I know it’s not popular to discuss Big Box Store purchases for airplane work in public, but since almost everyone actually does it (even though they won’t admit it), here’s my latest!
Anyone that has “curled” the leading edge of an RV-type rudder or elevator knows that you are supposed to use some sort of pipe or rod fastened to the edge (often depicted with duct tape) and then somehow lever it around in a curve. The F1 Rocket build manual shows a clever way to do this using a 1” aluminum tube, clecos through the eventual rivet holes, and screwdrivers as handles. I liked the idea, but didn’t want to spend what it cost to order a 1” aluminum tube, four feet long (the shipping cost will kill you!) from the usual parts suppliers. So I went to Home Depot looking for a substitute.
One-inch iron pipe was going to be a pain to drill for the clecos. Copper tubing would have required applying for a mortgage. PVC didn’t seem stiff enough. And then I walked down the cleaning aisle and found a broom with an aluminum handle for $9.99. And next to it was a broom/squeegee/painting handle alone for a dollar less – aluminum, 1” tubing!
Well score! Took it home, cut off the ends, and voilà—my new edge rolling tool was ready to go. Just goes to show a “finished” product can be butchered for less cost than the raw materials… sometimes.
I just used my dad’s clecos to repair my corral gate (that I made, and backed into).
Dad just recently passed.
He won the sport bilateral class at Reno in 67.
He built two other planes and made a lot of his own tools…like the counter sink block and a device to cut & bead the holes in the wing (spars?).
He did the Reno race in N8L Pitts Special he had purchased from Curtis Pitts.
Acrobatics was his passion, that sparked my cousin Vicki into aviation & now she does airshow like Salinas. I saw your bit on the internet that sparked some memories…Vicki Benzinger.
I have shopped the Aviation section of Home Depot ‘ Harbor Freight and AutoZone many times for my home built projects!
Shopping for tools and parts to fabricate aircraft tools from in the ‘Aviation section of Home Depot, Harbor Freight and AutoZone’…. is one thing.
Shopping for parts/materials from the ‘Aviation section of Home Depot, Harbor Freight and AutoZone’ that will be installed on Your airplane is another matter entirely. Could you ever really know what you are getting? Do your wife, kids, friends know and understand this? I assume You ‘feel lucky’ all the time.
PS: Just for giggles…. the Next next time You are in these businesses… Home Depot, Harbor Freight, AutoZone, etc… shopping for parts/materials for use on your aircraft. ask for directions to the ‘Aviation section’. The flat stares should say a lot. Better-yet, ask the store manager… I’m sure they will be amused.