Canuck1

Mike

There is lots of info on here for exactly what you are looking for.
I did all the panel lines and about 40,000 burned in rivets on my P-47. It sure makes the plane come to life.
On page 24 of the TF GS P-47, another bloody one, you can see how I did them. I have also done panel lines and rivets on my current project, my Byron Corsair.
Some people ask why, but it does make a huge difference, and brings the aircraft to life. Dont be afraid to give it a try, and you only need to do as much as you want to your level of happiness. Oh, it can be addictive!!!

Good luck, happy riveting and applying panel lines.

Craig

CKLLOYD

THIS IS A GREAT QUESTION AND ALOT OF GOOD ADVICE. I DO RECALL BACK IN THE DAYS THERE WAS A BUILDER AND IF HE SHOWED UP TO A SCALE CONTEST YOU COULD JUST HERE THE WISPERS AND COMMENTS FROM THE OTHERS AT THE SHOW. LIKE CRAP MIGHT AS WELL PACK IT UP. THIS BUILDER WOULD USE THE HEADS OFF OF PINS AND TACKS AND PLACE THEM ON PLANE AS RIVETS AND DO A LOT MORE THAN THAT TO HIS PLANES.. BUT LIKE I SAID THAT WAS THE OLD DAYS

STUKA BARRY

Aerodynamic flush rivets is'nt a theory, its a fact proven by Howard Hughes on his Hughes Racer. Although its a dramatization, the movie " The Aviator" really points out this fact.

dvs1

And if the japs copied the Hughes racer like Howard Hughes thought they did they would have used flush rivets? But that is merely speculation.

Chad Veich

My Feedback: (60)

You can pretty much assume that the rivets on the wing of a Zero are going to be the flush type. Generally the only place you will find button head type rivets on a second world war fighter plane are areas where they do not cause substantial amounts of drag. On the Hellcat for instance (and the Tigercat too) what I'm finding is that the flying surfaces (wing and tail) are fully flush riveted while the fuselage is flush riveted back to the rear edge of the canopy. The only button head rivets are on the aft part of the fuselage.

TestPilot-101

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For getting the basics on scale building and more I found that the Dave Platt video series are very good.
He was one of the first to get into the "super scale" R/C buisness when he and a few other scale guys built the models for the movie "The Battle of Britain" in 1967.
His videos are loaded with information on "How To's. I make sure to get to his booth every year at the Toledo Show.

Call or email him. The info is on his web site.

http://www.daveplattmodels.com/

BobH

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An interesting note is that the Spit was fitted with Steel flush rivets on Alu skin. The problem for restorers is one of dissimilar metals and corrosion. Of course it didn't matter at the time as the planes weren't expected to last all that long!

G-Pete

They may look like from 50 feet away 2.8 expose 20mm zoom. They still published black and white pictures in the 70'ies. No indicator when some pictures are taken.

Well, they were raised - here some original pictures case closed. As I said before, I do my homework.

G-Pete

here is a blow-up from picture #2 - very clear 0.375 raised rivets #66532

G-Pete

BTW:

For my rivets (raised) I use this kit [link=http://www.starwoodmodels.com/products/ssm/rivetkit.php]-click here for the link-[/link]. I got that kit 3 years ago and still the half bottle full. These rivets are hard and consistent - best kit for me!
I use my air-compressor, small regulator, over-flow valve, airline, adapter and syringe. This works just awesome - the former model was a modified wisegrip pliers . Anyhow, this is fast and most important not exhausting. Rivets if needed ALL day long .

77chickenhawk

flat rivets are something i'm working on as a product to sell. not ready yet but will be supper quick when compared to burning them on..what you see took like 5 minutes? and they are 2 mills thick. sound like a buyable thing?[sm=shades_smile.gif]

the Zero im bashing will have these on it.. its gonna be the test bed or whatever you want to call it..im thinking, these along with the raised inspection hatches and covers. it would tie a plane in nicely together. we'll see

BobH

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Chicken, it'll be interesting to see how your rivets look when primed and painted
The one distinct characteristic about flush rivets is that normally the skin is slightly depressed where the rivet is bucked. At least that's been my experience when looking at the Full Scale planes.

c550

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Gpete,

That riviter is cool. I think I will get one. What pressure do you use it at?

ZERO-322

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I agree that is a cool kit got to wait till payday before I can think about adding toys to my collection,

can anyone tell me again on a zero what are the panel lines and rivets raised or flush suppose to be ? are the rivets on each side of each panel line or on the panel line itself ? does anyone have any documentation they could share with me ? you guys have been great and thanks for all the responses, I never realized such a simple question would be so hard to get answered but that is why so many of us rely on sources like RCU guys like all of you in many cases can be a blessing

BAT-Two-One

The Japanese "acquired" Howard Hughes' plans for the H-1 Racer. Much of the lines from the Zero come from the H-1. The H-1 just happens to have been the first aircraft in history with countersunk rivets. It would be a good bet that later models of the Zero had some countersunk rivets as well.

77chickenhawk

unfortunately that characteristic wont be able to duplicate. the rivets can and will come in any color.. once i get them from the cutter ill starts a thred showing how i installed them and the painting prosess

G-Pete

The over-flow valve runs a 15psi, I have nice rivets at 25psi. The air acts like a plunger. Yeah, you can do your own mix of glue and whatever. But these rivets are rock-solid, right now I sand a fuselage and I can tell you these are hard to sand. This green mix also sticks to everything, bare metal, cloth (can't wash it out- don't ask), fiberglass, wood and paint - last pictures show that. Alu gear doors before paint.

Here the brake down on parts, the over-flow valve is a #42, the plates are 1/8 aluminum, presto fittings, some couplers - the small regulator is not shown here. Hope this helps...

Avaiojet

I've been making vinyl rivets for years. One, two or three rows, it doesn't matter, the cutter does it. I space them on what the customer asks for, size also. I've made them as small as 1/16. Same with hatch outlines too.

Here's the thing. It's difficult to "weed" small circles of rivets. Not actually difficult, but it takes some time. So the entire strip of vinyl must be placed on the model surface then pulled as soon as possible, leaving just the rivet.

Sure, doing larger models that require larger rivets is easier. Obviously, the larger the rivet the easier it is to accomplish the task.

I've also provided vinyl rivets in "mask." This is where a strip is placed, airbrushed, then removed, leaving a row of painted rivets.

When I get some time, I'll run some small vinyl rivets and take a few photos.

Charles

www.cfcgraphics.com

ZERO-322

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OK so should I do flush rivets on the wing sections and raised rivet detail on the fuse ? do you guys think this would look good or accurate ? or should I just stay with one or the other through out the entire plane ? what do you guys think would look best ?

opinions anyone ?

Ram-bro

My Feedback: (101)

GPete, wow those are some small hands with green dots on them. Are you the guy in the Burger King commercial?

77chickenhawk

looking at the close up phots i have of a Zero i would say majority is flat, with alot of countersunk flathead screws and raised phillips around the wing fillets..

ZERO-322

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I dont know were you got those close ups but I THANK YOU ! finally something concrete to go by flush rivets it is then !

thanks again chickenhawk !

ZERO-322

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And flush rivets using a soldering iron we burn a slight indentation to simulate the rivet ? am I correct ?

dvs1

The best thing to do is remove the soldering iron tip, replace it with a piece of small brass tubing the size you want the rivet to be. Then take a exacto knife and
sharpen the inside of the brass tube. Heat it up and start buring rivets in the primer. After you do a few you will learn how long to burn and how much pressure to apply.
If your tip starts to clog up just clean it out with your exacto knife. Mine always seams to clog up quit regularly. Just go slow and take your time with it till you get comfortable.

But yes, short answer to your question use a soldering iron to burn in rivets.

Then when you finished say with a wing panel, hit it lightly and I say Lightly with 400-800 grit sandpaper to remove any primer high spots created from burning the rivet in.

ccostant

My Feedback: (38)

Excellent pictures chickenhawk. They are extremely helpful. I will be using them as a reference when I get to painting my zero.