It's too hot to be in the garage, so it was time to move the project indoors, for a day anyway. Sunday I pulled 250 pop rivets to fasten the skin onto the v-stab skeleton while catching the end of the London olympics on TV. The closing ceremony was just interesting enough that I didn't want to miss it and just boring enough that it was good to be doing something else at the same time.
I didn't really have enough of the copper clecos so I used what I had very judiciously and moved 'em around a lot, working from the leading edge back to the main spar. At 3 squeezes per pop-rivet, and squeezing cleco pliars two or four times for every rivet, comes out to over 1,500 hand squeezes. Monday my hand was sore from all the riveting, but thankfully no forearm tendonitis, which I'm prone to getting. I guess that means progress.
I didn't really have enough of the copper clecos so I used what I had very judiciously and moved 'em around a lot, working from the leading edge back to the main spar. At 3 squeezes per pop-rivet, and squeezing cleco pliars two or four times for every rivet, comes out to over 1,500 hand squeezes. Monday my hand was sore from all the riveting, but thankfully no forearm tendonitis, which I'm prone to getting. I guess that means progress.
With the skin now fastened to the skeleton, the vertical stabilizer is remarkably strong and rigid, while also being super light. Very cool! Even though Van's suggests taking it off because the adhesive tends to age-harden, I'm keeping the blue film on for now to protect it from scratches.
Oooohhh....that looks AWESOME!!!! (And that pink towel on the counter--I have one identical to it!! Must be same # of years old, too!) Love, Dina
ReplyDeleteMaybe I borrowed it from you and never returned it. We've had it so long I can't remember where I got it. We use it to dry off MissT after giving her a bath.
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