Ivan's RV-7

Cleaning the partsTimer icon2h

May 16, 2022

Did a tiny bit of work, mostly cleaning all the parts with the EkoClean.

Today I finished deburring the skins with my Aircat die grinder. I used roloc attachment and blue Scotch-Brite discs ("very fine"). This tool is an air hog! The compressor I have gives 5.3 CFM at 90 psi, and it wasn't anywhere what the tool wanted (I saw some numbers saying it needs 7.8 CFM at 90 PSI).

Aircat die grinder with a roloc attachment and blue Scotch-Brite disc.

Then I took my cleaning supplies and washed all the parts (except the skins) with the EkoClean. It wasn't really necessary, you can do that step just before the etching, but I did not want to contaminate the EkoEtch with the EkoClean if I constantly switch between these two.

One thing I noticed is that parts become "squeaky" after the cleaning with the EkoClean, but still would not pass the "water-break" test. I suppose the role of cleaning is to remove heavy contaminants and grease -- etching and scrubbing should remove the rest.

Finally, I made a small coupon to train my flat riveting skills.

Test coupon for the rivet gun training!