seperation anxiety

[jennandcurtis05]

having trouble getting the deck off of our 66 span, got the rub rail off and started to seperate at the flange, but along with the 974 million rivets holding the halves together they are also glassed together on the inside. any ideas? afraid if i try to cut from the inside out i will have trouble seeing where to cut and end up slicing my hull in half heh.....

 

[Redeyedwiggler]

Re: seperation anxiety

I'm not sure what exactly your trying to do... but if you can see the rivets you could grind them off one at a time, and slowly pry away the metal and separate it with a little gingerly force. The beauty of working metal is its malleable qualities.
Time and energy is the key with what I'm trying to say. Take your time and work slowly. Maybe I'm not following what your saying exactly so post a picture of your project so we can see.

 

[jennandcurtis05]

Re: seperation anxiety

the rivets are in the fiberglass flanges of the two halves. have already gone and pulled all of the rivets, but now am trying to decide on the best way of seperating the two halves without damaging them. They are glassed together over the inside seam where the upper and lower half come together, and i want to save as much of the two flanges as possible. i would like to post pictures of the entire project but unfortunately dont have a digital camera yet

 

[Redeyedwiggler]

Re: seperation anxiety

I've never worked big fiberglass jobs on the hull.. floors are easy so I guess I'm not much help. sorry

 

[Chinewalker]

Re: seperation anxiety

I would go at it with a Dremel tool with a cutting blade or coarse grinder, along with a sharp chisel. The Dremel gives you a bit more control than an angle grinder. Make sure you wear a dust mask at minimum...

- Scott

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: seperation anxiety

Look for a spot to start. Sounds like the top was bedded to the bottom.... Once you find a starting point slowly work your way around ....... I imaging you will need a good supply of wedges.