Re: [VAL] Hoo, boy! RE: 1956 Caravanner Skin Care

["Tom" <tmeeker@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Olympic rivets are *not* designed for aircraft repair.  The Olympic rivets
appear to be more likely designed for *sheetrock* rather than *sheet metal*,
aluminum.

If you've ever seen how the Olympic rivets work, how they pull and compress
they really DO look like those fasteners used on gypsum wallboard.  I do not
like them for repairs on *my* Airstream trailers, I know they are inferior
to the original solid fasteners but that's a no-brainer.

However, Olympic rivets are *cheaper* than other really good fasteners such
as the Cherry Max and Cherry-Lok rivets - both of which you need a special
pulling gun to do the job right.  You can pull some of the very small
diameter Cherry Max and Cherry-Lok rivets with a very good hand riveter but
the jaws will most likely not last a very long time because they were not
designed to pull these type fasteners.

I know I'm in the minority on this rivet issue so there is no reason to
lambaste me here - do so in private if you feel you must and we will discuss
it from there off the list.  Solid fasteners are best and used correctly
they offer you the best of both worlds - they are light in weight and very
strong.  If you can't use a solid rivet you should go with a blind
fastener - if you really need to or you could go with a very strong nut and
bolt made out of stainless steel.  I know, I'm getting too technical here
but it's the way I do things differently than the Airstream factory you see.

In my eyes there are right ways and wrong ways and cheap ways to fix things.
I choose to do the very best repair work on my two Airstream travel trailers
and that calls for using what I feel is the correct hardware.  I don't go
cheap - the cheapest tools are the most expensive *because* you end up
buying them over and over and over.  The same can be said for using cheap
repair parts.

Let me ask you this:

    Why on Earth would anyone want to use cheap parts on such an expensive
travel trailer like our Airstreams?  Do it right the first time if you need
to make a repair and it will last you as long as you own the trailer.  I
advocate repairs that are at least as strong or stronger than the original
and that is why when I fix something it stays fixed for me.  Just the way I
do things I guess.

Tom
WBCCI 5303