April 17, 2004 - Horizontal Stab Completed!   (Approx. 105 hours into complete project)

With a little time dedicated, things started flowing real smoothly.   By the time you finish riveting your
Horizontal Stab (probably well before finishing), you'll be fully improved in your riveting.  There's
a whole lot of rivets to practice on!  I learned the hard way something that I already knew....tape
your bucking bars so they don't scratch parts.  I also got very familiar with the 3 bucking bars
provided by Avery's kit.  You really couldn't do this project without all 3, and have it be very
easy.  More below...

My helpers decided to "help" by watching a movie while I worked.



After riveting in all of the nose ribs, you rivet the inspar ribs to the forward spar.  I squeezed
most or all of these.



Then cleco the entire assembly to the nose ribs.



Now use LP4-3 Pop rivets (and AN470 rivets on the ends) and rivet the forward spar to
the nose ribs.





The spar is now riveted down.



You get to intimately know all of your defects.  Here, the rivet set got tipped a little bit and dented
the rib just a tad.  I oversprayed a bit of mar-hyde just to corrosion protect a bit.



Then rivet ALL of the rivets from the skin to the forward spar.  These take a while.



Then rivet up the inspar ribs from the spar toward the rear, up to the stringers. 



Another shot of those rivets.

HINT:  The next step is riveting the stringers.  Here I just about had a heart attack.  The stringer
holes lined up easily of course when the stringers weren't riveted in for final drilling.  When I first looked
at this, all of my stringer holes were off by 1/2 hole or so. I thought for sure I screwed up, but then
realized that I could give the stringers a tug upward and get them cleco'd in and then rivet.

HINT #2.  Use the hammer shaped bucking bar for doing the rivets on the bottom stringer.  You can
hold it vertically and let the hammer head do the pounding.  You won't be able to see it happen, but
it'll work well.   The hammer bucking bar hits pretty hard, so don't shoot as long.  Feel with your
fingers that you have a good set.  I err'd on the side of caution and maybe drove a little harder
than some others.



Then zip it up by riveting up all of the inspar ribs.



All of the inspar ribs are riveted.



Ready for the rear spar.



Rear spar in place, Horizontal Stab complete!



One more shot before I turn in.



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