Tailcone- 1 hr 40 min (Tailcone 1:40, Empennage 138:12, Total 159:08)
Rivet count: 0 (Total 2,154)
I actually spent a good part of the day working on a small project completely unrelated to the airplane. It was good because it allowed me to cut, deburr, dimple, and rivet for the first time in 6 months. I actually missed an opportunity to clean (since they have been sitting for six months) and prime the elevator parts during this gorgeous and wind-free day. I went ahead and used what little time I had to start work on the tailcone.
The first step has you fabricate the AEX tiedown. I now understand why so many people just order the prefabricated tiedowns from third-party vendors. It is an easy step, though very time consuming with a lot of patience required. It was also the first time I have used a tap set to make a new thread. I actually tapped the spare piece of tiedown first to make sure I didn't screw up. I have been using the cheap tap/die set from HF and its been taking a toll. Today for the new threading, the handle actually broke! I'll have to go invest in a more robust system now that I have a knack on how it operates and knowing that I'll need to do two more of these in the future for the wings. A good learning experience today.
Here's a before and after (using the tiedown from the wing kit as the before). I'll start making the timelapse videos again, since today's timelapse would be pretty boring of me spinning a tap and getting frustrated at the handle breaking. -M
Rivet count: 0 (Total 2,154)
I actually spent a good part of the day working on a small project completely unrelated to the airplane. It was good because it allowed me to cut, deburr, dimple, and rivet for the first time in 6 months. I actually missed an opportunity to clean (since they have been sitting for six months) and prime the elevator parts during this gorgeous and wind-free day. I went ahead and used what little time I had to start work on the tailcone.
The first step has you fabricate the AEX tiedown. I now understand why so many people just order the prefabricated tiedowns from third-party vendors. It is an easy step, though very time consuming with a lot of patience required. It was also the first time I have used a tap set to make a new thread. I actually tapped the spare piece of tiedown first to make sure I didn't screw up. I have been using the cheap tap/die set from HF and its been taking a toll. Today for the new threading, the handle actually broke! I'll have to go invest in a more robust system now that I have a knack on how it operates and knowing that I'll need to do two more of these in the future for the wings. A good learning experience today.
Here's a before and after (using the tiedown from the wing kit as the before). I'll start making the timelapse videos again, since today's timelapse would be pretty boring of me spinning a tap and getting frustrated at the handle breaking. -M
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