Saturday, August 25, 2012

Monday, August 6, 2012

Tail Cone Skins

All 9 of the skins have been deburred (edge and hole), edge formed and primed awaiting final assembly.

I usually perform the hole deburring first.



Below is a close up of the edge deburring tool.



The entire hand tool.



Here is a demo of running it along a manufactured edge of one of the tail cone skins.


Cleaveland Tools' edge forming tool.
 

Forming the edge of one of the skins.


The scuffed and PreKoted skin on the right, unprepped on the left.

 
And the finished product about to be removed from the paint booth.


The finalized F-1211 assembly, the aft-most bulkhead/frame of the fuselage, which among other things hinges the stabilator.



The shear clips riveted to the forward cone J-stiffeners.


The stiffeners are riveted to the appropriate fuselage cone skins.


And those bottom skins are cleco'ed to the bulkheads/frames to begin the final assembly of the tail cone.
 

The "no-rivet" zone is marked on the outside of the lower skins.


Next, the side skins are fitted into place adjacent to the bottom skins.
 

The collegian back to shoot a few rivets to leave his mark...


The upper side skins are attached next.


A view from the "baggage compartment", showing the static ports and pull strings for rudder and stabilator controls. Also, the pitch trim wire has been laid inside the j-channel/stringer on the right.


 Aft-most bulkhead cleco'd into place.


Upper side skins are next in the progression.


The top skin is the last of the 9 tailcone skins - cleco'd and ready to rivet.


Inside view again with all skins installed.  Notice the top center j-stringer and ADHRS bracket.


 Close ups of the previously mentioned stringer and bracket.









Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Tail Cone Parts

Tail cone formers are edge deburred with a small right angle die grinder with a ScotchBrite pad.



All of the tail cone parts, with the exception of the skins, are laid out on the paint table in the booth, fresh from the PreKote process..




And after the primer is sprayed...

 




Finally, laid out on the workbench awaiting the skins.


The tailskid bracket was not machined prior to priming the tail cone parts so I used a rattle can of zinc oxide primer after PreKote.  I actually like the Deft "seafoam" primer much better.


Beginning of the assembly of the frames/formers.


Solid riveting of the plate and angle to the F-1210 frame.