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

Horizontal stabilizer riveting

I've been doing a lot of HS riveting now that all the parts are primed:

All the primed parts from last week, plus spars (priming and riveting done some time back)

I started by riveting the inboard ribs plus stringers, then attaching those to the front spar:

Stringers / most inboard ribs riveted to the front spar

Next was adding the other inspar ribs (except the outboard 2) and rivet them as well:

All inboard ribs riveted to the spar/ribs/stringers assembly

The nose ribs were riveted to the skins (a bit challenging given the little clearance for the bucking bar):

Riveting the nose ribs into the skins

The front spar assembly is then inserted into the skins:

Spar/rib assembly inserted back into the skins

It is riveted to the nose ribs using a mix of solid and pop rivets:

Pop rivets to attach the front spar to the nose ribs

Rivets attaching the inboard nose ribs to the front spar

Then the last 2 outboard ribs are added and riveted (one with pop rivets, the other with solid ones):

Outboard inspar ribs riveted

The next step is riveting the entire front spar to the skin, which was a lot of work (over 180 rivets):

Those front spar rivets behind the stringers were annoying to reach with the bucking bar

Nose ribs and front spar riveted to skin

Nose ribs and front spar riveted to the skin

There are a few rivets left to do on the left bottom skin to front spar attachment, then I'll start riveting up the inspar ribs.

Time lapse:

Total horizontal stabilizer time: 109.4h
Total horizontal stabilizer rivets: 491

Horizontal stabilizer priming done

Last Sunday my wife and I primed the remaining parts for the horizontal stabilizer:

The parts (the ones on top after PreKote)

My awesome helper, applying PreKote :)

Having so many identical parts poses its own challenge when you want to transfer the markings from the vinyl to the metal (since scrubbing with PreKote/scotchbrite removes them). My solution is to put number the parts (writing the number next to them on the paper that covers the workbench), take pictures of all the marks with the number, then ensuring that my wife returns each part to the same place she took them from - after they're dry, I just go through the pictures and redo the markings:

How I keep track of the markings

The final result was great:

Final results

I had previously riveted the stringers together, but now I can continue on to dimpling and riveting the whole HS! (and trying to figure out how to store this - it's big once assembled)

Timelapse:

Total horizontal stabilizer time: 86.6h

Rudder and horizontal stabilizer skin priming

With only a few unprimed parts from the rudder, we spent most of Friday priming parts, including all the smaller remaining parts of the rudder (2 tabs, the horn and 3 stiffeners), both rudder skins and both horizontal stabilizer skins.

For the horizontal stabilizer skins, I used my super-advanced method to keep the markings after the PreKote etching - that is, taking pictures then re-marking before applying the primer. The marks were still visible through the primer.

Markings before priming

Faint marking after priming

Now after the primer cures I'll go back to riveting the rudder, including installing the static wicks.

Time lapse:

Total rudder time: 24.6h
Total horizontal stabilizer time: 69.7h

Horizontal stabilizer disassembled

The horizontal stabilizer has been fully assembled, drilled, then disassembled. The next step will be to deburr it (a few thousand holes plus many edges).

Time lapse:

Total horizontal stabilizer time: 51.7h

Horizontal stabilizer assembly

In the last weeks I prepared all the horizontal stabilizer parts, match-drilled the ribs and front spar, and then finally got the skins set up into the cradles and started mounting the parts in them, including the stringers.

Skins with the front spar, ribs and stringers

I got plenty of help, both from my wife and from a visiting friend:

♫ I'll fly high with a little help from my friends ♫
(I did install the Sonos in the garage, so now I get music while working)

Setup to bend the inboard spars by exactly 9°

Front spar + ribs assembled and drilled

Cradles for the stabilizer skins

♫ Skins in the craddle and the silver spoon ... ♫

Ribs mounted into the skin

Front spar and ribs mounted into the skin

Stringers mounted into the skin and ribs

Next steps are to finish clecoing all the parts to the skin, adding the rear spar assembly and final-drilling all the skin holes.

Total horizontal stabilizer time: 39.9h
Time lapse (some camera angles turned out to not be very good):

Horizontal stabilizer spars

I did some more work on the horizontal stabilizer front and rear spars, including fabricating some parts for it.

Spar and doubler

It's a looooong spar

Part marked for trimming

Trimmed and drilled parts

Time lapse:

Total horizontal stabilizer time: 20.7h

Back to work! More horizontal stabilizer and deburring

Now that I'm done studying for my checkride, I'm back to working on the RV :)

Some new tools arrived, including - finally - the primer and the Prekote! So expect priming tests and actual priming soon (I still need to buy the gun for priming)

Akzo 463-12-8 primer

Another important one that arrived is an additional deburring tool, with which I spent some time deburring those tight corners, such as between flanges.

New deburring tool

Finally, I got some more random steps of the horizontal stabilizer done (it was late, so didn't want to make much noise), like marking parts for trimming and clecoing some parts together.

Part marked for trimming and drilling

More work on Wednesday, after I'm back from a business trip.
As usual, time lapse of everything:

Total horizontal stabilizer time: 4.9h

Horizontal Stabilizer started!

Today I took the very first step in building the horizontal stabilizer, which is just about deburring a few parts. Still trying to understand why the very first page has priming/riveting instructions since the same part still needs to be drilled again a few pages later, and whether I can do the priming/riveting of those later and prime them along with everything else in a big batch.

Ok, this is big! (horizontal stabilizer spars)

Timelapse:

Total horizontal stabilizer time: 0.9h