I’ve finally gotten to the point of acomplishing the very first step on page VS1 in the Empennage Construction Manual! I’d been worrying about it. Getting the rivnuts securely mounted calls for a rather deliberate process with good technique. It all went very well. What a relief.

 

 

 

Having an effective tool – Astro Pneumatic Tool ADN14 Rivet Nut Drill Adapter Kit – and practice made the day. I’ve seen a couple of other builders recommend this particular tool. Because it relies on a cordless drill motor and identification of an appropriate torque (clutch) setting, I felt there would be a good chance of getting consistently good results. This seems to be the case.

Practice! I got an assortment of metric rivnuts and used the tool to work with them until I knew exactly what to expect. Now I have 14 perfectly mounted rivnuts!

BTW – the KAI mentions using high strength Loctite to insure that the mounted rivnuts don’t slip in their holes. I say – learn how to mount them firmly and they won’t slip. No Loctite is needed. Because IMO – if they’re not tight enough to stay put, then they’re not satisfactorily mounted.