Shop Talk

How to properly remove bad or damaged rivets. You'll probably do this a lot over the course of an airplane project!

Paul Dye discusses blind or pull rivets—and why they're not just like hardware-store "pop" rivets.

The jam nut on this flap motor is required to be safety wired to prevent the nut from coming loose. There is a lot...

Every screw needs a place to go, and for many metal airplanes, that's into a nutplate. KITPLANES editor at large Paul Dye shows you...

Time to stop messing around. Time to fish or cut bait. Time to…oh, you know all the rest of that stuff. Me? I’m getting...

Of all the milling machine jobs I do, 99.99% involve clamping work in the mill vise. Occasionally, a project comes up where the part...

Nearly every kit aircraft will require a large, flat worktable for some part of its construction. Large and flat are the important qualities that...

Master aircraft builder Paul Dye demonstrates how to "back rivet" metal for a clean, consistent look, and offers suggestions to avoid common mistakes. This series...

OK, so we’ve got that 100-watt solar panel firmly bolted to the hangar roof. Let’s take the other pieces that we have to have...

Exhaust cracks can be insidious, although sometimes they leave a gray-looking residue. Use a bright flashlight and inspect them every time the cowling is...