16 Sep 2023
De-riveting and removal of wing rib 14
Completed removal of rivets on right wing rib 14. I have ordered a replacement hinge assembly too - I had to grind off the rivet tails on the outboard side of the wing rib due to the way it is assembled, which makes disassembly almost impossible. Despite my best attempts to be careful, the grinder penetrated the rib material and slightly nicked the hinge. Also, removing the rivet bodies from the hinge was causing damage to the structure due to the thickness of the material. So I decided to play it safe and suck up the expense of a replacement. The balance of the structure on the wing and related brackets is 100% fine.
Stripped primer off the rear fuselage cover skin 5 - it needs to be formed to take the shape of the lower fuselage right at the back. I had painted it when flat, so the paint cracked off when it was bent to shape. I will primer it again with another batch of components now that I've shaped it correctly.
