Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Bulkhead "A"

Build hours: 17
Up the learning curve we go! It took 3 hours to turn out the first bulkhead. Hopefully the experience will allow the next 13 bulkheads to go quite a bit faster.
The bulkhead "A" template was outlined with a Sharpie Ultra Fine Point onto the .025 6061T6. The template was then rough cut with an air nibbler and then trimmed with tin snips. A metal hole punch was tried to punch a clean hole at the bottom of the bulkhead notches but the punch body obsured the hole outline. In the end, the hole was drilled with a 3/16" bit and deburred just as quickly. The notches were clipped and the entire outer edge of the bulkhead was smoothed with a fine metal file.
The blank was then bolted and clamped between the 2 forms. A dead blow hammer was used to tap the tabs over. After the bulkhead was removed from the form, the tabs were adjusted with pliers. The final step was to admire the completed bulkhead!
The pictures represent the steps taken but are not bulkhead "A" or the same bulkhead.











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