Wing - Left Fuel Tank

2004-03-28 - Final preparations before Pro Seal - dimple skins. (3.0 Hrs).

Good news, I figured out how to repair the dimple punch. Plus, I found an extra 3/32" dimple punch. Apparently, I have a whole box of extra tools that I forgot about. Let the dimpling resume. There just might be some Pro Sealing this week.

Just drill a hole where the tip broke off, using a #40 drill. Then cut the end off of the #40 drill and glue it in the hole. Works great. And, don't forget to deburr the end of the drill bit, lest you put some wicked scratches in your skins.

Before I found the other punch and fixed the broken one, I started abrading the inside of the skins where all of the ribs and stiffeners go. I used a plastic wheel (looks like a broom) in the drill, and it worked great. My die grinder tends to really suck up the air, and I don't like the air compressor running all of the time. Anyway, everything is nicely roughed-up. Looks like I had more work to do before dimpling anyway.

Back to dimpling. With the outside of the tank skins facing up, you cannot quite reach the front hole. As we learned after we finished the horizontal stabilizer, the solution is to put the dimple punch on the bottom, and put the female die in the ram. (Ok, stop looking here, go to the next picture).

Like so. All of the front holes dimpled with no problem. However, I really don't like dimpling upside down. I have heard that some guys do all of the dimples this way, but I have to do everything on my own, and this is a pain to get the punch in the hole from the bottom.

All dimpled, all abraded, all ready for Pro Seal. I'm tired, I think I'll go to the movies instead of messing up the first Pro Seal session. I might give it a try during the week, but I don't know.
Hey, what am I afraid of? It can't be all that bad. In fact, I am looking forward to doing the Pro Seal. I just don't want to screw-it-up by rushing things. My favorite line from TRS (The Right Stuff) "Oh lord, please don't let me screw-up." Ok, so I'm just a programmer, and not a test pilot so...hey, wait, I will be a test pilot. "Oh lord, please don't let me screw-up."

	Just drill a hole where the tip broke off, using a #40 drill. Then cut the end off of the #40 drill and glue it in the hole. Works great. And, don't forget to deburr the end of the drill bit, lest you put some wicked scratches in your skins.
	Before I found the other punch and fixed the broken one, I started abrading the inside of the skins where all of the ribs and stiffeners go. I used a plastic wheel (looks like a broom) in the drill, and it worked great. My die grinder tends to really suck up the air, and I don't like the air compressor running all of the time. Anyway, everything is nicely roughed-up. Looks like I had more work to do before dimpling anyway.
	Back to dimpling. With the outside of the tank skins facing up, you cannot quite reach the front hole. As we learned after we finished the horizontal stabilizer, the solution is to put the dimple punch on the bottom, and put the female die in the ram. (Ok, stop looking here, go to the next picture).
	Like so. All of the front holes dimpled with no problem. However, I really don't like dimpling upside down. I have heard that some guys do all of the dimples this way, but I have to do everything on my own, and this is a pain to get the punch in the hole from the bottom.
	All dimpled, all abraded, all ready for Pro Seal. I'm tired, I think I'll go to the movies instead of messing up the first Pro Seal session. I might give it a try during the week, but I don't know. Hey, what am I afraid of? It can't be all that bad. In fact, I am looking forward to doing the Pro Seal. I just don't want to screw-it-up by rushing things. My favorite line from TRS (The Right Stuff) "Oh lord, please don't let me screw-up." Ok, so I'm just a programmer, and not a test pilot so...hey, wait, I will be a test pilot. "Oh lord, please don't let me screw-up."