Technical Educate me on Clecos please.

It is interesting how many Hambers worked in Aviation. Like Hotrod/Custom the two many times play off one another in many ways...

I once mentioned to Mike at Cornfield how it would be interesting to know how many clecos I've installed and removed in my 40 or so years around aircraft...He himself has probably done just as many in his land based go fast career...

 

I live by clecos. Also amazes me how many rodders are musicians. Kind of goes hand in hand with the mentality I guess. Some clecos at work in a non technical facility, ( the driveway at my shop).

 

Have a full set of clecos in both designs. Invaluable tool if you are doing enough sheet metal work. If it's from the airline world and you want quality, look no further! They can't build junk in that field!

 

They aren't intended to work on anything that moves, The original purpose is for holding aluminum panels in place on aircraft so you can drive the rivets in to hold the panels. Then remove them and put a rivet in their place and done.
Nutserts or the like are probably the best for your purpose and you may have to recess a hole a bit for them to sit flush if they need to be flush with the piece that the other piece is going over or recess the back of the piece you are fastening on so it sits smooth.

 

Went to Aviation Metalsmith A school; but spent a lot more time on hydraulics and mechanical stuff than actual metal work.

 

This helped many not only build better Hotrod/Custom it also helped subsidize it as Aviation Careers are generally good paying ones...

I was a mechanically inclined company trained non AME structural assembler on 600 mph wings I would often refer to it as...

 

An interesting aside. When I went shopping for upholstery on my latest roadster, I visited several quality shops to get each of their bids. I've Bennett a hot rodder plus worked flight test for most of the aircraft manufacturers. One shop I stopped at, the upholsterer came out to look at the car and I explained just what I wanted. He went back in the shop and made out a bid. He came out and handed me the bid and asked, "you work air raft, don't you". That surprised me, but I answered yes but I am retired now, "why do you ask?". He said he could always tell a car built by somebody that worked aircraft than one built by somebody that didn't . He said the build quality was always higher on cats built by aircraft people. I was honored and quite surprised by his statement. But, at the same time remembered the standards we were held to in aircraft as opposed to automotive. That standard becomes second nature in everything you do or build. I am grateful to have that experience in my life.

 

Using MIG and stick it needs a demagnetized enviro or penetration and direction is compromised

 

Rolls Royce panels we hand form . It's just another art . No Clecos . Hand-formed is Hokey and Clecos are Aircraft . Class dismissed .

Class 2 - Lasers and CAD and CNC

 

I’ve done what you’re thinking of a million times. Either 3/16” plate drilled out or if it’s sheet metal that’s a small area, bicycle chain works well(1/8” clecos fit perfectly). You can also bend them to match the crown if needed.

Shitty pic, but you get the idea.

 

Thanks for the advice guys. Looks like I will be using either RivNuts or PlusNuts (which are like stronger RivNuts).

 

Clecos are wonderful things. Lots of different styles and diameters. My little plates for flushing sheet metal panels I punch 3 holes, so they don't twist. That Roper Whitney JR punch in Continental John's post is another indispensable tool, H.F. makes a cheap knock off but there are typically some used ones on Ebay for reasonable prices.

 

Stogy splained it pretty darn well in his follow up post.
I basically made my own fender washers from the 3/4" circular knockouts from some old metal electrical boxes I had laying around, by drilling 3/32 holes in them. I just made them up as I didn't have any fender washers on hand with that small of a hole. As Stogy mentioned, you can fab them up from heavy gauge sheet metal and they can be any shape, so long as they spread the load across both sides of the panel seams.
A well equipped sheet metal shop with a Rotex punch would probably net you a catch bucket full of various size 'slugs' they'd probably let you have.

 

Thanks all. Lots of good info and great ideas I hadn’t thought of.
I now have a plan!

Thanks again.

 

The OG factory was in my town, also a big superfund clean up site. It was operational past 1985, I knew some people that worked there. The site is now a 7-11 and the rest is under construction for a strip mall.

 

Clecos are pretty strong. In shear, not so much. You'd really have to consider how much weight they would be subjected to. I've seen a lot of things mocked up with them at work. Guys would replace a few here and there with self tapping screws for more holding power. I've seen 3/32" clecos used and later get opened up for 1/8" rivets.

 

Here you go. They buy all the surplus from Cessna, Lear etc in Wichita. If you are ever in Wichita, it's worth the time to just hang out in their storefront. They used to sell a lot of it by the lb. Since mfg has slowed, I noticed they started selling new as well.
https://www.theyardwichita.com/

I've been in aviation since 1986. I'll be glad to get out of it, truth known....

 

@Hot Rod Ron i just buy the inexpensive pop rivet washers and just try to get the same diameter as the Clecos. Get plenty as them little buggers (washers) as they disappear once it hits the bench or ground ….. lots of good info in this post . Love the idea of the bike chain link and very environmental

 

@Roothawg thank you as that website is awesome and dangerous on a pocketbook. I just spent my allowance for the next few weeks on cool new tools.

 

@continentaljohn thank you and I agree on the chain idea. Totally going to try it.

 

Ahhh the secret to success Quality tools beyond Harbor Freight are nice to know about Thank you

 

Or...you can use any number of Machine Screws Head out Flange Lock nuts inside ...with wire tied wing nuts

Actually stepping up from #30 to #20 to #11 and so on with a lubricant is standard procedure to get to your final size swapping out clecos as you go along.

Unless the holes are #40 for 3/32" rivets you can start with #30 as a first pass with lube...generally things are disassembled to debur and clear chips in between or at a minimum chased with a chip chaser...

 

For heavier/thicker work, they have the "screw" type instead of spring

 

One thing that's super important in Aircraft is FOD...Foriegn objects and debris...

In Hotrod in many ways depending on what your doing it's equally important...

If you drop a washer or chain link find it...as it could jam a thing that has motion like any linkages...again not as critical on autos...but AC it could put a plane down...

 

Yes they are a more robust form of cleco known as wing nut or draw/screw clecos both mentioned by @deucemac and Mike from Cornfield...maybe others...

They are invaluable assembly tools...Metalsmiths are big in use of these...all versions...

By the way draw clecos can have a nut or wing nut to tighten using a 2 wrenchs, Air assist gun, or hand for wing...

There is another screw type cleco available that uses a specific screw gun to tighten it...all clecos are color coded...for easy ID...

 

You are quite welcome. It's easy to get carried away there...

 

I think about you fellas in the field still good on you...I miss the grind a bit...I was in a good place...I was wrapped up in a place full of Aviation History and a long working relationship with Team America...

I still have many thanks to have experienced such an incredible opportunity that gave me many skills...good income and a pension...

 

...this shows color coding and 2 different grip lengths, likely 0" to 1/4" and 1/4" to 1/2" maybe...



...this chart mentions cleco size, respective hole size and color code...







These are more or less the types unavailable...someone mentioned knurled...I see it there on the left...

Different spring clecos need the correct plier...the smooth clecos in the center image require a air powered gun to draw them in...

Every type has pros and cons...

One big one is profile/actual physical size to fit in where your using it...grip strength...you may need a draw style if your parts are harder to pull together...

Again they are an invaluable tool in the shop...

@deucemac that story about the B52 is wild AND on the leading edge...Did QA verify that acceptable for flight or was it a lead hand decision...I'll bet that got a few looks around at on another...mind you it was probably large diameter clecos and not pressurized...

But 600 mph might have been met...


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That oughta hold it.

 

We used the screw type at work, definitely more holding power over the spring type. They always held for complex assemblies that were re-positioned many times and generally manhandled along the way.