I reviewed my work yesterday with our local EAA Technical Counselor before proceeding with closing up the vertical stabilizer. Thanks Larry for stopping by – much appreciated!
We decided to replace one rivet where a rib flange tab was separated from the skin. I used a rubber washer on the bucking bar to put pressure on the tab while starting to set the rivet. That resolved the problem and secured the flange tightly against the skin.
After that, I proceeded to finish up the remaining riveting on the vertical stabilizer. I am slowly getting more comfortable with the rivet gun. I used the squeezer for the edges of the skin but had to buck a few of the rivets around the rudder hinge brackets.