Tip: Surface (end) tip rivets

[akarmy]

For my next trick I go to Ken Scott's article in Sport Aviation. He showed how to set the rivets at the end of the ribs of the tail surfaces. In this area you can't get much of anything in to do the riveting. I took an old chisel and ground the end flat, then polished it up a bit. You use it and a backrivet plate along with a flat set in the gun to rivet them in place. You simply rivet down on the top side of the chisel just outside of the parts, the force applied indirectly to the rivet. Thanks Ken for a great idea.

 

[N941WR]

Good Tip Andy!

Here is what I posted on my website:

Here is a picture of how I was able to squeeze the last rivet on the end aileron ribs. I used the handle of a small pair of needle nose pliers to "open" the rib and then used my Avery's no-hole yoke to reach the rivet. I had to partially squeeze the rivet, push it down with a center punch and then finish squeezing it the rest of the way.

There are so many ways to skin this cat!

 

[TShort]

I used Andy's chisel tip to set some elevator rivets this AM; I hit the chisel with a hammer (saw that somewhere else). The shop head looks great, but the rivet is not sitting flush in the dimple. I know the skin was flush on the plate, but without anything to hold it there I think it jumps a bit when the rivet is set.
I may try it again with another set of hands to hold the skin flush.

Thomas

 

[mlw450802]

I used Andy's chisel tip to set some elevator rivets this AM; I hit the chisel with a hammer (saw that somewhere else). The shop head looks great, but the rivet is not sitting flush in the dimple. I know the skin was flush on the plate, but without anything to hold it there I think it jumps a bit when the rivet is set.
I may try it again with another set of hands to hold the skin flush.

Thomas

Thomas,
In these situations where I can't really get a back riveting spring to hold the skins together, I have cut short pieces of small dia. polyethlyene tubing so that it is about the same length as the protruding unset rivet.
When you whack the rivet, the tubing takes some of the load and squeezes the skins together. The rivet usually sets enough to hold everything stable at that point and then you can remove the tubing, if necessary, to finish setting the rivet. If you're not in a hurry, this works for holding the skins tightly when squeezing rivets as well.

-Mike

 

[TShort]

Great idea - I'll try that.

Thanks
Thomas