Uttoooh's

Sometimes we do stupid things and we say, well that could have happened to anyone, and it does. But when we do stupid things that takes hours to correct, we get angry, really angry. I have come to the conclusion that these uttoos during the building process are exercises in anger management. So below are some of my uttoos, not to be repeated by you, since otherwise me telling you would be an exercise in futility.  Mind you, I don't say uttoo when it happens, more like @%%$#!!! But this is a family site and Ill keep it clean.

My first uttoo was a doozy. It was one of those times where building was just cruising along, and I know "I'm the man." Course after this one I knew darn well I was more like a twitt. I was working on the elevator, had the spar cleco'd in ready to rivet. Now in my short time of building I have come to hate riveting. So when it comes time to rivet , I want to do something else. With the elevator on the bench, an idea comes. In another 10 hours or so I'm gonna have to bend these forward flanges just like the rudder( see picture below, the curved piece I'm holding is is 2 pieces folded over each other and riveted together with that pop rivet gun Julie is using The pieces start straight, then with duct  tape and a broom handle, you make a nice bend in the skin to form a circle. ). A quick check of the plans, yep it has to be bent to. A quick check of the construction manual, yep, 12 more steps and its gonna have to be bent.

 So I figure, lets bend it now, while I have it in front of me and get it out of the way. (not to mention it will prolong riveting for another 2 hours.) And bending metal is much more fun (so's digging ditches). I had done such a great job on the rudder.... and this elevator thingy is a rudder look-a-like. So off I went, duct tape, broom handle etc.. bent the forward skin flanges like a pro. Got the flanges riveted together and everything. Then, it came time to rivet the spar to the skin. Misery set in. How am I gonna rivet that, with this and that bent and this and that in the way? Answer? You cant. Uttooo, oh well, Ill just take these 12 pop rivets out I just put in, peel the bends back, and and Ill be in business. That's when the real misery set in. These pop rivets don't just drill out, they spin around with out coming out. #@$%$#@%$#!!!!!!!! Then I remembered reading something in the manual about pop rivets. I found the section. It said "avoid removing pop rivets if you can help it." @%#$#@!!!! again..... 5 hours on 12 rivets before it was through. I threw every tool in the book at them, awl, drill, nails, dikes, fingernails. You name it. So.. NEW RULE!!! No pop rivets until I know damn well I don't have to get in there for anything ever! See elevator for details on the skin bending.

 

Last updated 11/05/02