Riveting Of Tail Cone's Right Side Skins

There were high hopes of getting both the left and right sides of the tail cone all riveted today, but weather concerns took me away from the project all afternoon for yard chores before the monsoons set in.

There was progress, albeit slow, there are lots of rivets to set and it is just a time consuming process. Plus, as mentioned in earlier posts, extra care must be used when setting the flush rivets because the nose of the pneumatic rivet gun hides the head of the rivet.

                            Beginning the riveting of the seam where the F-1280-R & F-1281-R right skin's overlap.

                                                      Finishing up the F-1280-R & F-1281 right skin’s seam.

To help aid the alignment of the rivets prior to setting them, found it very helpful to grab the backside of the rivets and pull on them to help keep them centered and fully seated in the dimpled holes as the nose of the pneumatic rivet puller is slid down the mandrel … then letting go of the rivet just prior to setting the rivet with the pneumatic squeezer. This really made perfectly positioned rivets but also took a little extra time and effort.

                                                             Setting rivets into the F-1209 fuselage frame.

                                 The home stretch – finishing up riveting of the F-1280-R & F-1279-R skin’s seam.

Much to my surprise the plans only want the F-1279-R&L upper side skins riveted only where the seam is on the F-1280 skins at this time … all the rest of the holes will be riveted later, presumably after the top skin is fit.

                                                              Right side done and left side for tomorrow.