Elevator Trim Tab Hinges

 Got started tonight working on the elevator trim tab hinges.  I cut two of them to
35" per the directions.

 Then I center punched the starter hole per the dimensions.  Drilled the hole to #40.

 Then I placed the hinge on the elevator and clamped it in place using side grip cleco's.

 Then drilled it to the elevator.

 Did the same for the trim tab.

 Then I marked the hinge for the cut line.  I removed the pin because you don't want to cut it yet.

 I cut the hinge to the line.  Then deburred everything and riveted the hinge to the trim tab.

 I was able to use this yoke that had been previously modified back when I built the RV-7 to rivet the hinges.  I found a set that was just thick enough to clear the eye of the hinge.  Worked fine.  It is a tight squeeze between the yoke and the bottom trim tab skin where it is bent up at 15°.  Some people claim that rivets are hard to set when backed up by the soft hinge material...  This is true if you try and fully set them like you would a regular situation.  The hinge material is just too soft for that.  For hinges, I set them slightly undersized so that none of that bad stuff happens.

 Used the same process to rivet the other side of the hinge to the elevator.  Easy peasy!

All done with this one.  I rinsed and repeated to finish the other side as well.

One more work session and I will be able to call these elevators done!  All I need to do is bolt in the counterweights and bend the trim tab hinge pin so that it can be safety wired to the spar.