint photos.
Filling Pop Rivet Mandrel Holes Before Paint
This is how you take your build to the next level. If you don't have a pop-riveted kit you should probably click the back button now. If you've ever looked closely at a Sling TSi built by Midwest SkySports you will notice that they fill EVERY pop rivet mandrel hole before they paint the plane...
vansairforce.net
I took your lead from that old thread and ordered the dispenser. Way easier. However I used Superfill which seems to be a bit softer than the epoxy that you used.
I did it by hand using a standard Scotch-Brite pad on my RV-12. Wasn't hard at all to get a good scuff, especially since you can use your fingers to get in-between the rivets well. Since you've filled in the rivet mandrel holes, I'd think doing it by hand will give you the most control.
That said, note I used Stewart Systems paint and prep so I applied their etching solution at the same time as scuffing (per instructions). So using tools to scuff was not an option--did not want to sling the etching solution all over.
That said, note I used Stewart Systems paint and prep so I applied their etching solution at the same time as scuffing (per instructions). So using tools to scuff was not an option--did not want to sling the etching solution all over.
