Category: Tools

Prepping Second Side Skin

Over the weekend I started preparing the port-side outer fuselage skin for installation. There are a few steps to do before installing it: Lightly abrade the skin near rivet locations (for better paint adhesion under the countersunk rivet head) Dimple the forward rivet locations Attach NACA duct Roll edges...

Rear Fuselage Close-out

For the past week I’ve been preparing to install the upper skins of the rear fuselage, which will close out most access to this section. Although there is an inspection panel mid-belly, I decided it would be easier to install the GMU 11 magnetometer before closing out, so earlier...

Left Fuel tank started

I created a jig for assembling the fuel tank using the templates included with the plans. After transferring the profiles to a sheet of 1/2″ MDF, I cut the shape by hand with a rotozip-style tool, then filed and sanded as needed to smooth it out. Next I followed...

3d Printed Wedge

I ordered the little close quarters wedge from Cleaveland Aircraft Tools last weekend, but I’m still waiting for it to arrive. Meanwhile, I thought I’d try making a temporary one out of plastic. Pretty quick work to design the part in Fusion 360 and then send it to my...

Left Wing Wiring Installed

Time spent: 6.3 hours Busy day doing various tasks on the left wing. First, I ran the pitot & AoA lines and built the little standoffs per the manual. Since it was nice outside, I built a little fixture so that I could prime the inside of the wing...

Buying a second rivet gun

I’m buying a second rivet gun – as I mentioned in my earlier post, it’s pretty common for assemblies to use both 3.2mm and 4.0mm rivets.  Changing the bit on the rivet gun is a little annoying (even if it doesn’t take too long) – it’s about the same...

Rivet Gun Arrived

Just in time for my kits arriving tomorrow, I received my Milwaukee M12 rivet gun today! It’s quite substantial, more so than I was expecting. It just came out this past weekend so I must be one of the first people in the whole country to own one. I’ll...

More tools arrived!

My haul of clecos, drill bits and various other things arrived from Brown Aviation Tools today! Big, heavy box!...

Supplies and tools starting to roll in

I’ve been ordering a bunch of stuff I’ll need to start construction, thought I’d post a picture of the very first things that came in!  ...