Dave’s RV-7A Building Log

Page 1, step 1: shape HS-609PP. Since the Scotchbrite wheel is backordered, I started in on it with a Scotchbrite pad. I’m definitely going need something more aggressive to get out the milling marks. I used the Vixen file to round off the end. That went ok, but was a bit time-consuming. Maybe the bench grinder or a bench-mount belt sander would make that go a little quicker. I’ll look around on other sites and see what others have done.

On the way home I picked up a few items including this handy tote for storing the clecos. I drilled a hole in the top to store the cleco pliers. I got this idea from somewhere, but I can’t remember where right now.

I didn’t put too much time into it, as I had a flying lesson (10 touch-and-goes at Boeing Field, whew!) and spent some time clearing a space on the bench.

The tool kit arrived. At the wrong house. I got home and nearly panicked when the boxes weren’t there. I was worried somebody stole the boxes from my front porch. Luckily a neighbor from a few blocks away called and said they had the boxes. That’s not the first time I’ve had problems with UPS, but it is the last time I use them.

I spent the entire evening unpacking, setting up, and playing with the tools. The Sioux air drill is by far my favorite tool. I used an air drill at the SportAir workshop, but it was nothing like the Sioux. This thing just purrs in your palm. You can make it go 10 rpm or 3600 rpm. It’s incredibly responsive. My daughter had fun with it too. It’s hard to say “it’s not a toy” with a straight face.

Unfortunately the 6″ Scotchbrite wheel, the one thing I was waiting for, is back ordered. Cleaveland is sending it out today. I guess I’ll just have to start shaping and deburring the old fashioned way, with the Vixen file, the debur tool, and the Scotchbrite pads.

All of the tools are now stored neatly in the new tool chest. I just have a little more clean up and set up left before I can start in on it. I spent probably 3 hours last night playing with the tools, but I’m not going to count that toward the construction time. I consider that my learning curve and shop set-up time. The construction time total will be just the time I spend on the kit.

This whole time, I’ve still been working on my private pilot license. I’m flying now 3 days a week, trying to take advantage of the weather before it turns rainy and windy. I’m also about halfway through the ground school. Plane construction is going to be a bit slow for a month or so while I finish up the ground school. Once I’m done with that, I’ll have more time for building.

I spent some time inventorying and sorting all of the little bolts, nuts, washers, rivets, and other stuff into the organizer. I used a wipe-off type pen. Probably should use something a little more permanent. I don’t want to lose track of what everything is.

The Cleaveland tool kit should arrive tomorrow! Then I’ll really get started!

I feel like I’ve been buying tools like crazy lately. Sears currently has a sale on their big rolling tool chests. After living without one of these for many years (well, I borrowed one from my mother-in-law for a short while), I finally broke down and bought one. It’s still expensive on sale, but I have too many tools in boxes and on the workbench. It’s time to get organized.

I also picked up a bench grinder with stand at Sears. I comparison shopped a bit, but these things all look about the same and are around $40-60.

I like the Viewtainers that Walter Tondu has on his site, but I couldn’t find them at Home Depot. Instead I got a cheap multi-drawer plastic organizer. The major drawback with it is that the drawers slide very easily. Tip it just a little the wrong way and all of your carefully sorted parts are on the floor. Put the ear muffs on the kid if that ever happens. I think I’ll attach it to the wall.

The second box arrived with the big stuff. This box was much more impressive. I think I may invest in whatever company Van’s is using for duct tape. They must have used a roll of it on my box alone. It keeps things very secure, but made it a little hard to get the tape off of the skins without removing the protective blue plastic.

I spent about an hour unpacking everything and inventorying the bigger parts. I separated everything by section (rudder, elevator, etc.).

Julie insisted on a goofy picture with me and the “high dollar aircraft parts” box. And of course Leo had to get in on the act.

I also spent about an hour studying the steps and plans for the horizontal stabilizer. Doesn’t look too bad. I just need a bench grinder and Scotchbrite wheel in order to get started working on the parts.

After reading way too much info and opinion on primers, I decided to go with Aircraft Finishing Systems’ one-part water-based primer/sealer. My primary concern is my 7-year-old daughter who lives in the house connected to my garage. I don’t want zinc chromate or other nasty metals/chemicals getting even close to her. Plus, I love the idea of water clean up. I do live in a wet climate (Seattle) and plan on flying out to the ocean where my parents live fairly often. However, I think this primer will hold up fine for the 10-20 years that I’ll own this plane. It doesn’t need to last until the end of time.

I called AFS to order the primer. I talked to a great person on the phone, who gave me lots of useful info. The aluminum first needs to be cleaned. You can either use their high strength cleaner, lacquer thinner, or Dawn. I decided to just use Dawn. She said to make sure all of the soap is washed off. Next step is the AFS cleaner/etch. She recommended spraying that on with a spray bottle and scrubbing with a Scotch-brite pad. Let that dry, but spray the primer within 2 hours. For the primer, make sure it is the right viscosity. She is sending me a viscosity cup. After stirring the primer (there will be solids on the bottom), stick the cup in the paint. Pull it out and see how long it takes for it start dripping out. It should be about 22 seconds. If it takes longer, thin with distilled water. She also recommended getting just a quart vs. a gallon. If the building process takes longer than I think, the primer can end up going bad on the shelf. It has a shelf-life of one year.

Woohoo! Box 1 of the empennage arrived. That was fast. Helps to live only 200 miles from the factory. My first words were, “Is that it?” It’s a very small and unimpressive box. However, inside they’ve really packed a lot in there. (Everything was wrapped in paper. I removed it for the picture.) Lots of little bags of tiny parts. And lots of little aluminum pieces stacked inside each other. Somebody has definitely thought about the best way to package this stuff so it doesn’t get damaged along the way. The box was smashed a bit on one side, but I couldn’t see any damage to the contents. Hopefully box 2 arrives tomorrow. The Cleaveland tools are set to arrive on Monday according to UPS.

I still need to get a bench grinder, tool chest, air lines, particle board, and some parts organizers. I also need to organize the last of the junk on the bench and get the rest of the other junk out of the garage. And I need to buy and install a new utility sink (the old one was incredibly small). And finish up a couple of non-RV projects (mainly installing a bathroom fan). I am totally excited about diving into this project.

I pulled the trigger. I was waiting until after our vacation last week to officially get going on this project. I faxed the order form for the empennage to Van’s yesterday. It should be shipped out today. I also bought Cleaveland’s aircraft tool kit plus a few other odds and ends (pneumatic squeezer with adjustable set and pins, rivet fan, Scotch-brite pads, and Boelube). I also stopped by Home Depot on the way home last night and picked up a “Husky Pro” (actually a Campbell-Hausfeld) air compressor. Since all I have right now is a small pancake compressor, I decided to buy the best compressor for the project. It’s a vertical, portable, 120v/240v, 5hp, 26 gallon, cast iron, oiled compressor. That should provide enough air without being obnoxiously loud, and I can haul it to the hangar when I get that far. I’m also planning on building a box for it eventually. I live in a fairly dense neighborhood. I want to keep the neighbors (relatively) happy. I’m going to do some experiments with running it at 240v vs. 120v and see what the difference is. If it charges up quicker, I’ll add a 240v circuit in the garage.

[Dec 23, 2003: I haven’t built a box for the compressor, and I doubt I will. The noise is not bad. If I’m working right next to the compressor, I’ll put on ear protection while it cycles. You can’t hear the compressor outside the garage at all now that the entire garage is insulated. Also, I never did experiment with switching the compressor to 240v. 120v works fine. It has an almost dedicated 20 amp circuit. I just don’t run the Shop-Vac and the compressor at the same time.]

The preview plans arrived on Friday. I glanced through them, but have been too busy to really study them. I’ve been working on the garage and reading the private pilot training materials. After I get some 3/4″ plywood, the workbench will be complete. It’s 16′ x 32″. That should be big enough for the project with the addition of some moveable work tables. I also now have a few new plug circuits in the garage for power tools. I won’t have to run exension cords all over the place anymore. The next step is to get the rest of the stuff put away and the garage floor painted maybe this weekend.

The pilot training has been going great. Saturday’s flight was the first time I felt like I’m getting the hang of it. I had a few radio exchanges with the tower, executed a turn around a point well (albiet with no side wind), and did some of the piloting for a few touch-and-gos at Renton. Every time I go up, I get more and more hooked on flying.