Got the four wing stands bolted to the concrete floor. I have 4 as I’m planning to build both wings at once.

A few months ago my father-in-law made up some very nice steel supports to use while building the wing. Well now the wing is about to be started I decided to get them ready to use.

I added some ali angle supports which are supported by 10mm threadded rod so can be very accurately adjusted until they are 100% level. Thanks to Rudi Greyling for this idea and design.

Well I have had a bit of a break from the project for about 3 months. Been busy with our new baby, then i sold my model aircraft business and then to wrap it off I went to Saudi Arabia for 5 weeks with work.

The good news is I have lots more room now and I have just built a new workbench. It is nice and high so i don’t have to bend over it, is on nice castors and the top is supported by BIG steel beams so it’s dead flat.

Pics to come soon…

Got sick of cleaning and polishing the rust of my steel backrivet plate so I got this stainless steel one….nice!

Today I made the stiffeners for the replacement right rudder skin. It was pretty quick second time around.

Mark, cut on bandsaw, smooth cut line on sander and finish on the Scotchbrite wheel.

  I also dimpled the aft few holes in the left elevator root rib. On the right side I used pop rivet dimple dies and vice grips to dimple these hard to reach holes but wasn’t that happy with the resulting dimple. It was a bit shallow and slightly crooked. This time I drilled a #40 hole in the edge of my backrivet plate, countersink it and used the male dimple die in a spare squeezer set holder to make the dimple. A couple of whacks with the hammer and I got a nice result.

OK now I’m really starting to regret buying a cheap compressor. While backriveting today it lost pressure again and I spent the next few hours fixing it. Seemed like a jammed or dirty valve in one cylinder so I opened it up and cleaned and reassembled it.

 

 Still not pressure. Further investigation revealed a small gap in the cylinder head gasket between the high and low pressure sides. Tiny, but aparently enough to render that cylinder useless. No where was open to try and find a replacement so I patched it with some rubber from a rubber glove…..yes a glove…and tested it. It works!!

Then later on that day, I went back to the workshop to do some more building and guess what…the compressor wouldn’t start. Just a BAD noise coming from the motor. I think either the motor or capacitors are fried.

I’m ordering a new Hindin Marquip 16 tomorrow!!

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