Dimpling Stabilator Skins

While in the dimpling mood, decided to prep the stabilator skins for dimpling by removing the blue protective film along the rivet lines and from the inside of the skins so they will be ready for priming.

                                         Removing the blue film from the rivet lines on the right stabilator skin.

Noticed on a couple of other builder sites the suggestion was made to use a tube to remove large areas of the blue film by rolling the film onto the tube.  I had a piece of 1 1/2” PVC tube that Van’s used as a shipping tube for the replacement hinge to replace the one I accidentally drilled extra holes into many weeks ago. The tube technique works great! … my hat goes off to the person who came up with that idea.

                                       Using a PVC tube to roll up the blue plastic coating on the stabilator skin.

                             The PVC tube made easy work of removing the tenacious blue protective film coating.

After the blue film was removed from the stabilator’s skin, the dimpling process began using the C-frame. The first two holes at the leading edge of the skin along with a small row of holes at the aft end will be done by hand using the pop rivet tool which uses the dies that have a hole in the center for a nail to be pulled by the pop rivet tool.

                                         Using the C-frame to dimple the stabilator’s right skin for flush rivets.

                                Allowing the skin to hang off the edge of the bench under its own weight so the
                                leading edge bend opens up as little as possible during the dimpling process.

So far the dimples look great! Will finish off the right skin tomorrow by dimpling the few remaining holes with the hand pop rivet tool and dies then do the same process on the left skin.