http://www.foamworks.co.nz/zkomg Tue, 31 Aug 2010 09:40:17 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Here is a summary of my first lot of tank sealing work. This represents 4 'sessions' each about 3 hours long. You get about an hour to work with the sealant once mixed, add an hour for setup and and hour for clean up each time. First I backriveted the stiffeners ... http://www.foamworks.co.nz/zkomg/?p=663 [caption id="attachment_657" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="Tank attach bracket drilled for flop tube attach point."][/caption] [caption id="attachment_658" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="The skin is machine countersunk (not dimpled) along the row of rivets that joing the skin to the baffle. this makes inserting the baffle easier during assembly/sealing."][/caption] [caption id="attachment_659" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="Made anti-hang-up guides to ... http://www.foamworks.co.nz/zkomg/?p=656 Bought this circle cutter (fly cutter) to cut the large inspection panel holes in the tank root ribs. Unfortunately it was too big to mount in my drill press so I decided to have a crack with the handheld electric drill.... It actually worked really well. I used plenty of cutting ... http://www.foamworks.co.nz/zkomg/?p=653 Work continued on the left tank today. I matchdrilled the capacitance fuel sender plates to the appropriate ribs and attached 3 nutplates to each sender plate. I also drilled the tank nose reinforcing plates and attach brackets to the end ribs. Finally I deburred all the holes in the ribs,  skin and misc ... http://www.foamworks.co.nz/zkomg/?p=641 Big day on the left tank today. [caption id="attachment_636" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="Made these tank attach/alignment brackets from some angle stock. Did the right one at the same time. They still need a little finishing work but mostly there."][/caption] [caption id="attachment_637" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="Positioned and drilled the fuel cap flange.... "][/caption] [caption id="attachment_646" align="aligncenter" width="400" ... http://www.foamworks.co.nz/zkomg/?p=635 Received my flop tubes and delux fuel caps from Vans today. I'm putting flop tubes in both tanks so I can fly upsidedown from either. Also, these delux fuel caps are a work of art! Much better than the standard Vans caps which I should have deleted from my wing order. ... http://www.foamworks.co.nz/zkomg/?p=632 Deburred, fluted and straightened the flanges on the ribs for the left fuel tank. Cleco'd them to the baffle which was bolted to the spar and fitted the skin. The whole assembly was then removed and matchdrilled on the bench. [caption id="attachment_629" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="Looking like a wing with the tank ... http://www.foamworks.co.nz/zkomg/?p=628 Matchdrilled all the tank stiffeners to the tank skins. [caption id="attachment_626" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Alex doing what he does best....supervising!"][/caption] http://www.foamworks.co.nz/zkomg/?p=624 Today I cut and deburred all the stiffeners for both tanks. Glad that's done!  Process was, mark out with a sharpie, cut on bandsaw, deburr on scotchbrite wheel. http://www.foamworks.co.nz/zkomg/?p=621 Quite a lot of work here although it doesn't look like much! The tank Z-brackets are measured, drilled, fitted, drilled again, drilled for nutplates, countersunk, primed, nutplates riveted on. Doesn't sound like 5 hours of work!!! [caption id="attachment_618" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="Z-Brackets ready for priming"][/caption] http://www.foamworks.co.nz/zkomg/?p=617