10/7/04

My Tool Kit Arrived from Avery - This is a picture of the Sioux pneumatic drill that comes with the kit and a Sioux 3X rivet gun. I upgraded from the Avery 3X gun in the kit to the Sioux. I wanted to go with the best of the best and try to get by with just a 3X gun. I've read where alot of folks end up with 2 rivet guns because the 2X doesn't hit the 1/8" rivets hard enough. The 3X gun hits slower and harder than the 2X and hopefully with some finess I can drive real nice 3/32" and 1/8" rivets with this one. Avery recommends the 3X gun in the preview plans.

10/7/04

My Tool Kit Arrived from Avery - I had no idea when I ordered these tools what the relative size was. Here is a picture of the drill in my hand. It was much smaller than I expected. Nice tool!! Rated for 3600 RPM.

10/7/04

My Tool Kit Arrived from Avery - Same perspective on the 3X rivet gun. That is a beehive spring on the end and you will see in later pictures that I also got a quick release spring which basically obsoletes the beehive spring.

10/7/04

My Tool Kit Arrived from Avery - This is the Avery hand rivet squeezer with the standard 3" yoke. This is a nice tool. It requires some work on the part of the riveter, but based on what Jim Smith (RV-7A builder) says, you should do every rivet you can with a hand squeezer because they will consistantly squeeze perfect rivets (in relation to a rivet gun and a bucking bar). The yokes used in this tool also work in the pneumatic squeezers, which are expensive, but some builders say they are the best tool they own.

10/7/04

My Tool Kit Arrived from Avery - This is Stanley swivel head pop rivet gun that comes with the kit. Pop rivets are only used in real tight places where you can't get the hand squeezer or a rivet gun. It can also be used with a pop rivet dimpling kit to dimple in tight places...see pics further down for the pop rivet dimple kit.

10/7/04

My Tool Kit Arrived from Avery - This pics shows the head turned 90 degrees. Pretty nice design! It will drive 4 different size pop rivets.

10/7/04

My Tool Kit Arrived from Avery - Top left are two sets of cleco pliers (see later pics for clecos, etc.) and below those are a set of left hand (curve) and right hand (curve) Wiss snips for cutting aluminum sheet. Both sets of snips will also cut straight lines. The vise grip on the upper right has been converted to a hand seamer, and the two on the bottom are a set of fluting pliers (left) and a set of dimpling pliers (right). Avery does the coversion on these and they are part of the kit. The second set of cleco pliers does not come with the kit, but both Van's and Avery recommend you get an extra pair for convenience.

10/7/04

My Tool Kit Arrived from Avery - This is the 90 degree angle drill kit that comes with the kit. I pulled out two of the smallest bits so they would be easy to see. You could get in some tight places with these!

10/7/04

My Tool Kit Arrived from Avery - More drilling stuff. Two 12" #30 & #40 drill bits on the bottom and from right to left, 8 #40 bits, 6 #30 bits, 3 #27 bits, 3 #21 bits, 2 #19 bits, 2 #12 bits, and one 1/4" bit. These are all aerospace grade cobalt bits. Next to the bits are 4 drill stops for different size drill bits. These keep the chuck on the drill from damaging the aluminum skins when drill bit breaks through. Next to the drill stops are two drive pin punches (mostly for removing poorly set rivets...hopefully they stay new!). That funny looking bit at the top is a Unibit. It will drill several different size holes depending on the depth.

10/7/04

My Tool Kit Arrived from Avery - The bits on the bottom are the countersink/deburring cutters I got. The 2 triple flute bits on the left come with the kit. The 2 on the far right are substitutions for triple flute pilot cutters that come with the kit, and the one in the middle is an addtition to the kit. The Van's preview plans recommended single flute cutters because they don't chatter like the triple flute cutters will. The single flute cutters were ~ $1 more, so I got them. On top is the Micro Stop Countersink Cage. It is used with these cutters to set the countersink depth when countersinking with the drill motor.

10/7/04

My Tool Kit Arrived from Avery - Left to right in this picture are the Avery speed deburring tool and an extension to go with it. The small hex adapter next to the long extension is an addition to the kit and allows you to use the deburring cutters with a cordless screwdriver. I got two and I will cut one down for getting in tight places. Next is the double edge deburring tool. It basically has a V-shaped notch at the end for deburring the edges of aluminum skins on top and bottom at the same time. Next to that is the Royal Multi-burr tool. It has various deburring bits with it. Lots of deburring to do!!!

10/7/04

My Tool Kit Arrived from Avery - These are the rivet sets that come with the kit. Each one of these is used with the 3X rivet gun I bought. That funny looking spring is the quick release spring to replace the beehive spring on the rivet gun. Left to right are the Flush Swivel Rivet Set, the Back Riveting Rivet Set, the 1/8" Offset Rivet Set, and a 1/8" Rivet Set. The orange rubber piece on the Swivel Set prevents marking the skin so bad when you drive the rivet with the gun. The two sets on the right are called "cupped" rivet sets, and will always go on the manufactured head of the rivet.

10/7/04

My Tool Kit Arrived from Avery - On top is my lifetime supply of Emery cloth in coarse, medium, and fine. The Emery cloth was an addition to my kit. The green striped tape is rivet tape. Only the green part is sticky. It is used to hold rivets in place in a skin when flipping it over for back riveting. The 3M wheels are all Scotch-brite cutting and polishing wheels for deburring/polishing aluminum, etc. The small ones have mandrels for use in a die grinder. The big one will go on my bench grinder.

10/7/04

My Tool Kit Arrived from Avery - Got to oil those air tools. The Marvel air tool oil came with the kit, and the Boelube was an addition at the recommendation of Avery. It is a dry, non toxic lubricant for drill bits and cutters invented by Boeing. Should keep the bits sharper over a longer period of time.

10/7/04

My Tool Kit Arrived from Avery - On top is the pop rivet dimple kit I mentiond earlier. Lower left is the assorted dimple die kit that comes with the kit. Next to that is the Squeezer Set mix for use in a hand squeezer or pneumatic squeezer.

10/7/04

My Tool Kit Arrived from Avery - Here is a closeup of the dimple die set and the squeezer set mix.

10/7/04

My Tool Kit Arrived from Avery - The big hunks of steel are the bucking bars that come with the kit. You put these on the shop head side of the rivet when driving rivets with the pneumatic rivet gun. The shop head is the side of the rivet that you will not see when the plane is finished. The manufactured head is the side you will see. That big file at the top is called a Vixen file and is used for taking off alot of material with each stroke.

10/7/04

My Tool Kit Arrived from Avery - This is a picture of my back riveting plate still in the corrosion proof wrapper. I am not going to take it out until I need it. That will keep it corrosion free as long as possible. This will acutally serve the same purpose as a bucking bar when back riveting, but it will be on the manufactured head of the rivet and the rivet gun will drive the shop head of the rivet. You will know what I mean once I get started.

10/7/04

My Tool Kit Arrived from Avery - In the lower left of this picture are the shop head rivet gauges that are used to quickly check a rivet to see if it is set properly. In the upper left is a rivet length gauge. In the middle is an air line swivel regulator. This goes right on the end of the pneumatic tool and allows you to adjust the air pressure at the tool, plus it swivels so the air line always hangs straight down from the tool in any orientation. This was a substitution to the one that came with the kit (doesn't swivel) and I got an extra one. On the right is an adjustable autmatic center punch. This was an addition to the kit.

10/7/04

My Tool Kit Arrived from Avery - These are the clecos I got with the kit. There are 325 3/32", 175 1/8", 10 5/32", and 10 3/16" clecos. These basically serve the same purpose as a rivet, but only on a temporary basis. They hold the two pieces you are working on together and align them while you are drilling or riveting. The two funny looking ones in the center of the picture are called side grip cleco clamps and are used to clamp pieces together...see the next picture. The kit comes with 10 of each size.

10/7/04

My Tool Kit Arrived from Avery - Cleco pliers in action. The pliers work the same with the "hole" clecos.

10/7/04

My Tool Kit Arrived from Avery - I got this nice tool box organizer at Sears. Getting closer to getting started!!