[simpits-tech] Project update - RIVETS!

[Gene Buckle]

Take a peek at the following pictures:

http://www.geneb.org/pitkit/skin

It's a step-by-step illustration of how you can use standard aluminum 
rivets to skin a home built cockpit.

The rivets were treated just like nails.  You drill an under-sized pilot 
hole and then tap them in with a mallet that has a plastic face.  The 
rivet heads are relatively soft and by using a plastic mallet, you won't 
mar the head.  You then apply a little CA to the back side and that glues 
the skin to the frame.  On the next one, I'll be using a longer rivet that 
will allow me to wick CA on the rivet only to lock it in place instead of 
using the amount of CA that I did on the test part.

This was an example done to illustrate that it not only can be done 
easily, but it looks great too!

I ran a few flush rivets as well just to show how that looked.  The flush 
rivets I had didn't have a long enough reach to go through the tempered 
hardboard plus the 1/2" OSB strigers, so I didn't do very many.  I've got 
ones with a longer reach on order and the next skin application will be 
done half in flush and half in round head rivets just to give a better 
visual contrast.


Pretty neat, innit? :)

g.

-- 
Proud owner of F-15C 80-0007
http://www.f15sim.com - The only one of its kind.