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RV-10 Outboard Bottom Skin Rivets

Blizzard

Active Member
Looking for a technique to set these rivets without putting a smiley around them. The space between the rivet and the flap bracket is so small, wondering how you get a mushroom set on them. Thanks
 

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I recall using a flush rivet set with very low pressure, and tilting the flush head a few degrees so I could hit them not with the dead center of the flush head, but somewhere between the center and the edge.
 
Simple way:
- Round the edges of a ~1”x1” piece of 1/8” thick aluminum.
- Drill a #30 hole biased toward on edge.
- Countersink the hole on one side.
- Get a short 1/8” round head rivet - the shank going past the countersink side by 1/16” or so.
- Use your squeezer to set the rivet. The objective being the shop head is flush with the countersink hole. Use your Scotch Brite wheel if needed to get it all flush.
- Cover the working side of this rivet aid with a layer of clear packing tape.

To use:
- Put the rivet in the hole
- Place this rivet aid over the rivet - with the round head rivet as close to over the rivet to be set as possible. Tape an edge so it stays in place.
- Use your 1/8” round head rivet set on the round rivet head to set. Go easy on the air pressure as you are still just setting a 3/32” rivet.

Carl
 
Swivelling head flush set

For those rivets on my -9, I used a Swivel head type flush set, with tape around the circumference. That gave me just a little bit of an angle to hold the gun away from the flap bracket & the rivet set on the head. It worked out quite OK for me.
 
I have a flush set with a face about 3/4” diameter. It is hard to control and needs one hand holding the head in position and the third hand for the bucking bar. Had to wait until my third hand was in town, but then it was a snap.
 
All good ideas. Thanks for the input everyone. My problem wasn't so much the size of the flush set in the gun but the size of the gun itself being in the way of the bracket. Gonna try Carl's technique and use my longer 1/8 offset. Should have plenty of clearance. Lot of smart guys out there that think outside the box on some of these make shift tools and techniques. Thanks again everyone.
 
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