SonexBuilders.net

Do you still need to fabricate the solid aluminum blocks for the service bulletin?

John,
I have already fabricated and pilot drilled those blocks.

I am teaching Adam to be lazy. We have a bunch of 1/4" holes to drill for the southcos. Of course we go up in steps. Showed him how we change one drill size at a time then run it through each hole. Common sense of course but having it told to you and then doing it is a shortcut to the lazy way of thinking.


The next lesson in lazy is how to deburr the 1/4" holes in stainless. We used a ball stone in the dremel. Works great and is fast.

None of you guys ever answered one of my questions - is 1/4" for the southcos good or should I go to 5/16"? Replies gratefully accepted. Not too late for me to take advantage of it.

So, I am remaking the WIX-F22-06 angle. First one was the Sonex part. The holes did not line up perfectly with the verticals so I remade it. Second one did not have edge distance due to the new hockey stick bend (I think) so I made #3 with a longer flange. Found out it interfered with the WIX-F22-04 angle. Put a step in the #3 angle and didn't like it. Decided to use a shim. Made #4 using the shim to offset the holes but screwed up somehow - offset at .020 on one end, .049 at the other end for a .032 shim. I don't want to jinx myself, but #5 looks good.

Shim story:
The F22-04 angle was .032. I don't have much .032 stock. I had considered using .040 as I have a bunch of that. But in hunting around the hangar, I found the roof of the old 140 fuselage. It was the airplane Adam and Matthew both took their first rides in, when they were 5. The roof was .032. I hacked out a piece. Now every time we fly the Waiex we will be flying a part of the 140.


Lest you think I am a parts waster, I saved the roof for the window frames and stiffeners. Any restorer worth his or her salt will use a new piece of metal for the roof.

Working the tail mounting. On my next Waiex I am definitely doing this with the turtledeck off. I think Ryan tried to tell me that.


I ended up shimming the lower angle back like Ryan did.

Some backwards progress- took out the aft turtledeck bulkhead. Waiex builders, don't rivet it in until the tail is on for keeps. Impossible to clamp when it is on and impossible to tighten the nuts.

I am bummed out. Destroyed a hockey stick, angle, shim, and the .75" beef up block. This hole was #21 but is screwed up enough that I am not sure I can save it with a .25" hole.


Control-Z

I have figured out that the drill stop is a lifesaver when drilling out these infernal steel rivets.
This part is too critical to screw with.

Sorry to hear that Bryan. I too had issues with parts today and had to redrilled and remake some small angles. Hopefully you can recover from this quickly.

May I help help you to drill rivets out?

Take a used mandrel and insert the mandrel into the rivet that you want to remove. From the side that you pulled and the side of the mandrel that did not broke of. Now a few light taps with a light hammer, knock the centre piece from the mandrel.

Now drill the rivet out with the same size drill that you used to updrill. Prevebly an electric drill, the rivet must not spin!

Practice first on some junk