Building Log
03\21\06 - Inventory tail kit. Every part is accounted for. 2 hrs
03\22\06 - Unpacked and inventoried tool kit, started radius on HS-609PP 2hrs
03\24\06 - Radius and match drill HS-609PP to HS-603PP . First rivets came out ok. Definitely have some technique to learn. 2 hrs
03\25\06 - Spent most of the day making a couple of new workbenches 4 hrs
03\26\06 - Got a lot accomplished today. Match drilled both the left and right horizontal stab 6 hrs
03\27\06 - DTRT-2 arrived today. Assembled and went to work deburring parts. 1.2 hrs
03\28\06 - Got everything deburred except for 1 HS skin on the inside. 2 hrs
03/29/06 - Got the dimpler set up and built a support table for it. Works slick. Dimpled both skins and
supporting structure ribs and spars with the pneumatic squeeze 2 hrs
03/30/06 - All parts dimpled and deburred. Started assembly of the vertical stab while waiting to paint. This is going to go much faster than the horizontal stab.
Only 1 piece and all the tools are set. Learning curve flattens out a touch!
03/31/06 - Primed parts for the horizontal stabilizer. Started riveting the rear spar 603pp to 609pp. Love the squeezer.Having a steep learning curve on the painting. Have to learn how to use the gun again. Blew a fuse in the cellar and spent too much time troubleshooting that and trying to paint at the same time. In the process forgot to lower the air pressure. Couldn't figure out why I couldn't paint for s#%t!! 30 psi max bud from now on!!
04/01/06 - Picked up some of the Napa self-etching primer today. $4 a can on sale. The Sherwin Williams primer is a hassle. I did set up a paint area today, just need an exhaust fan now. Got the summer stuff out of the airplane factory for a little while :). Got the air compressors squared away.
04/02/06 - Got some major rivetting done today. Learning curve is killing me. First time with the rivet gun and bucking bar. I'll be glad when I get to some bigger parts, my hands are too big. I also need to get a bucker/shooter/xtra set of hands. Try hold the parts, bucking bar, and the rivet gun. Can you say frustrating? I ended up making a nice jig to hang the stab off the workbench. Plenty of room to rivet both sides. I almost finished up the stab today. I called a local EAA chapter tonight and am going to arrange to have one of their knowledgable fellows come over and look at my work before I close it up.
Bald riveter at work , lol.
12 days into the project, and I'm not sure how many hours. A bunch, that's for sure. I seem to average 2 a day and maybe 6 a day on the weekend. Wanted to take the Mooney out today, but it was a little gusty. ( Any excuse to stay home and rivet :) )
04/03/06 - Just straightend up the workshop tonight. Quite the mess was made yesterday. I've decided to not close out the horizontal stab until I can hook up with someone with more experience looks it over. Until then I'll keep myself busy with getting all the other parts ready for assembly.
04/07/06 - Got the vertical stab assembled, match drilled, deburred, and dimpled tonight. Tommorow am will prep for the primer and set up the new exhaust fan. After that , will start on the control surfaces, getting the parts ready for assembly.
04/08/06 - Set up the exhaust fan in one of the basement windows. PITA. But at least I won't fumegate the family now :). Took most of the day, but I squeezed in priming the VS parts.
04/09/06 - Flew the Mooney today, then came home to yard work. Managed to squeeze a couple of rivets on the VS spar parts after dinner.
04/10/06 - Riveted the VS skeleton, finished riveting the VS spar and hinge brackets. Manufactured all the rudder stiffeners. That was a little confusing figuring out how they cut the pieces, but we're all set now.
04/11/06 - Had my first vist from the EAA tech advisors. Overall they liked what they saw. I have to get some rivet gages, I made some at work today, but their's are nicer. I have to fix a couple of rivets, but basically I'm cleared to rivet my heart out!! I should have the horizontal and vertical stabs finish riveted this weekend. Woohoo!
04/12/06 - Finished match drilling the rudder stiffeners and skins. I've got multiple projects going at the same time. I assembled the Vertical stab and realized I needed to deburr the edge of the skin before I rivet it. I'll pull it apart again and take care of that before I rivet.
04/12/06 - Finished the 1st major sub assembly of my new plane !! The horizontal stab is pretty much complete
04/14/06 - Finished assembling and riveting the vertical stab. On to the Rudder!!
04/15/06 - Worked on the rudder parts. Primed the skin stiffeners and backriveted. Assembled with clecos.
04/16/06 - Match drilled the skins, fabricate various small rudder parts. Dimpled and primed the remaining parts
04/18/06 - Picked up an aluminum channel piece for use in bonding the trailing edge. Spent time deburring and removing the inside plastic on the skins.
04/19/06 - Finish deburr and dimpling rudder skins
04/21/06 - Really lost the momentum this week. Worked on bits and pieces, and spent a lot of time on the phone with prospective Mooney buyers. Staying up to late makes it hard to follow directions, lol
04/22/06 - Back to work! Finished riveting the rudder skeleton and skins to the skeleton, and set the trailing edge up to bond with epoxy. Note the high tech rudder fixture!
04/23/06 - Had to redo the trailing edge of the rudder. I initially used epoxy, but that was to thin or I didn't use enough. This time I used JB Weld. Let that sit for the day, started on the elevator skins. Made all the siffners.
04/24/06 - Rudder came out awsome. Backriveting the whole thing took about 20 min. Then I rolled the leading edges and riveted the leading edge together. 1 more surface done! Well, sort of. I still have to do all the glass work and mate them, but I'll have plenty of time while I'm waiting for the Mooney to sell and order the wings :(. Also back riveted a set of stiffeners to the elevator skin and called it a night.
