10-24-2011:
I got the MSP-42 -43 and -44 rivets from Aircraft Spruce, time to rivet the leading edge ribs to the spar web. I thought it would be easier to use pop rivets there, but it turned out not. I don't have enough clearance for the rivet puller.
I ground the cheaper one, the one I got from Harbor Freight Tools, to do the job. But the cheap puller was giving me a hard time. I started on the most inboard rib, mid hole. After one pull, the puller wouldn't release the shank, no matter what I tried. Finally, I had to break the shank by repetitively bend the shank. This would leave the rivet not fully pulled. Since it's only one rivet, and rivet was expanded enough to fill the hole, I will leave it as is, don't want to mess up with it by drilling it out. It's a steel rivet, drilling out may cause more damage than solving the problem. I fixed the tool using a bigger collar, ground it more, and pulled the other four rivets on the most inboard rib.
I moved to the third rib from the outboard (The first two outboard ribs already riveted using solid rivets), it is just difficult to pull the rivet. I ended up taking out my rivet gun, and set the solid rivet in the middle. I can get my tungsten bucking bar through the lightening hole there. It is still awkward to set the rivet using a gun. I don't know if I want to do it for the other four rivets on this rib. I will probably not if I can grind down more on the puller and get it fit in the tight space. We will see.
The third rib from inboard is the only one that is easy to rivet using a puller. No problem there.
I got my puller ground more, and tried it on the second rib from inboard. It is still tight, taking some wiggling, it get the job done. I have one more rib to worry about, the third one from outboard.
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