---------------------------------------------------------- RV8-List Digest Archive --- Total Messages Posted Fri 04/25/08: 1 ---------------------------------------------------------- Today's Message Index: ---------------------- 1. 01:04 AM - Leading edge dings - tip (Vince-Himsl) ________________________________ Message 1 _____________________________________ Time: 01:04:30 AM PST US From: "Vince-Himsl" Subject: RV8-List: Leading edge dings - tip Hello, PROBLEM: One wing with two dings; both are between ribs on the leading edge; one on gas tank, the other further outboard and neither accessible by reaching inside. Both dings were what you would get if someone laid a =BC=94 drill perpendicular to the leading edge and whacked it with a mallet. The damage was limited to the dinged area and there was no deformation of the surrounding leading edge. PROCEDURE: I know it sounds bizarre, but take a weighted rubber mallet and from the outside (counter intuitive I know) start gently taping around the ding. How gentle? Gentle enough that you would tap anywhere on the wing without worrying about denting it. Tap over, around, above and below as you don=92t know where your tapping will have the most effect. After a little bit you gain a better feel for what force you can safely apply to the tapping. Grab a chair though, as this will take awhile. I started noticing results after three to five minutes of continuous tapping. What results? Both dings actually started working themselves out! MY =91THEORY=92: The leading edge skin is stressed like a drum head. You tap the skin (drum head) with the mallet pushing it in and the skin rebounds. That rebound force over time works to return the dinged area to its original position. Another way to do this, for the more daring, is to replace the mallet with your variable trigger/force rivet gun. Set up a machine-gun type tapping around the ding once again so gentle you would not hesitate to do it elsewhere on the wing. You may transition to this by putting a piece of rubber, grommet, rubber washer, etc. under the rivet head. Alas, some dings are so severe, i.e. dents, or located in places, i.e. the rib line that this technique will not work. Even so, my technique is pretty much =91what have you got to lose=92? Hope this saves some one from tearing apart their wing or gas tank. With luck I will not have to test this technique again. Regards, Vince H. Idaho RV8 Glacier Built (Moved to airport last weekend, beginning registration paperwork=85getting close) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Other Matronics Email List Services ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Post A New Message rv8-list@matronics.com UN/SUBSCRIBE http://www.matronics.com/subscription List FAQ http://www.matronics.com/FAQ/RV8-List.htm Web Forum Interface To Lists http://forums.matronics.com Matronics List Wiki http://wiki.matronics.com Full Archive Search Engine http://www.matronics.com/search 7-Day List Browse http://www.matronics.com/browse/rv8-list Browse Digests http://www.matronics.com/digest/rv8-list Browse Other Lists http://www.matronics.com/browse Live Online Chat! http://www.matronics.com/chat Archive Downloading http://www.matronics.com/archives Photo Share http://www.matronics.com/photoshare Other Email Lists http://www.matronics.com/emaillists Contributions http://www.matronics.com/contribution ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- These Email List Services are sponsored solely by Matronics and through the generous Contributions of its members.