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TheBoatLife

Member
I’m about to assemble the rudder, and I’ve been reading and rereading about getting a straight trailing edge. Even Section 5 states: “Building a truly straight TE is one of the more difficult things to do in aircraft construction”

If you are using a pneumatic squeezer with the trailing edge squeezer sets, is it still that difficult? Or does the real difficulty come with the back riveting method and using a rivet gun?
 
TheBoatLife said:
If you are using a pneumatic squeezer with the trailing edge squeezer sets, is it still that difficult?
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As a first time builder, I found it to be much easier than I expected. It was a big nothing burger for me. I did have the trailing edge cleco'd to a piece of aluminum angle for a day or two prior to setting the rivets. That might have helped but again, as a first time builder I can't say for sure.
 
I tried a squeezer with the angled die set and wire clip. Did not like it.
Went with the two step back rivet process. (only one side to get misaligned, versus two)
I think back riveting also spreads out the punch/squeeze more so there is less pillowing, if you are inclined to get it.
To each his own.
 
Aluminum angles and partial squeeze with flat set first (in my holes in the angle, about every 10 and worked my way from the middle out, and back between again middle out), then finish with angle set, worked for me on 3 rudders, all straight.
 
Like @bertschb , I got a great result with the squeezer and angle dies clamping it to a straight reference (a long level) while the adhesive tape was setting, and spreading out the rivets (not doing them in sequence) and checking straightness every other rivet. You also need to be aware of twist with the rudder, and I jigged it so it wasn't twisted before riveting.
 
On top of the other advice, try undersqueezing them all on the first pass. Then come back and fully squeeze them.
 
When I did my -9 rudder, I used a squeezer & dies that I ground to an angle, and it turned out Ok using the partial set method. I used the Cleaveland angled dies (linked together with a spring) when I did the flaps for my -9, and they turned out very straight. The method I used was as described above - partial set every few rivets, along the length, partial set along the length, then repeating the sequence to fully set.
 
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