The 23D thread

[GMFL]

Installed my new Maxim Skylight today. Bronze/ Clear/ Clear powder coat white frame. Size was 22.75" X 22.75"
Awesome upgrade and super easy to do. Plenty on here about how to install so I will not bore you with the details. Liz and David at Maxim are both Great to work with!!!

[Troutboy]

Ronnie, why did you replace the stock one?

[switz]

One usually replaces the inexpensive factory skylight upon inspection of the external plastic frame on the roof and finding the screws were over torqued and cracked the frame which becomes sources for leaks.

The Maxim is triple glazed with an aluminum frame and certified for hail.

[RFP]

Originally Posted by switz

One usually replaces the inexpensive factory skylight upon inspection of the external plastic frame on the roof and finding the screws were over torqued and cracked the frame which becomes sources for leaks.

The Maxim is triple glazed with an aluminum frame and certified for hail.

There were no screws in ours (2014)... VHB tape instead. It was a booger to get off, too... that stuff holds with a vengeance.

Even so, the OEM skylight is pretty "basic" (as in flimsy, and letting in a LOT of radiant heat), and the Maxim is a superb upgrade... certainly worth the money and effort... well, it was to me.

Rob

[Troutboy]

What do these units cost? Sounds like a no-brained. Wife is going to kill me, I told her the lift was the last upgrade! [emoji12]

[RFP]

Originally Posted by Troutboy

< snip > I told her the lift was the last upgrade! [emoji12]

You told her WHAT ?

[Troutboy]

Originally Posted by RFP

You told her WHAT ?

I know, forgot the golden rule, under promise over deliver........

She says I spend more with the AS lately than with her.......

[Hittenstiehl]

😋there is never a last upgrade or acoutremont with this Airstream hobby.

And if she is claiming you spend more with it than with her then she is not spending enough time with the Airstream.

See how it's all intertwined. She can have her own list of gotta haves or isn't that pretty.

[pcskier]

Originally Posted by GMFL

Installed my new Maxim Skylight today. Bronze/ Clear/ Clear powder coat white frame. Size was 22.75" X 22.75"
Awesome upgrade and super easy to do. Plenty on here about how to install so I will not bore you with the details. Liz and David at Maxim are both Great to work with!!!

Where do you 23D guys have skylights? 23 FB has Fantastic Fans forward and rear, but no skylights?

[RFP]

Originally Posted by pcskier

Where do you 23D guys have skylights? 23 FB has Fantastic Fans forward and rear, but no skylights?

The skylight is between the front Fantastic Fan and the air conditioner...

[GMFL]

Originally Posted by Troutboy

Ronnie, why did you replace the stock one?

Yes

[GMFL]

Originally Posted by Troutboy

What do these units cost? Sounds like a no-brained. Wife is going to kill me, I told her the lift was the last upgrade! [emoji12]

Mine was 282.00. Worth every penny!

[GMFL]

Tell Her I said it is a must do! Haha
Don't look at my Alpha 1021 self leveling caulk job. Not my best work for sure

[RFP]

Just in case any may have wondered if I had completely given up on my 'folding dinette table' project (career?), may I say, nope, I'm still plugging away at this as time allows.

I am getting pretty close to finished, though, lacking only applying the final finish (wipe-on satin polyurethane) on the table edges. I elected not to use any of the various edge banding products on the table edges, opting instead to finish the edges with a three-step process: Solar-Lux black dye, black gel stain, and poly top coat. The genuine Baltic birch is 13-ply (as I recall) and lends itself to nice edge finishing. It should, it cost fifty-seven bucks for just enough to do the table tops! Yikes.

So, I am needing only to (1) finish the table edges, (2) attach the mounting hardware, and (3) do the final installation into the trailer. So, nearly all done.

Yay!

I will probably set aside my natural humility (of which I am so very proud ) and post a separate thread on this obsession when complete. It's been a complicated project and I have tried very, very hard to do it right... I really, really, really don't want this thing to look too "home made."

I do have a word of advice for any who may be feeling like they would like to do a project like this: Go lay down 'till that feeling goes away.

Rob

[OTRA15]

Nice work!

The Baltic Birch laminations also permit a similar clear finish to be stunning, although not the look you wanted probably.

Looking forward to photos of the table extended out, and after a torture test while towing on a bumpy twisty (side-to-side) road, to check the stability of the table underway.

I assume that this table does not offer the option of lowering it to make a bed?
( . . . forget if that was one of the design parameters . . . )

Have you kept track of your labor hours for this project ["career" . . . ], including design and online discussions?

[RFP]

Originally Posted by OTRA15

Nice work!

The Baltic Birch laminations also permit a similar clear finish to be stunning, although not the look you wanted probably.

Right, it's not the look I was after. The dye-stain resulted in deep brown, approaching black. Looks great and makes the black SOSS hinges virtually disappear.

Originally Posted by OTRA15

Looking forward to photos of the table extended out, and after a torture test while towing on a bumpy twisty (side-to-side) road, to check the stability of the table underway.

I have absolutely no concerns about the table surviving an on-the-road 'torture test.' The combination of two pair of high quality drawer slides - each pair clocked 90-degrees to the other pair results in rock steady extension.

Originally Posted by OTRA15

I assume that this table does not offer the option of lowering it to make a bed?
( . . . forget if that was one of the design parameters . . . )

Correct. We would have never made the dinette into a bed. Of course, all the OEM stuff has been wrapped and stored for the next owner... whomever, whenever.

Originally Posted by OTRA15

Have you kept track of your labor hours for this project ["career" . . . ], including design and online discussions?

No, I haven't... it would be too depressing. I do expect the final tab for this thing to come in at around $300, the top-of-the-line Wilsonart laminate was $130. The laminate Airstream used in '14 is no longer available, but they offer a fairly good selection of laminates with the same "Mirage" finish (Wilsonart's #35 finish). It is VERY good stuff.

I will re-make the vanity to match the new dinette table. That's a one afternoon project.

Thanks for the compliment.

Rob

[RFP]

Originally Posted by OTRA15

< snip >
Looking forward to photos of the table extended out, and after a torture test while towing on a bumpy twisty (side-to-side) road, to check the stability of the table underway.< snip >:

Since the platform mechansim isn't yet fastened to the trailer wall, I can't show the table extended. I can show what it looks like when the 'extension' part is folded back over on top of the stationary table.

By the way, remember that the entire stationary table is firmly affixed to the trailer's wall, there will be no 'side-to-side' with that.

R

[RFP]

Oh, a couple more 'details' :

(1) The new folding table adds 16 pounds to the trailer. We travel so light, it matter not at all.

(2) The Wilsonart laminate used is 'River Gemstone.' It coordinates well with the deep brown Corian, the light UltraLeather, and the aluminum walls.

R

[RFP]

You people are way too polite! Until I saw the photo I posted of the table, I hadn't realized that the table top edges were WAY TOO BLACK... failing to match the brownish-black of everything else. That's a beginner mistake that I shouldn't have made... but I did

So, back to the shop... more sanding and more staining. This time, I think I'll leave just a "hint" of grain showing through.

Sheesh...

R

[Troutboy]

Rob, nice work as always. You are a true craftsman.

How do you install the laminate? Does it come with a glue backing?