Horizontal stabilizer complete!

The horizontal stabilizer is 100% done after only 137.1 hours of work (and re-work, and re-re-work):

Completed Horizontal Stabilizer!

The longest part of it was riveting the ribs to the skins - several rivets had to be set multiple times (they're close to tolerance, and I assume the layers of primer bring me even closer to that, so I had to up-size a few of them):

Riveting ribs to skins

Riveting ribs to skins

Another important step was to figure out where to install nutplates for bonding with the elevators (where the static wicks will live). From several posts from other builders, such as Mouser (thanks again!), I ended up deciding on using the hinge brackets themselves, and I wanted to use the most inboard brackets as that reduces the forces acting on them:

Bonding strap screw hole

Nutplate for the bonding strap screw

Once that was done and every inside rivet was checked and re-checked (and some replaced), I attached the rear spar to the ribs and then to the skin:

Rear spar ready to be riveted to the HS

While attaching the last side of skin to the rear spar, I had a small misalignment issue:

Oops, those holes don't match!

It was less than 1/32", but enough to make rivets not go in straight:

Diagonal rivets :/

I eventually fixed it (with help from VAF once again!) by slowly using a dimple die to bring the skin to alignment around a hole, then clecoing the next hole (and repeating that for every other hole in the spar).

Now, on to finish the elevators! (already about halfway done)

Time lapse:

Total horizontal stabilizer time: 137.1h
Total horizontal stabilizer rivets: 1292
Total empennage time: 311.5h
Total empennage rivets: 2101