Category Archives: Shop

Shop-related posts. Stuff concerning the workspace, tools, etc.

New Dimpler

So last weekend we started dimpling the horizontal stabilizer skins with the Whack-a-Mole dimpler (C-frame dimpler). To be honest, I wasn’t happy with the results. To use it, you place the hole in the skin atop the male dimple die, … Continue reading

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Hand squeezing at home

We brought home all the pieces of the horizontal stabilizer that needed to be dimpled so that we could do it from the comfort of the couch! Dimpling is the process of forming dimples in the metal so that they … Continue reading

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It’s getting nippy!

It’s a chilly Thanksgiving eve, at least by California standards. Our hangar is constructed of single-wall metal panels, with lots of seams, gaps and holes. It’s basically a sieve. Since we plan on working through winter, in order to keep … Continue reading

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And now, time for a little carpentry

Up to now, we’ve been using an old 6-foot fold-up table we’ve had lying around for a long while. It’s been okay, and got us going through initially when we moved from the garage to the hangar, but it’s ever … Continue reading

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Hangar is official!

I got the lease agreement back from the city today. The hangar is officially leased to us! Shhh… don’t tell anyone we’ve already moved everything in. 🙂

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The Journey Begins

After being delayed a day, and after waiting patiently at the airport, FedEx finally arrived and delivered the first piece of our puzzle. I’m waiting for wifey to arrive so we can both savor the “unboxing” experience. Now that he … Continue reading

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Hangar cleaned out and ready

I stopped by the hangar over the weekend to check if it’s been cleaned up and made ready, and sure enough, it is! I’m hoping that the city will sign off on the lease this week so that we can … Continue reading

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Found a Hangar!

Huzzah! I just heard back from the airport manager that there is a hangar coming available this month at our airport. We’re super-excited given we missed out last month on a smaller T hangar, which was okay, but not quite … Continue reading

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The “shop” is shaping up!

I’m trying to make the most of the small build space I have to work with until a hangar comes available at the airport. Since I’ve started, I removed some rickety wall-mounted cabinets in the back of the garage, and … Continue reading

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Battle of the Back Rivet sets

We’re at the point in the practice project where we need to do some back riveting, which is, as one might assume, riveting from the back of the work piece instead of the front. I had initially bought my back … Continue reading

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