Value, Versatility and Integrity

I started the process of sealing the fuel tanks on the end ribs yesterday. I am dealing with a learning curve here since I have never done this – but all in all it went fairly well.
I started by clearing the bench and laying out all the tools I needed and the parts I was focusing on. This included nitrile gloves, gram scale, tongue depressers, sheet metal scrap as my mixing pallet, brushes cut down to 3/8 inch, acetone, paper towels, flamemaster two part b-2 (tacky in two hours), paint can opener, rivet gun with 3/32 nose, rivets, cleco pliers and clecos and a coffee can with acetone for soaking the clecos in after they get nasty.

Then it was 5 grams of black goo and 50 of the cream colored goo that smells really gross.

Then mix and mix and mix until it is uniformly grey – about minutes 5 is what it took.

 

Then I went to town gooping both sides that touch. So the underside of the tank baffle and the surface, then pull the rivet through with the gun. Made sure the stem ejected and
I used a paper towel doused with Acetone to wipe the nose of the rivet gun periodically to keep it clean. Then I circled the rivet shop head and factory head with sealant. It wasn’t but 5 minutes or so before the sealant was all over – not sure how it happened but I was making a mess. See all the sealant finger prints below…

Dan kept telling me – “it doesn’t matter if it is messy, only that it doesn’t leak”. Well – that isn’t my style really – I want it to be great and look pretty good too! So – acetone to the rescue. It takes off any of the stray finger print sealant….exactly what I needed.

 

This is much better. Only problem is – all of you sheet metal guys know this – I have tiny cuts all over my fingers from the metal and that acetone burns so bad!!!!
So – about two hours later I have 3 ribs done, 55 grams of sealant used and a whole pile of paper towels and gloves to discard.

But I did it! And so can you!

I am sure tomorrow will go much faster.

Go Team Panther!
-Rachel

 

 

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