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I have just started pulling my first countersunk rivets, the CCC-42s on the leading edge of the wing forward of the spar. I am leaving a slight mark on the skin from the head of the HF pneumatic puller each time. Is there a technique to prevent this?

I am polishing the skins before riveting, so every mark is noticeable.

Paul
OneX 76

Paul,
What if you took a scrap piece of .025 or .032 and put a #40 hole in it? Put the scrap between the puller and the rivet. You could put a piece of tape on the bottom of the scrap too for scratch prevention.

I just put a piece of duct tape over the puller head, first rivet makes the hole in the tape and you're good to go..... tape does require changing every so often.

A10snoopy wrote:I have just started pulling my first countersunk rivets, the CCC-42s on the leading edge of the wing forward of the spar. I am leaving a slight mark on the skin from the head of the HF pneumatic puller each time. Is there a technique to prevent this?

I am polishing the skins before riveting, so every mark is noticeable.

Paul
OneX 76

All of the methods already mentioned here will work well, but you could also buy a rivet puller that has tapered nose pieces, it took me awhile to find one, ended up buying a Stanley model from Farm & Fleet. The tapered nose pieces fit my pneumatic rivet puller. No tape to replace etc.

Terry
Sonex #1508
AeroVee #0736
http://www.mykitlog.com/SNX1508

Bryan, G, Terry:

Thanks for the suggestions. I tried them all but had the most success with putting a narrow tip on my pneumatic puller. Never occurred to me the hand rivet puller tips would be interchangeable, and I had one tip the exact size of a CCC rivet. Right outboard wing complete! Thanks again.

Paul
OneX 76