If you have your own CNC router, then it’s fine, if however you don’t, then you will be paying a heck of a lot more to get the parts cut out by router. Routers are slower than waterjet/laser cutters, then you have the additional cost of the time taken to set up & change each different cutting bit/drill. You don’t have any tooling set up costs for a waterjet or laser.

Bob T.

It’s a posh one so tooling can be preloaded for up to 6 tools and it changes them itself. Changing or loading up the tooling takes minutes.

Ok that’s Shipdam sorted, what about Colt?

Not a lot of use for civil aviation! Comment from a meteorological colleague of mine who was posted there – “Only place where I’ve seen 40 kt fog”!! Although some in the far north may be able to improve on that – they usually do!!!
HTH
Resmoroh

Should have come to Valley, we had 50Kt fog! 😀

Some active airfields still have little gems hidden away.
I used to work at Marshalls in Cambridge, and when they pulled down some 60’s offices in 2 hangar in the 90’s, there written on the wall in pencil was ‘Audax rudder cables’ and ‘Hind brake cable’ over 2 nails. Most of the signeage in that hangar is prewar (with photo’s on display to confirm).
Whilst clearing some storage lockers we ended up slinging out a couple of old Canberra ejection seats and boxes of assorted British aircraft pipe fittings. I salvaged a ‘Valiant nosewheel axle nut’ spanner out of the skip at the same time.

C-17s have ashtrays in them.

British C-130’s used to have ashtrays and no smoking signs!

Here you go Moggy, something a little closer to home for you. 😉

Whilst there are no ads, there is some music of dubious taste.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glNZ4EZHIJg

So does it drop off inside (the wing for example) ? It can’t be withdrawn because surely the lug would foul the hole. What is the fastener called ?

It doesn’t work like that. They are temporary clamps that hold thing in place whilst you are working.
It’s a bit hard to explain, but the end of the clamp is the diameter of the hole (different colours mean different sizes), but the shank is smaller. There is a fixed piece on the body that goes in the hole so when you pull the ‘disc’ up, the full size end of the clamp catches on the edge of the hole. You then do up the nut, and it pulls everything together.
To remove it you just undo the nut, push the centre shank down, pull the body of the clamp out of the hole, then pull out the centre.
It sounds very complicated, but it’s one of those things if you saw it in the flesh you’d be amazed how simple it is.
They have various names and all achieve the same results, Skin pins, skin pegs, avdel clamps, grip pins, cleco pins.

Agree about the 3X gun. Not cheap but you can vary the output as opposed to the constant out put of an air hammer. You can get 10X guns but they’re the riveting equivalent of Dirty Harry’s gun. No use on light ally.

This is what we used to use for ‘skinning up’ the aircraft.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Chicago-Pneumatic-Rivet-Gun-3X-Hammer-Snaps-Aircraft-Tools-/200885641974?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2ec5b7a2f6

That’s the type I have. very good guns those.

As has been said, do not be tempted to buy a cheap automotive air hammer, they are no good for riveting, and it’s quite likely you’ll end up doing some damage.