Well, today I was able to knock out the right elevator skin riveting.

I ended up bucking 99% of these, with the last few on each end rib being squeezed. Everything went great with no rivets requiring drilling out.

Here’s an in-process show of the top of the right elevator. I’ve got rivets set in every other hole, with blue tape on top of them. (To prevent the rivet gun from scuffing the surface, but it also acts as a really good marker for the rivets ready to be set. Also, I can make sure the bucking bar is in position by tapping on each rivet from the bottom and seeing it push up against the tape. Without the tape, the rivet would pop out of its hole and have to be set back into position.)

This is the top of the right elevator, skin riveting complete.

Then here’s the bottom of the right elevator, skin riveting complete.

I know, the trialing edge bend needs a little more coaxing. Vans describes a tool in the manual on how to improve it.

1.5 hours, 73+71 = 144 rivets.