Van's Trailing Edge Kit - Part 2 - 2nd Attempt
One more practice kit before I start working on my RV-10. Here I wanted to build another trailing edge to see if I had learned anything from my first attempt.
This time around I started by removing the blue film only over the rivet lines. Once the soldering iron gets to the right temperature (level 4 setting on mine), film removal is pretty easy.
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| Parts prepared and ready to drill and rivet |
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| Match-drilling the skin stiffeners |
A vise is also very useful if working alone. Clamping parts in place makes for a much easier time when riveting those parts together.
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| Trailing edge skeleton ready to rivet |
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| Match-drilling the skins |
I think I could have done a better job when drilling the trailing edge wedge, as the wedge was not clamped flush with the forward edge of the skins. It actually was a little behind the forward edge, and that resulted in some issues (discussed later) when riveting the trailing edge together.
I also didn't have a lot of success riveting the rib rivets closest to the trailing edge. Using a chisel did not work well. I was able to use my 3/16" bucking bar with some success on one side, but it did not fit well on the opposite side (once a rivet had been set on the first side) and that resulted in the trailing rib rivets not setting well. I think when I build the rudder I will plan to use pull rivets when things get too tight for the squeezers.
Finally, I experimented with alternating the direction of the trailing edge rivets. However I didn't like the look, and also feel it affected the integrity of the trailing edge as I riveted all the alternating rivets in one direction, and then the other rather than riveting from the center outward. I'll stick to riveting in one direction only when I build the rudder and other similar parts.
The leading edge bend went so much better than the first attempt. I used gorilla tape to hold the pipe to the skin and only did a 45 degree initial bend. After that I slowly bent the two skins by hand. This resulted in a much more symmetrical bend as seen below.
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| All parts drilled and deburred... time to rivet everything together |
There was still some pillowing between skin edges when I pull riveted the skins together, but noticeably less than in the first trailing edge I built. I still need to see how to work around that, but I am thinking that taking more time to ensure the skin bends are even along the entire edge might help reduce the pillowing.
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| Leading edge done |
And with this, my last practice kit is complete. Now that I have my RV-10 empennage kit inventoried and safely stored and organized, I'm planning to start work on it tomorrow.
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| Trailing edge complete |
Trailing Edge comparison (1st attempt on the left and 2nd attempt on the right)
One side... and the other side
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| A closer comparison (1st attempt is on the left) |
If you look at the comparison below, you can see that the trailing edge on my 2nd attempt (right) is bending up slightly. I think this is partly because
- the rib rivets closest to the trailing edge were not set correctly
- the trailing edge wedge was not clamped flush with the skin trailing edges
- I experimented with alternating the rivet directions on the trailing edge (maybe not an issue)
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| Leading edge comparison (1st attempt is on the left) |
Lessons Learned
- Rivet the trailing edge in one direction, from center outwards. I don't like the look of alternating rivets.
- Ensure that the trailing edge wedge is flush with the skin edge. Don't let the wedge slip backwards while clamped.
- Try to find a way to reduce pillowing further between rolled skins. Not. really a lesson learned but something to keep in mind for the rudder, elevators and flaps.
- Use pull rivets (MK-319-BS) for the most trailing rib rivet, or when space gets too tight to set regular rivets.
Date: June 24 - June 27 2022
Time Taken: 7.3 hours