easy rivet technique
04-25-2004, 09:45 PM
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easy rivet technique
I have future plans for building an 160"ws CL-415 water bomber and was daydreaming on how to come up with an easy rivet solution, without adding weight. So one night while i was at work counting those tiny holes in the ceiling tiles and eating an mars chocolate bar, i peeled back the aluminum foil thinking i could use that for fake metal but after trial and error the stuff was just to fragile to be handled. Then i thought of cutting open an coke can and forming rivets on the can's aluminum side's. Mind you this is just all expermintation up to this point so far but i think i might be onto something here.
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04-25-2004, 09:50 PM
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RE: easy rivet technique
more pics. First you scribe your panel lines then run the wheeled tool along an straight edge and voila. Once you add some weathering such as baby powder to fill in the panel lines then brush clean and add some grime weathering, the turn out will look pretty good. Now the next problem is to find sheets big enough to cover such an large area. Also i'm still working on how to join the aluminum sheets together.
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04-25-2004, 09:54 PM
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RE: easy rivet technique
I've seen this done with old lithographer's aluminum plate. Probably the toughest issues are keeping it glued on, getting the seams to look good, and the weight. Really looks cool when done. There is also a stick-on covering available in aluminum (brain fart-not sure who makes it-maybe Coverite?) that can be made to look great. Look at some of the jets built by Violett and Patel and others.
04-25-2004, 09:59 PM
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RE: easy rivet technique
I believe your thinking about Flite-metal. This approach might be an bit more cost effective using the coke can idea. But i agree with on the getting it stayed adhear to the frame, and making the seams look good.
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04-28-2004, 11:31 PM
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RE: easy rivet technique
Thanks Kmot. I have started my search for aluminum that thin, i will let you know how i make out. the avitar is the nose art from my first trainer that augered in on it's maiden. Amy is my G/F 's name. i just made the pic up on the computer. Once some weathering is done and you stand back 2-3 feet the panels actually look pretty good. Just the thought of putting all those glue drops on an a airframe one at an time gives me an headache. With the tool which i don't know what it's used for, i would guess it's for scribing drywall, you can run an bead of rivets perfectly straight along an straight edge. Also the pop can aluminum is pretty tough when it comes to handling and is scratch resistent. You can form it around complex curves fairly easy. Maybe i will try some test on an scrap wing to see how it looks.
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04-29-2004, 04:23 AM
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RE: easy rivet technique
Try some the local print shops they use thin aluminum in offset printing, can't remember what gauge it was but it was very thin. I used it for making templates, used scissors to cut it.Joe
04-29-2004, 04:53 AM
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RE: easy rivet technique
I have found some material that might work quite well. It is essentially a heavy foil made from stainless steel and it is very tough- much tougher than aluminum. Not sure of the thickness for the material I found but the weight works out to about 1.5 oz/sq ft. I suspect that a thinner version is available. It is used to wrap metal parts prior to heat treating to exclude air (which causes oxidation). It is sold in rolls. Although it isn't a mirror finish, it is quite shiny - you might want to scuff it up with fine paper. If you are interested, I may be able to get a little more information.
Ross
Ross
04-29-2004, 11:09 AM
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RE: easy rivet technique
Couldn't find the exact reference but came up with a couple of websites for you. Apparently someone in our machine shop bought this stuff several years ago and can't remember the supplier. I am not sure about the thickness of the material we have but both of these suppliers provide material in 0.002" and 0.003". Might be worth a look. You will get lots of hits if you do an internet search for stainless steel foil - good luck.
http://www.toolsandsupplies.com/toolsteelinfo.asp
http://www.thermafoil.com/
Ross
http://www.toolsandsupplies.com/toolsteelinfo.asp
http://www.thermafoil.com/
Ross
