Riveting the right horizontal stabilizer

Tonight I spent about 1.5 hours on riveting the right horizontal stabilizer.  I am very close to getting these skins riveted on, and almost to the point of attaching the rear spar.  I have decided to wait on attaching the rear spar until I can get an EAA Tech Counselor out to take a look at my work to see if I am on the right track, and that my rivets are looking OK.

I started this work session off my attaching HS-708 center rib, to HS-702 front spar and HS-707 nose rib using LP4-3 blind rivets.  From doing this on the left side, I knew it was going to be tight, so I took my time and got them set.  My hands were almost to large to work the pop rivet gun in that little space!

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Next up was to rivet in the AN470AD4-4 rivets that attach the HS-706 end rib to the HS-702 front spar.  These rivets set OK, but I did let the rivet gun jump a little and scratch my primer.  Luckily it didn’t do any damage to the end rib other than cosmetic primer.

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Then it was time to do the bulk of the work: Riveting HS-601pp to HS-702 and HS-708. Like on the left stab, I worked from the center outward to eliminate any oil-canning, and made sure to insert the single AN426AD3-4 rivet into the hole where HS-601pp (skin),  HS-702 and Hs-708 meet. Once that guy was set, the rest of the rivets were AN426AD3-3.5.  This turned out pretty well, and I didn’t have any dishing or denting.  I also checked the rivets with a rivet gauge to make sure they were set correctly.  I am finding that my “ear” is getting used to the sound of a correctly set rivet, and I am getting them at the perfect depth almost every time.  Here is how the skin turned out:

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I completed the whole bottom side of the right stab skin tonight. After setting those rivets, my left arm was pretty beat from holding that bucking bar, so I decided it best to quite for the night before I messed up that pretty skin.  I will finish up the top side tomorrow, and that will have the skins riveted, save for the HS-00005, HS-00006 ribs and rear spar, which I will hold off on so that the Tech Counselor will be able to look inside the stab’s to inspect.  Here’s all the photos from tonights work:

Here is the Google photos album link: https://goo.gl/photos/k3pWa5Hoduz2MCyf7

Hours Worked: 1.5
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