Time: 5 Hours
After bending the trailing edges of the elevator I decided to build a jig to roll leading edges. I have read several builders websites and have done a ton of research on vansairforce.net to come up with a game plan. I decided that I would use 3/4″ conduit pipe to roll the edges. That pipe would be held down by u-bolts in 3 places corresponding with the hinge locations. Those bolts would help hold the skin firmly on the table while rolling. The procedure is to use a pipe secured to the skin with tape and use several hands to roll up the edge. Since its just me I needed some extra help. That’s where the u-bolts come in.
I made all the measurements and decided where I wanted the pipe to layout. I decided to have the pipe line up 10″ from the edge to make it easy to reach. Then I realized that when I flip the rudder over that I would be reaching a long way from the opposite side. So I moved all the u-bolts the middle of the table. Then I used Gorilla brand tape, this stuff is awesome, and placed it along the skin I would be rolling.
Then I laid the pipe on the tape perpendicular to the skin and placed the u-bolts over the pipe.
You can see the hole I drilled in the end of the pipe. That’s so I can insert a metal rod to use for torque when rolling. Here is the end results:
After I have my friend inspect the curves I will debur and rivet it using pop rivets. All I all a great day of work and confidence building!