Rule number one: Don't screw up! I think I will also take this opportunity to accentuate this point a bit more dramatically, by using a quote from the movie The Right Stuff, which has been on TV quite a bit over the last month or so, and is one of my favorite movies of all time. It was actually, and truthfully, a comment made by Alan Shepard, who was the first of the Mercury Astronauts to be launched into space successfully. After entering the capsule, he was heard over the capcom radio to say a small prayer that went something like this: Please Lord, don't let me F*** up! I just love that!
Rule number 2: Always, always, always secure the work. This picture shows just one of the many methods I employed to do just that. No rivets were set without the work being securely fastened to the bench in some manner. Sometimes you have to get creative about how this is done. One other trick I learned was to elevate the work so that it does NOT rest on the clecoes. clecoes are just s[ecialized spring clamps after all, and so they do give way with enough pressure applied to them. So, I used some scrap 4x4 wood blocks to take care of this. They worked out quite well.
The green tape you see on one side of this pic is there on purpose. Similar to the HS, there are certain holes at the bottom of the VS that are used as attachment holes for the screws that will hold the molding against the HS and the VS. The fiberglass molding reduces drag and conceals the joint where the HS and the VS attach to the fueselage. It is attached to the VS by several screws that will go into the holes that are covered by the green tape. The tape is there to remind me NOT to set any rivets in there. If I did they would just have to be drilled out later.
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