Practice: Toolbox kit complete.

Completed the toolbox kit.

From this:

 To this:

Total build time:  6 hours 4 minutes.

A lot easier than the other projects, probably owing to having spent time with the others prior to this one, and that this project was mostly just match drilling and riveting.

What I learned:

• Rivet squeezer is much more reliable, at least in my hands, than the rivet gun.  I used the squeezer at every chance I had since, with the other practice projects, I didn't always get the head flush with the work and ended up with a nasty gap.  I had only a few rivets set with the squeezer that weren't flat on the shop end.  These probably occurred since, when applying force to the squeezer, I didn't maintain the squeezer in the same plane.

• I couldn't figure out how to set the rivets on the bottom half latch.  I tried every permutation I could think of with the tools at my disposal.  Nothing would fit with one of the holes cleco'd.  Ultimately, I left the cleco off, tapped one rivet a few times so it would set slightly, then banged the other one, adjusting the latch as I went to make sure it was straight.  After the second rivet was fully set, I went back to the first to finish it off.  This caused the rivet to squish in between the two metal layers, creating a gap.

• Even though the cupped set, for the universal rivets, typically stays put on the head, it can walk.  I ended up mashing one universal rivet head because I got too cocky.

 

• Sometimes, after match drilling, deburring and dimpling, the rivets still were a tight fit.  So I "rematch drilled" and redeburred on about 6 or 7 rivets.  Wonder what's up with that and if that technique would pose structural integrity risks on the airplane? 
• The hinge and handle could not  be cut with my snips.  In fact, the blade is now ruined.  So, I tried cutting them on my band saw.  Though it worked, it probably stressed out the blade.  The wire got red hot!
• I used the dimple dies (dice?) in the squeezer for a few of the corner holes that wouldn't fit in the DRDT-2. 
• I had a really hard time deciphering the description regarding the hinge orientation.  I eventually found these two pages that helped me get some confidence:
• Wendell Engelien's RV-6A
• Darren Rickett's RV-8 (link no longer valid)

Here are some shots of my riveting.

 

My pneumatic cleco tool from Avery didn't work.  90% of the time, it would only partially open a cleco, then stop.  I finally tracked the problem down to an air leak around the piston.  When it was leaking, it couldn't open the cleco.  The few times it had a seal, it could open the cleco fine.  I'll let Avery know so they can replace it for me.

Also, seems the time lapse software is failing me.  After a few hours of running, it starts to drift and takes images at longer and longer intervals.  For example, today it was setup to take images every 10 seconds, which it did, initially.  By the end of the build day though, it was taking images every 31 seconds.  That sucks, since I was calculating the time I spent working by how many images were acquired.  I'll mess around with it and see if I can track the issue down.  For now, my build times aren't accurate.

I'm going to switch to using a butane soldering iron for scoring the protective vinyl.  The cord from the electric iron 1) gets in the way of everything and 2) is going to get sliced by a sharp edge, which would provide me with a brief light show and an undesired spot weld.

Finally, project 2 (the control surface) is on hold.  I had to order this pop rivet set so I can dimple at the tapered edge of the ribs (the vise is cool, but I was concerned that it may still have a challenge getting into tight spots).  I broke my (borrowed) #40 countersink bit trying to make the suggested tool in the plans.  Turns out the guide hole on the bit is #30!  I didn't realize that, so it snapped right off due to the friction.  From now on I will check these things.

Here are my outstanding issues that need to be solved prior to my wings coming:

• The new bench grinder itself, or the wheels are poorly balanced.  It shakes, rattles and rolls.  Dressing didn't help.
• The drill press bits always wobble.  The chuck seems center, but the collar doesn't.  Not sure what to do just yet.