Jan 08, 2021     07-12 - Rudder Trailing and Leading Edges - (10.0 hours)       Category: 7 Rudder

12/16/2020 – 1.1 hours
I prepared a 1.5” x 1.5” x 6' Aluminum angle section to provide a straight anchor for the rudder trailing edge while the 3M VHB Tape adhesive bonds to the rudder skins and trailing edge wedge. I match drilled the aluminum angle to the trailing edge wedge, and then upsized the holes in the angle section to #30. The idea is to secure the angle to the edge of a table, and then cleco the rudder trailing edge through both skins and the wedge to the angle to hold everything tight and straight during the bonding process. I upsized the holes in the angle to allow a little back and forth play since the holes are not necessarily perfectly aligned with the holes in the rudder trailing edge pieces. I used small nuts drilled out to #40 to hold the cleco since the clecos won't grab the #30 holes.

01-04-2021 – 2.7 hours
Today was a significant milestone. According to Section 5 of the plans, “Building a truly straight TE is one of the more difficult things to do in aircraft construction.” That statement, coupled with the fact that this was my first attempt at double flush riveting, led to a slightly elevated heart-rate as I dove into the final step of the trailing edge assembly. I used a special set of squeezer dies that match the angle of the trailing edge in the pneumatic squeezer to set the rivets in the trailing edge. I also decided to alternate the shop head and factory head on both sides of the rudder for primarily aesthetic reasons. I started with the center rivet on the trailing edge, and then set every 10th rivet up and down the trailing edge. Every hole was cleco'd, and the rivet for the hole was set as the cleco was removed (e.g. remove center hole cleco, rivet center hole, count 10 holes up or down, remove that cleco, rivet that hole, repeat, …). After the first pattern was riveted, I split the difference between the set rivets and set the center rivets starting from the middle of the TE and working outward. I followed this pattern until all of the rivets were set, and I flipped the rudder over when I came to the holes that were to be set from the opposite side. The end result is a rudder trailing edge that is as straight as I can get it with the skins closed tightly over the trailing edge wedge and double-flush rivets.
[Pneumatic Squeezer, AEX Wedge rivet set]

1/5/2021 – 0.9 hours
Another new task at this point in the build is rolling the leading edge of the rudder to form the final leading edge shape. The rudder leading edge is in 3 sections – the top section is approximately 6” long and the middle and bottom sections are approximately 20” long each. Going back again to Section 5, the plans recommend using duct tape to attach a 3/4" to 1 outer diameter pipe to the free end of the skin and roll the skin around the pipe with downward and rearward pressure to avoid creasing the skin at the spar. I started with the short top section to try the recommended technique. I managed to put a curve in the top section of the left and right skin leading edges that appears to conform to the template shape in the plans. I was a little disappointed in how the skins come together when they are cleco'd, since there is a gap between the skins especially near the top of the section. I suspect that I rolled the right skin too far, and the gap is due to the cleco trying to pull it back to the left skin. I will check the template fit to see which side is closer and either reduce the roll on the right skin or increase the roll on the left skin. Fortunately, this is a step that allows you to tweak your work before riveting as long as you don't crease the skin.
[3/4” PVC Pipe (1” OD), Gorilla Duct Tape, Vise Grip Pliers, Clamps]

1/7/2021 – 1.5 hours
Rolling the leading edge of the rudder continued with the center and bottom sections of the leading edge skins. The top section can be rolled solo since it is only a few inches long, but the center and bottom sections definitely need an extra set of hands and II enlisted the help of my oldest daughter. One issue I noted with the center and bottom sections is that taping the pipe at the edge of the skin results in too much curve at the edge and not enough curve near the spar. The result is the curve doesn't quite conform to the template shape and there is a lot of tension at the holes if you attempt to cleco the skins together. I ended up damaging one of the holes in the center section by clecoing at this stage, so I have some work to do to repair the damage and I may end up drilling an additional hole for another rivet. I did find that using strips of duct tape from one skin to the other is a much safer (for the pre-drilled) holes way to line up the skins before inserting clecos with a lot less force on them. That will let you remove he clecos to continue hand-forming the curves to get a better fit and conformance to the template.
[3/4” PVC Pipe (1” OD), Gorilla Duct Tape, Vise Grip Pliers, Clamps]

1/8/2021 – 3.8 hours
The rudder leading edge adjustments are complete, and the leading edge is finished! I made a lot of hand adjustments to the initial leading edge rolls on each section to get the skins to align without a lot of force on the rivets and to conform with the shape templates in the plans. I ended up putting a little more roll in each section close to the spar, and reduced the roll close to the skin edge. One thing that helped was to align the holes with duct tape rather than clecos. That really lets you see what the roll of each section looks like without the cleco imparting a straightening force at the edge of the skin to hide the roll.

I increased the roll at the spar by clamoping my pipe inside the section just aft of the spar to the table, and manually lifted and rolled along the length of the pipe. I used a second PVC pipe on the outside of the roll to provide a straight edge against the inside pipe to make the roll along the entire length more even. I also used a wood block with rounded ends and edges to work the skin against the inside pipe.

Reducing the roll near the edge of the skin was simply the opposite of the initial roll. I stuck a piece of duct tape along the inside edge of the skin, and then attached the pipe to the outside. Vise grip pliers attached to each end of the pipe provided some additional leverage, and I was able to very slowly and cautiously reduce the roll radius at the edge of the skin. The final result was a more curved section near the spar and a flatter section near the skin edge that matched a lot better (not perfectly) with the template. With the rolling complete, I final-drilled and deburred the holes, and installed the blind rivets to finish the assembly.
[3/4” PVC Pipe (1” OD), Gorilla Duct Tape, Vise Grip Pliers, Clamps, #30 Drill, #30 12” Drill Bit, Deburring Tool, Maroon Scotch Brite Pads, Blind (Pop) Rivet Puller]

  Jan 03, 2021     07-11 - Rudder Counterbalance and Top Rib Assembly - (4.2 hours)       Category: 7 Rudder

01-03-2021 – 4.2 hours
Work to button up the rudder continued by riveting the counterbalance rib and rudder spar to the rudder skins. I wanted to use the pneumatic squeezer for these rivets since bucking in the relatively confined area inside the counterbalance rib would have been difficult. I quickly discovered that the 3” yoke on my squeezer was not long enough to reach into the counterbalance rib cavity. Fortunately, a nearby builder had a 4” yoke that I could borrow, which worked out great! Once the counterbalance rib was riveted in place, I installed the counterbalance. I torqued the screw that secures the counterbalance using the 28 in-lb torque value for a 3/16” bolt and locking nut.

The skins were riveted to the rudder spar next. I used the same riveting pattern specified for the trailing edge (rivet every 10th rivet from the middle out, then split the difference for the rest of the rivets). That pattern wasn't required in the plans, but it seemed like a good opportunity to practice it prior to riveting the trailing edge. There was no evidence of “pillowing” in the skin at the leading edge, and the skins fit tightly to the spar.

The final step was installation of the tip rib to the rudder assembly. I used clecos to help align the rib with the skins and spar top, and then started riveting with the blind rivets into the spar. I then riveted the skins to the tip rib starting at the front of the rudder and working aft. The aft two AN 426 rivets on each side got a little tight, but I managed to get the rivets set with the squeezer. The final 3 rivets on each side of the top rib are blind (pop) rivets. The only issue for me was getting my finger pinched in the rivet puller handle – I got a pretty good bruise on my finger tip :)
[Pneumatic Squeezer with Flat Squeezer sets and 4” yoke, Blind Rivet Puller, in-lb torque wrench]

  Jan 02, 2021     07-10 - Rudder Spar Assembly - (4.9 hours)       Category: 7 Rudder

01-02-2021 – 4.9 hours
The rear spar was installed into the rudder assembly starting with blind rivets to attach the spar to the shear clips. The assembly then moved to the bottom of the rudder to rivet the left attach strip to the left skin and bottom rib. The plans call for riveting the 8 aft holes common to the rib and attach strip in order to leave a little clearance to install the rudder horn brace at the forward end of the rudder. The plans correctly say you will have to peel the trailing edge apart slightly to get access to the last 2 holes. I read that note several times since I've spent the last week letting the adhesive on the trailing edge cure only to pull it apart at the bottom. I used a small wood block to open up the gap for the last 2 rivets, and I set them without issue.

The plans don't specifically call out when to rivet the final aft hole at the bottom rib just in front of the trailing edge, so I decided to do that now while the trailing edge was spread apart. Unfortunately there was no way to get the squeezer yoke or a bucking bar into the space for the final hole, so I had to come up with another way to set the rivet. I decided to use two small (1” x 4” x 1/4") steel strips like a clothespin to squeeze the rivet. One piece went under the shop head end of the rivet and the second piece went over the skin and manufactured head. I used the pneumatic squeezer on the steel strips just outside the rib flange to squeeze the strips and the rivet together. The result was a nicely set flush rivet!

The final stage of this step was to install the rudder horn brace. That turned out to be easier said than done. This has to be done after the bottom rib pieces are riveted together, which makes for a very tight fit for the brace. After a lot of coaxing to get the brace past the forward rivet of the right attach strip, I finally got it to “snap” into its place. In hindsight, I would recommend waiting to set the most forward rivet on the right attach strip until after the brace is inserted into the assembly. From there, three blind rivets attach it to the bottom rib and 4 AN470 rivets attach it to the rudder horn. The rivets on the rudder horn brace are very difficult to get to since they are inside the brace and not visible when you are riveting. The area inside the brace is just barely large enough for a small bucking bar, so I used the pneumatic squeezer with a longeron yoke to squeeze the AN 470 rivets to the rudder horn and all but the most forward AN 426 rivets in the skins. The most forward hole I did blind with a gun and bucking bar. The rivets came out fine as best I can tell since they are really hard to see and measure.
[3x Rivet Gun, Bucking Bar, Flat Set, Pneumatic Squeezer with 1/8” Cupped and Flat Squeezer sets, Blind Rivet Puller]

  Dec 31, 2020     07-09 - Rudder Skins and Trailing Edge Assembly - (2.8 hours)       Category: 7 Rudder

12/20/2020 – 0.3 hours
I prepared the rudder Trailing Edge wedge for the final rudder assembly by cleaning it with acetone, drying it thoroughly with a soft, lint-free cloth, and applying the 3M F9460PC VHB acrylic-adhesive tape to both sides of the wedge. I then clamped the wedge between a 6-foot piece of L-angle aluminum and the trailing edge pieces for the elevators to keep the wedge straight and allow the adhesive bond to cure. The entire set-up is in the house since the shop is not heated. According to the 3M data sheet, “Ideal tape application temperature range is 70 deg to 100 deg (21deg C to 38 deg C. Initial tape application to surfaces at temperatures below 50 deg (10 deg C) is not recommended because the adhesive becomes too firm to adhere readily.” The data sheet also says the tape should be good for 24 months from date of manufacture if stored between “60 deg to 80 deg (16 deg C to 27 deg C and 40-60% [relative humidity]”

12/30/2020 – 2.5 hours
I have been studying the process for this step for several weeks, and looking at pictures and commentary from other builders. The goal is to complete riveting the internal structure of the rudder, while locking in the trailing edge so that it is straight and tight when it is final riveted later on. I followed the instructions in Section 5 of the construction plans for skins that are rolled onto each other. The step started by clamping an aluminum “L” section to a desk in the house to provide a straight surface to cleco the trailing edge to at a warmer temperature than my garage shop. I cleaned the inside trailing edges of the rudder skins with acetone to prepare for the adhesive that was already applied to the trailing edge wedge. After the trailing edges were cleaned, I laid the right rudder skin on the desk with the trailing edge aligned with the holes I drilled in the “L”. I exposed the adhesive on the right side of the trailing edge wedge, and stuck it to the right rudder skin. I then inserted a few clecos to ensure the wedge was properly aligned and clamped everthing tightly to the “L” section to let the adhesive start the bonding process between the wedge and the skin.

I gave the adhesive about an hour to form the initial bond, and removed the clecos and clamps. I then set the left skin in position on top of the right skin, and peeled back a couple inches of the adhesive backing from the bottom of the left side of the wedge. I then clecod the very bottom holes of the left skin, wedge, and right skin to the “L” clamped to the desk to begin the alignment process. With the first cleco in place, I pulled the adhesive backing off the wedge and cleco'd every hole in the trailing edge from the bottom up to the first set of stiffeners. My daughter offered a hand at this point to roll the left skin back to give me access to the 3 blind rivets required to join the first set of stiffeners and shear clip. It was difficult to get the rivets in since you are working in a very tight space. I found that the best method was to join the stiffeners first, and then set the rivets in the shear clip. (Side Note: Make sure your floor vents are closed if you are working inside the house - I learned that lesson after losing an LP4-3 rivet in the vent - DOH!) After the bottom stiffeners and shear clip were riveted, we pulled more of the adhesive backing off the wedge up to the next stiffener, and then cleco'd every hole up to the next stiffener. The process repeated the rest of the way up the rudder until we finished riveting all of the siffeners and shear clips, and inserted clecos into every hole in the trailing edge. The entire assembly will sit in the house for a few days while the adhesive tape cures and makes its final bond to the trailing edge. I am really happy with the final results so far. The internal structure lined up nicely, the trailing edge skins fight tightly against each other and the trailing edge is extremely straight.
[3M F9460PC VHB acrylic-adhesive tape, 2”x2”x6' Aluminum “”L” section, Blind Rivet Puller, 3/32” Clecos (49), Cleco Pliers]

  Dec 30, 2020     07-08 - Rudder Skin Stiffener and Shear Clip Installation - (4.4 hours)       Category: 7 Rudder

12/21/2020 – 3.7 hours
This step involves back-riveting the 14 stiffeners, right bottom rib, and right attach strip to the left and right rudder skins. I previously modified my work bench with vertical and horizontal insets to hold the back-rivet plate in one position that is level and flush with the worktop surface. I also practiced back-riveting by removing several rivets from my practice kit and back-riveting the pieces together. Drilling out the rivets went very well (important later!), and I felt comfortable with the back-riveting to proceed to the rudder parts. I set and checked each rivet as I went, and after the first six rivets I stopped to admire my back-riveting results. I was very happy with the rivets, until I noticed that I had forgotten to attach the stiffener – I had set the rivets in the skin with nothing attached to it! Fortunately, I had recently practiced drilling out rivets, and I successfully removed the six rivets without damaging any of the holes. Back-riveting, with the stiffeners in place this time, went well with no further issues.

Back-riveting the bottom rib and attach plate added a new wrinkle to what I had just finished with the stiffeners. This step sandwiched three parts together (skin, rib, attach strip), and required a slightly longer rivet. I used the AN426AD3-3.5 rivets as specified in the plan. I felt like the shop head on the rivets ended up a little too flat, and maybe an AN426AD3-4 rivet would have been better in this area. I didn't see an addendum to the plans to change the rivet size, so I'll contact Van's for their opinion / guidance before I do the same step on the left skin with the bottom rib and left attach strip.
[3X Rivet Gun, Back-Rivet Set, Back-Rivet Plate, Rivet Gauge, #40 drill, small cutter/pliers]

12-30-2020 – 0.7 hours
I needed a replacement shear clip (R-00914B) and stiffener (R-00915B-L-1) because of a hole misalignment problem with my initial ones. I prepped and primed the new parts, and then installed them to the rudder skin assemblies to finish this step. The pre-drilled holes all lined up correctly, and everything went together without a hitch.
[Grey Scotch Brite Pad, Bon Ami Cleanser, Dupli-Color Self-Etching Automotive Primer (Green – Rattle Can), 3X Rivet Gun (40 psi), Back-Rivet Set, Back-Rivet Plate, Rivet Gauge]

  Dec 18, 2020     07-07 - Rudder Trailing Edge and Skin Preparation - (25.9 hours)       Category: 7 Rudder

12/3/2020 – 3.0 hours
Preparing the trailing edge started by trimming the provided wedge to the correct length for the rudder. I cleco'd the wedge to the right rudder skin, used the skin to mark the cut line, and marked the forward edge of the wedge on the skin (to be scuffed for bonding with the VHB adhesive tape later). I removed the clecos and trimmed the wedge to length. I cleco'd the trailing edge to the left skin, and marked the location of the forward edge on the left skin. The cut end of the wedge was fine-tuned on the 6” cut-and-polish wheel.
[Dremel / Metal Cutting Wheel, 3M 6” Cut-and-Polish wheel /bench grinder]

I cleco'd the trimmed trailing edge to the left skin with a cleco in every hole for final drilling the holes common to the wedge and skin. The final drill angle is supposed to be perpendicular to the chord line of the wedge (not the wedge face), and I used a trailing edge wedge drill jig to get the correct angle. The jig was cleco'd into place above the left skin and wedge, and provided a surface aligned with the wedge chord. I worked my way out from the center hole toward the tips of the rudder, making sure every hole other than the one I was drilling was cleco'd including the jig. After finishing all 49 holes on the wedge/left skin, I removed all the cleco's and attached the wedge to the right skin. The 49 holes in the right skin were final drilled using the same middle-to-tip procedure.
[#40 Drill, Trailing Edge Wedge Drill Jig, Drill Block)

12/04/2020 – 1.2 hours
The next step in preparing the trailing edge was to countersink each of the #40 holes to receive the 3/32” dimples in the rudder skin. I used the Trailing Edge Wedge Drill Jig to help me countersink perpendicular to the face of the wedge, and I set up the micro-stop countersink cage 0.007” deeper than flush. The countersinks on the first side look really good, but I ran into problems on the back side. The wedge is so thin, that going 0.007” deeper than flush on both sides enlarges the hole and allows the countersink to wobble. That happened on my first hole, and it seems to be a common problem. I backed the countersink depth up to 0.004” to eliminate the problem. I will look at the fit after the skin is dimpled to see if the shallower depth is adequate – the initial look at a test piece was OK. If not, I'll make a backer plate to keep countersink aligned an go one or two thousandths deeper.
[#40 Countersink Drill, Trailing Edge Wedge Drill Jig, Micro-stop Countersink Cage]

12/05/2020 – 1.3 hours
I finished the initial assembly of the rudder by clecoing the rudder horn brace, right and left rudder skins, and right and left attach strips to the rudder skeleton assembly. I was very impressed by how well all of the factory holes lined up! The holes in the tip and counterweight ribs need to be final drilled, and one hole in the leading edge needs to be match drilled before everything comes apart for final deburring, priming, and final assembly.

12/06/2020 – 4.1 hours
I final drilled the holes in the tip and counterweight ribs, and match drilled the leading edge hole between the ribs. It took awhile to remove all the clecos and disassemble the rudder after the drilling was finished. I put a “slight break in the trailing edge of both skins” when I removed them from the cleco'd assembly, and started final deburring all the rudder parts in preparation for primer and final assembly.
[[#40 Drill, Edge Former Tool]

12/09/2020 – 2.4 hours
Deburring the rudder parts continued with a concentration on the holes in the rudder spar and rib flanges and the stiffener flanges. In post 07-06 I mentioned a factory drilled hole in the R-00915B shear clip that didn't align with the R-00915B-L-1 stiffener. I tried to fix my poor attempt at match drilling the hole myself, but I couldn't get a result I was comfortable with. I decided to order a new shear clip (I'll actually get all 7) and stiffener, and hopefully those holes line up better. I let Van's know about the problem I had, and they asked me to follow-up with them when I get my new parts to see if there is an issue with their manufacturing process, or I just got a bad match the first time around.

12/10/2020 – 1.1 hours
With everything deburred, I moved into the dimpling phase of the operation. I set up the pneumatic squeezer to dimple the holes in the flanges of the rudder stiffeners, spar, ribs, attach strips, and horn brace. I attached the squeezer to the bench vise, and used the 3/32” reduced diameter dimple die to ensure no issues or interference with the flange bends. I had to check the setting of the adjustable die holder in the squeezer periodically because it has a tendency to let the gap increase. For dimpling, the die holder should be set so the male and female dies should contact each other without the part being worked on in between them. I was happy with the dimpling results.
[Pneumatic squeezer, 3/32” Reduced Diameter Dimple Die Set, Bench Vise]

12/11/2020 – 2.6 hours
It was a beautiful December day in Alabama – low 60s with a thin overcast and a very light breeze –a nice day to take things outside for priming. I started by scuffing all of the pieces I intended to prime. I used the technique of my local building guild, which involves scrubbing each part with a wet grey Scotch Brite pad and Bon Ami abrasive cleanser. The grey pad is not as abrasive as the maroon pads used for finish-deburring edges and corners, and the Bon Ami is a metal-free abrasive. The idea is to remove the Alodine layer until the water sheets off that part rather than beading. I wore surgical gloves while scrubbing the parts to prevent the transfer of oils from my skin, which would keep the primer from adhering properly the part. When the water / Bon Ami mix turns grey, the part is scuffed/scrubbed (scruffed) enough. Then a clear water rinse from the hose and a towel dry finishes the process. I like to set the parts in the sun for about an hour to ensure they are dry, and then I used a rattle-can self etching automotive primer to prime the parts.
[Grey Scotch Brite Pad, Bon Ami Cleanser, Dupli-Color Self-Etching Automotive Primer (Green – Rattle Can)]

12/14/2020 – 3.0 hours
Today was dedicated to deburring the rudder skins. I am finding a process that works for me to deburr as efficiently as I can with good results at the end. I started by deburring both sides of each hole. I used a single-flute hex-shank deburring bit in an electric screwdriver on previous steps, but switched to a hand speed-deburring tool with a 3-flute bit on the rudder skins. The speed-deburring tool went faster, and the 3-flute bit did a better job cleaning up the burrs. It also didn't tend to countersink the holes as long as I didn't apply too much pressure. The skin edges were next starting with a light touch on the flat file to remove machine marks from the factory followed by a pass with a special 3M sandpaper that was recommended to me. The sandpaper was very effective, and could reach into corners and tight spaces as well as straight edges. I finished with a flap wheel made from maroon scotch brite to lightly scuff the rivet lines before dimpling.
[Speed-Deburring Tool, 3-Flute Deburring Bit, Flat File, 3M sandpaper, Maroon Scotch Brite / Scotch Brite Drill Mandrell]

12/15/2020 – 2.2 hours
I dimpled both rudder skins using a C-Frame dimpler and 3/32” dimple die set. Portions of the workbench were built up using 4x4 blocks to level the worksurface with the dimple die to prevent bending the skin during the dimpling process. There is a note in the plans to no dimple the row of holes at the top of the rudder, but there was no not about the holes at the forward edge of the rudder where the 2 skins will be joined after rolling. The first clue in the plans to not dimple those holes came from the word corresponding in the plans, “Dimple the holes in the … Skins…and the corresponding holes in the flanges of the …[spar, ribs, stiffeners, …]”. I confirmed my decision to not dimple those holes by confirming that the AD-41-ABS rivets used to join the leading edge are protruding (not flush) pop rivets. I test-fit one of the AD-41-ABS rivets in a leading edge hole for an extra verification that it is not a flush-mount rivet that would require a dimple.

12/17/2020 – 2.6 hours
After taking a day off due to cold wind and rain, I prepared my rig for priming. I masked off the structure or our tailgate canopy to make an outdoor paint booth. It was still too windy to spray effectively, but it worked out since it took awhile to get the masking tape and paper in place. Everything is set up for the nicer weather forecast for tomorrow!

12/18/2020 – 2.4 hours
Today was sunny and calm as forecast. A little cold for painting at 45 degrees, but I brought the paint in the house to warm it up and let the parts warm up in the sun. I started by running a maroon scotch brite wheel down each line of dimpled holes in the skins. I then taped off the area where the trailing edge wedge will be adhered to the skins with the VHB tape. There is a note in the plans to avoid priming that area in order to make a solid bond with the adhesive. I also masked off the edges on the outside of the skins to avoid overspray on the outside. From there, my process is to scrub/scuff (scruff} the parts with water, Bon Ami, and a grey scotch brite pad until water sheets off the parts; thoroughly rinse and dry the parts, and hang the parts in the sun to air dry and warm up. After a couple of hours in the sun, I primed the parts with a rattle-can self-etching primer. I ended up with a couple of heavy areas due to a nozzle on the paint can that stuck open, but otherwise I think the priming went OK. I definitely will not win any paint awards – at least not without a lot more practice!
[Grey Scotch Brite Pad, Bon Ami Cleanser, Dupli-Color Self-Etching Automotive Primer (Green – Rattle Can)]

  Dec 13, 2020     07-05 Rudder Spar Assembly - (4.2 hours)       Category: 7 Rudder

12/5/2020 – 0.6 hours
Parts of the rudder skeleton were cleco'd together to help with final hole alignment and drilling in a later step. I cleco'd the three spar reinforcement plates, counterbalance rib, rudder horn, shim, and bottom rib to the spar. All of the holes and edges of these pieces have been deburred, and they are ready for primer after the spar and ribs are dimpled.

12/13/2020 – 3.6 hours
Several parts were riveted to the rudder spar including the counterbalance rib, reinforcement plates with nut plates, rudder horn, shim, and bottom rib. The rivet schedule for the step called for five different length AN470AD4 (universal head 1/8”) rivets and one blind (pop) rivet. It definitely paid to take my time and have a complete understanding of the rivet schedule before starting, and I consulted the plans several times to confirm I was using the correct rivet. I set the manufactured head of the rivets against the spar, which is in line with EAA guidance that says ”when riveting sheets of different thicknesses, the manufactured head of the rivet normally goes against the thinner skin, whenever practical.” I set most of the rivets with the pneumatic squeezer, but I needed the rivet gun for 2 rivets near the flange of the bottom rib that were inaccessible to the squeezer.
[Pneumatic Squeezer, 1/8” Universal Squeezer Set, 1/4" Thick Flat Squeezer Set, 2 1/2" Longeron-Type Yoke, 3X Rivet Gun, 1/8” universal Straight Rivet Set, Bucking Bar, Double-Sided Tape, Blind-Rivet Puller]

  Dec 05, 2020     07-06 - Rudder Skeleton Initial Assembly - (0.9 hour)       Category: 7 Rudder

12/5/2020 – 0.9 hours
Initial assembly of the rudder skeleton continued with clecoing the seven shear clips to the spar and then clecoing the stiffeners to the shear clips. One of the factory holes in the R-00914B shear clip was misaligned, so I redrilled it using the left stiffener (which is aligned correctly) as a template. The result isn't ideal, so I will contact Vans about potentially upsizing the hole from a #40 to #30 and using a larger rivet to secure it.

  Dec 02, 2020     07-04 - Rudder Skin and Rib Preparation - (2.8 hours)       Category: 7 Rudder

12/1/2020 - 2.5 hours
Preparation of the rudder skins began by trimming the top 3/32” off the right rudder skin leading edge tab. The skin is very thin, and (probably) very easy to accidentally bend, so I clamped wood pieces on both sides of the tab to provide support. The flat file did an excellent job trimming the supported tab down to the 3/32” line. The leading edge tab on the left skin also needed some minor trimming to remove the “bending tab”, and the same process used on the right skin gave excellent results. The other notable step for the left rudder skin was to use the edge former to put a slight break in the edge of the tab.
[C-Clamps, Flat File, Edge Former, #30 Drill, 1/8” Dimple Die]

I cleco'd the counterbalance and top ribs to the rudder spar, and final drilled the #30 holes where they will attach. After removing the ribs from the spar, I final drilled the #12 forward hole in the counterweight rib and the counterweight. I drilled each separately, and then inserted a AN509-10R16 countersunk screw through both to hold the counterweight stationary in the rib to match drill #12 the aft counterweight / rib hole. I separated and deburred the parts, and then dimpled the holes in the rib for the countersunk screw.
[#30 and #12 Drill, #10 Screw Dimple Die]

12/2/2020 - 0.3 hours
This was a relatively short session to machine countersink the #12 holes in the lead counterweight.
[Microstop Countersink Cage, #10 Countersink Cutter]

  Nov 30, 2020     Rudder Part Preparation (3) - (1.6 hours)       Category: 7 Rudder

Preparing rudder parts continued today with the rudder spar, reinforcement plates, counterbalance rib, and tip rib. I final-drilled the spar and reinforcement plates as well as the rudder horn, bottom rib, and shim. I then put a slight radius on the forward end of the counterbalance and tip ribs to enable them to fit easier in the rudder skins. The final step was adjusting the flanges of the ribs to ensure they were square and the ribs lie flat. I have a scrap piece of marble, which provides an extremely flat surface to ensure pieces are not bowed and to flute as needed. The picture shows the top rib on the marble piece after fluting to straighten it out.

  Nov 29, 2020     Rudder Part Preparation (2) - (4.8 hours) Category: 7 Rudder

My fingers are so sore from deburring I can barely type this entry! :)

That's only partially true, but I did spend several hours with a file, deburring blade, and scotch brite pad deburring the edges on all of the pieces I have been working on (14 stiffeners, 7 shear clips, 2 ribs, 2 attach strips, a shim and a rudder horn brace). I am very happy with the way the pieces for the internal structure of the rudder turned out!

I also cleco'd several rudder pieces to the rudder spar in preparation for final drilling (and more deburring).

  Nov 27, 2020     Rudder Part Preparation (1) - (1.6 hours) Category: 7 Rudder

Preparation of the rudder parts continued with a focus on cleaning up the edges where the parts were cut apart. The 6” Scotch Brite cut and polish wheel did a good job of finishing the edges to the line I had drawn to separate and shape the parts, and also worked for the initial deburring pass on the edges. I also used the wheel to radius the top ede and corners of the rudder horn as specified in the plans.

  Nov 19, 2020     Trimming Rudder Parts - (2.8 hours) Category: 7 Rudder

I visited another shop with a bandsaw to separate and trim the rudder parts I had marked. My fellow builder and I decided the bandsaw would be good to separate the shear clips and attach strips, but we pulled out a pencil-die grinder with a metal cutoff wheel to trim the stiffeners bottom rib and rudder horn brace. I did not have any issues with the cuts, and managed to color outside the lines!

I took the parts home and started the process of filing them to the final cut-line. I found that clamping the part to the table and working lightly with a flat file allowed me to get the part to the final cut-line very accurately.

  Nov 18, 2020     Rudder Plans and Parts - (2.9 hours) Category: 7 Rudder

I started reviewing the plans for the rudder to get familiar with the next step of the build. I highlighted the areas that could potentially trip me up if I missed them during the actual build, including the relative position of parts as they come together (i.e. left stiffener over right stiffener, and bottom rib above the shim sandwiched between the spar and the rudder horn. I getting more comfortable reading and understanding the plans, and I didn't see anything particularly confusing or surprising in this section.

After reviewing the plans, I retrieved several parts that need to be separated and/or trimmed on the bandsaw. There are 7 shear clips that need to be separated from each other, two attach strips and a shim to separate, seven sets of stiffeners to separate and trim, separating and trimming the bottom rib, and trimming the rudder horn brace. I removed the vinyl and labeled each part, and marked all of the cuts on the parts.