• Refolding closeout tab
    Empennage Section 9
    Jun 23, 2017

    To deal with my previously botched fold on the closeout tab on the elevator here, I got a response from Van's that suggested to fabricate a new closeout tab from the same type and thickness of material. After putting some thought into this, I couldn't figure out a way to cleanly fabricate one and get it attached flush with the existing tab. Instead, I decided to try and hammer out the existing fold, and refold the tab in the correct position. If it failed miserably, I would just purchase a new skin from the factory.

    I used a backriveting plate and a flush rivet set to hammer out the crease of the previous fold, then used the edge of the same backriveting plate to make a new fold. It actually turned out a little better than I was expecting, albeit my expectations were fairly low. There's still a noticeable blemish between the two creases, but I think I'll actually keep it and hope it gets hidden by the paint.