- The Avery kit has been excellent so far and nothing seems unnecessary or overly spendy. They have good customer service and a cute catalog too.
- Good add ons to the Avery kit (they will discount everything you add to the tool kit, so don't hold back): the drill debur adapter, some scotchbrite pads (mostly red but a few gray as well), 1/8 and 3/32 drill bits, liquid boelube, one-hole #40 csink bit, extra cleco pliers.
- Some of the more generic/less important tools can be had for less at The Yard. They've got a huge assortment of cheap rivet sets, bucking bars, used items, and all sorts of stuff.
- Other things to buy. (assuming you're not quickbuilding)
First check out Dan's tool list. To his ideas I would add or emphasize:
- Without delay check out the Harbor Freight site. Quality is generally lower but if you're not going to be using it a lot you can save a ton of money. If you happen to live near one of the retail outlets you're all set, otherwise shipping is free (and very slow) if you buy $50. Order early...
- Bandsaw. Adjustable speed would be nice but not required. High-TPI blade (even if designated "wood cutting") is much better for cutting metal than the blade that will come with the saw. The Home Depot saw has worked fine for me.
- Bench sander. Forget the 1-incher that Van's talks about, get the 4-inch with a wheel. Again, Home Depot will work.
- Drill press. Harbor Freight cheapie is so-so, this might be one to splurge on especially if you will use it for other things.
- Needle files, $5 Harbor Freight.
- Die grinder, touch-up paint gun, air gun, all cheap at harbor frieght and they get the job done. I prefer the 90-degree die grinder.
- Lots of sandpaper in grits 120 and up, Harbor Freight.
- Air hoses and connectors much cheaper and even better quality at HF.
- Cheap steel bar clamps at HF, c-clamps wherever you can find them. The good ones are expensive, but having at least a few good (big) ones is nice to hold down power tools and big assemblies.
- Fly cutter at Aircraft Spruce.
- Dust masks and nitrile gloves at HF. Aluminum dust gets everywhere and into everything and these two will at least keep you clean and perhaps keep you healthy. The gloves are also essential for solvents and priming.
- VOC respirator. Even if you're priming with the tamest stuff around, this totally eliminates any vapor smells and the associated headache.
- Tank dies from Cleaveland Tools. Deeper dimple to make up for all that proseal you smeared everywhere.
- Standard Aircraft Handbook by Reithmaier. Good overview stuff.
- Jeppesen Aircraft Sheet Metal. So-so.
- Riveting mil-spec. Print it out, read it, and keep it in the shop.
- Avery, Cleaveland, Vans, and Aircraft Spruce catalogs. The first two have good tool-use tips sprinkled throughout. Keep all of them handy for when you wonder if there is a better tool or part for the job...often there is, sometimes it is even worth the money.
- Don't "reach" with a cleco to pull a second part into alignment, except in certain known-tight-fits (wing leading edge nose ribs and tank ribs come to mind), and then only with great caution. See my build log entries on this subject...
- Pay attention to cleco force as you insert them. If you had to push hard when the neighboring holes are not clecoed, keep an eye on those neighbors since they may now be misaligned. On short ribs you may want to cleco each hole temporarily to make sure all holes are ok.
- If a cleco doesn't spring back all the way when you release it into a hole, the center shaft of the cleco did not penetrate and you need to investigate the problem.
- Buy one! I've been spoiled by having one from the beginning, but I cannot for the life of me achieve results anywhere near as good with the hand squeezer. Even on the small rivets.
- Can be bought (and later resold) on ebay for a fraction of the new price if you have some time to spare. You may want to ask about how rusted the yoke and bolts are, mine were *almost* impossible to free. Get out your WD-40.
- Setting up the squeezer to the right squeeze depth: I haven't figured out the best way yet, but I can tell you to be very careful if you want to set it by putting it near a driven (esp universal) rivet and cycling the unit. If your aim is off at all you will score the rivet head and potentially damage a part. Ask me how I know. :) You could try holding up an undriven rivet to the yoke and eyeballing it, however you will soon learn that the squeezer doesn't squeeze as much when there's a rivet in the jaws. The thicker the rivet, the more the difference. If you try to notice the setting for each length rivet, you will eventually get pretty good at estimating it. Naturally you will tend to err on the safe side for a long while.
- Pull the squeezer yoke onto the manufactured head and workpiece all with one hand to keep things straight.
- Watch the shop-head die to make sure it is contacting the rivet dead-center. Else you will get a sloped head. Don't watch the other side, keep it on the head by feel.
- Avery kit people: don't shell out for the expensive Avery adjustible set; you can use the adjustable set from your hand squeezer. In fact my squeezer (CP-214) doesn't work with the pneumatic adjustible set because it is a little too big for the inside of the tool.
- You need to buy drills that precisely match your pin punches. I.e. 1/8th drill with a 1/8th pin punch. These drills are not in the Avery kit. Or I heard you can use the back of a drill bit, if you've got some dull ones to sacrifice...
- AD4 universal: Optional: predrill undersize (#40) through the head only. I always had trouble keeping the hole centered on the round head, pre-punching and drilling with short bursts seemed to help. Then drill to size (1/8). Snap off head with pin punch. On a long rivet, partially drill through the shank with 3/32, then use the smaller punch to drive it out. Really long rivets (like -8 or more) may require you to drill full size all the way through.
- AD3 flush: Drill 3/32, snap off head, punch shank through. Be prepared to enlarge the hole on thin material, not sure if this can be avoided. Order some oops rivets from Van's next time you send an order in.
- Avoid countersinking if you can dimple instead.
- Write down or otherwise memorize which way to turn the collar to remove more/less material.
- Test on similar thickness stock, with similar edge involvement. The stop cage is not perfect and the presence of edges and any give in the metal will make a difference.
- Make a series of marks with paint on either side of the cage adjustment, calibrated for various depths: flush, dimple, tank dimple. On my equipment, the same marks work for both #40 and #30. However, keep in mind the previous tip -- the marks should be used as a guide only. Test on scrap first.
- Make sure your dimpled test piece is absolutely flat else it will trick you into making a deeper countersink than you need. Make sure the dimple is fully formed.
- Despite your best efforts, it seems to me that there is always a little bit of bulge around the dimple that will create a tiny gap even when the countersink is deep enough. When pressing the dimple into the countersink, you should not be able to wiggle the dimple around in the hole. If you can you are too deep.
- You may be able to judge the proper depth for a countersink-for-a-dimple by putting a rivet in the countersink and learning how low it sits. This probably varies for each thickness of dimpled stock though.
- This seems pretty simple but depending on your kit it may turn out to be harder. Prepunched kits and RV-9 emps seem to be more demanding. Read the section about fluting in the wing chapter -- it's got some extra hints...
- Sure, you can flute a rib to be flat but does it then line up with the holes in the skin? Perhaps not. After getting it flat use a ruler to see if the rib holes are all in a straight line and work to achieve that.
- If a rib does not fit easily into your skin you should think about pulling it and mess with the fluting some more. A few small changes can make a big difference, believe me.
- Watch out for scratching the inside of the rib with the tips of your fluting pliers. Even if the tool seems smooth it can still do a lot of damage in a place that is very hard to sand. You could put some tape on the pliers.
- Don't push nose ribs into the skin with lots of force, you will damage the skin inside and out. If nose-fluting is called for (i.e. RV-9 HS) you may need to do it aggressively to get a good fit.
- Read, yes read, that mil-spec on riveting, then go out and measure your rivet gauges and understand exactly what they are telling you. It is probably not what you think or have read online. A dial caliper is an excellent investment here and in measuring shop heads themselves. Just buy it. Vernier calipers, especially if fractional-only, are too slow in my opinion.
- Probably a good idea to print out the relevant tables in the mil-spec for reference in the shop.
- Back-rivet when practical. Squeezing AD4 flush heads is a bit slippery, and AD3s will look much nicer.
- Back-riveting: Hold the plastic bit with your free hand and press down on the gun pretty hard. Otherwise the set will roam all over the place and that doesn't give good results. You may need to grind down one side of the plastic collar to get at some rivets.
- The Avery kit at least comes with two AN470AD4 dies, one is a special low-profile model. Using each at the right time will increase the effectiveness of your yokes greatly.
- Rivets bending over or sliding to the side? Maybe it's not your technique...even a slightly-too-long rivet will be very prone to clinch. Check with your gauge and cut or belt-sand the rivet if needed. Naturally keep the cut square else you invite new problems.
- Gaps forming between layers when riveting or squeezing? Clamp the work to your bench then hold the work together if you can, else clamp the work together. Even if you can't get very close with the clamps it's better than distant clecos. They are not really that strong.
- Get behind the rivet gun. Don't (at least as a newbie) try to shoot sideways or in any position where your wrist is turned.
- Especially for bigger rivets and universal heads, you need to put pressure behind the rivet gun to keep it from moving around or flying off the head. Lean into it. If you have a free hand use it to steady the set on the work.
- Especially for universal heads, use several short bursts on the trigger rather than one long one...at least till you get comfortable with the current riveting situation. This will allow you to reaim the gun slightly between each burst, let you get the bucking bar back in control, and will limit damage should you slip off the rivet head.
- Naturally, clamping the work *firmly* to your bench helps a lot. Use wood strips in the clamps to stiffen the area to be riveted if you can't get a clamp really close. For your first riveting jobs the workpiece should be absolutely glued to the table...it's one less thing to worry about.
- Masking tape on the universal set helps keep the head nice, hockey shin tape is far better. It seems to keep the set in place better, prevents smilies, and certainly lasts longer and with less residue on the set and rivet. You can buy it online, at big sporting goods stores, or at your local hockey rink.
- Solo riveting of skins is possible and sometimes even preferable (in my opinion), but you should try to find a helper for at least the first dozen rivets so you can get a feel for controlling the bucking bar without worrying about the gun. To rivet solo, I have been leaning into the gun and lightly bracing it on my hip or stomach. This stabilizies the gun and gives you a feel for if the gun is walking away. Keeping pressure on the gun side is key to keeping it in place. Then you can focus on the bucking bar like you should be.