Empennage - Rudder

2003-09-08 - Rudder is done - except for fiberglass tips. (2.5 Hrs).

Well, I couldn't let the trailing edge set for a couple of days. Besides, I used 30-minute epoxy, not the tank sealant. One day is enough. I only had the first few rivet holes that were not glued down, so I went ahead and riveted it.
For the most part, it turned-out straight, with just a hint of a few dips. The bad thing is that there does seem to be the least bit of a gap in the TE. Looks like I needed a little more glue, and maybe I should have let it set for a while longer.
After the TE, I was done for the night. I was just going to look at what it would take to roll the rudder leading edge skins. I had a 4 foot section of 1" PVC pipe laying around, so I used Duck Tape to attach the pipe to the first section of the rudder leading edge skin. After rolling and squeezing it by hand for a few minutes, I had a fairly round edge, so I did the other sections. This is way easier than everyone made it out to be.
I rolled all three sections of the side with the bent lip, then I did the other side. As soon as I had a section that could be cleco'd, I riveted it. Looks good.
This is what it looks like, just before being cleco'd and joined together. Unfortunately, the last section came out round on one side, and a little flat on the other side. It was getting late, and I rushed it just a little--dang!