Tank work continues

Last weekend I was able to complete the riveting of the left tank ribs in one session.

The right tank I had completed the weekend before and used the "set it and forget it" method described on VAF where you let the sealer set up overnight and then come back in the next day or two and rivet.

Both approaches have their positive and negative sides.

Partial cure:

+ Less Mess
+Easier to see the shop end of the rivet to judge how well you riveted
- Need to remove the partial cured sealant from each hole when you put a rivet in
- Need to add new wet sealant to each hole

Wet Seal:

+Wet sealant already there when you go to rivet
+ More sealant seems to squeeze out (ie. Tighter seal potentially)
+ If you have the time riveting really doesn't take that long once you get the rhythm down so avoids waiting overnight or longer
- A mess for sure
- Rush against time while the sealant sets up

If I were to have it to do all over again, I think I really would just set aside the time and rivet wet. Either way there is a mess involved.

I am finding the tanks so far to be more enjoyable than I thought they would be, mostly because I see them progressing quickly. Rather than dragging the tanks out for months on end, once I put the sealant on there I have to finish so it forces me to set aside an entire day to do the work.

I think the stress for me on the tanks is keeping things as neat as I can, but I am using the philosophy here that more seal means less leaks. We will see when the time comes.

I used the individual tubes of proseal and am finding that it is costing around double what it would have if I had just purchased two quarts and some vet syringes as others have. While someone on VAF did illustrate a method which in theory would use seven tubes for the whole project, I found that I am going to take more like ten.  They do save you from the messy mixing and with the caulking gun from Vans it works well as long as you release the pressure from it by hitting the tab on the back of it after you are done. That way the dribbling stops while you work on the piece you just coated.

Another tip is to cut scrap strips of aluminum to use as your spreader. Around 5/8" x 4" in works well. Much easier to spread the bead with that than a brush or anything else.

For the swirl on top of the shop head, so far a toothpick works best for me.

Next up: J Channel, followed by the fuel floats and end rib. Then final check, and the dreaded baffles :) I most likely will do a leak test prior to putting the baffles on.