Oh yes, and if you have the interior panels out... and you know you're going to need to sand them... it's probably a good idea to sand them while you can lay them flat.
And if you can avoid putting in new Olympic rivets until after you've sanded, they won't be in the way.
Of course, I'm not smart enough to have actually done either of those things myself.
So sick of removing Zolatone at this point. I spent the weekend on more sanding & stripping. Right now I have the area of the door and forward - the front living room area basically - to the point where all the paint is removed from the large flat areas of the walls, ceiling, and front endcap:
(Sorry for the blur, the lens was smudged & I didn't notice til I got home.)
The rear endcap is also sanded, at least those areas that won't be inside the cabinet:
I patched the inside of the doorframe where it was cracked from the floor rotting:
Yesterday I used up the rest of my 3M Safest Stripper doing window frames and rivets - it actually is a pretty good stripper if you give it time to work, and no noxious fumes at all, it's really mild stuff physically. Sadly, Home Depot didn't have any more so I bought some Citristrip hoping for something similarly mild but after working with it all day - even with all the windows open and the fans on - well, bleh, I feel kind of gross and maybe I should've used the respirator.
So, having sanded some of the window surrounds and therefore ruined any chance of getting a polished finish, I decided that I was actually not going to paint them but instead just strip the paint (not the first decision made after taking actions exactly opposite to it), but I'm going to go for a kind of lightly-brushed, tarnished finish which is conveniently just about what you're left with when you wirebrush a bunch of paint off of them. So I spent a lot of today applying stripper & brushing, scraping, & wiping off stripper & Zolatone and did I mention how sick of it I am? Oh yeah. But, most of the NINE WINDOWS (perhaps I should have bought a Bambi) are now stripped or nearly stripped or at least I am DONE with them for now. They're certainly good enough that any further cleanup can be safely done even when the rest of the trailer is painted. I don't have any photos of that because I was so sick of the whole thing this evening that I couldn't be bothered. Maybe tomorrow.
That did solve one of my design problems which is that at the front (possibly all the way through) I intend to paint the lower wall panels a different shade to the upper wall panels, endcaps, and ceilings, and since the front window intersects both lower wall panel & endcap it would have to be one colour or the other or a third colour or have an ugly dividing stripe across it, none of which were appealing options. However, being a matte aluminium shade will work just fine, I have officially decided.
SO: to get to painting, I need to sand the remaining 2/3 of the ceiling that's not sanded and the couple of bits of wall that are visible that still need it; re-sand the parts I did with the belt sander with the random-orbit sander with a medium grit (pretty quick) and generally make sure the surface is smooth enough everywhere; finish stripping the bits of paint from around all the remaining rivets (quite quick with stripper & a brass wirebrush); clean up all the paint dust; then use a detergent/etcher on the walls to prepare them, then I can prime them, then I can actually paint with the colours I want.
I'd say "Maybe the Zolatone wasn't so bad", but it really was, and I'm really looking forward to fresh, smooth paint in colours I actually like. It's just that this part is deeply unpleasant and unfun.
Some pictures of the window frames stripped of paint:
I'm also stripping the handles on the openers, and the latches before I replace them. And I'm going to strip the curtain rails as well before putting them back in.
The surrounds won't ever be perfectly smooth mirror-surfaces because of where I hit them with the sander, but that's okay. I quite like the half-shiny grey they are right now, and if I decide I don't like it I can always paint them again.
I really just have to sand the remaining 2/3 of the ceiling, strip the textured paint from around all the visible rivets, and re-sand the rougher parts before I can etch & paint. Definitely getting there.
Here's a couple of overviews looking back and forward:
Pretty much all of the unsanded walls there (and some of the sanded ones) will be inside cabinets, so I'm just going to leave them as-is, texture and all. Obviously I'll clean them before painting over them, of course.
WoW!!!! It is good to leave the project when feelings of hate come up, no? Somehow the next day things seem a bit fresher... or you could just say, "I like this rustic look"!
Keep at it! Everything you do now, you won't have to do later, and maybe never again!
__________________
Tanya
"If you want something done right, do it yourself!"
I finished up the sanding this weekend:
Most of that was the ceiling panels. I also stripped & scrubbed the textured paint from around the rivets & fan openings, and masked the windows. So, I'm now pretty much ready to clean up prior to painting.
This thread is one I started to ask some questions about painting. From that, I'm going to wash and then etch the bare metal, and paint with Devoe Devflex DTM as a primer. I have a lot of cleaning up to do before I can paint - removing all the dust & grit from inside and washing down the walls to get them clean and smooth.
An Atta-Boy to you, love the RM-500... Just one question for now, how big of an AGM battery will you be placing on-at wheelwell and are you going with inverter-charger or converter-inverter?
What I'd like to get is an 8D & a Prosine 2.0, but although I'm planning to buy the battery soon (about $500-600), I think I'm going to get a cheap $200 converter for now since the inverter isn't any use while I'm still able to plug in.
The 8D has about 80-100 usable Ah capacity, and it can be recharged in an hour at 100A, so it ought to provide a good buffer for running the generator. The weight oughtn't to be a problem (160lbs) given that it'll be mounted right over the wheels, and (as you'd expect) the bigger the battery, the more space-efficient it is. And using a single battery simplifies the wiring and removes the possibility of having one battery wear out before another.
What I'd like to get is an 8D & a Prosine 2.0, but although I'm planning to buy the battery soon (about $500-600), I think I'm going to get a cheap $200 converter ...The 8D has about 80-100 usable Ah capacity, and it can be recharged in an hour at 100A, so it ought to provide a good buffer for running the generator. The weight oughtn't to be a problem (160lbs) ....
I am struck by overkill, here. I don't fulll time and I have to admit to always buying too much tool, but I can't imagine the payback of that much weight for a battery. At one time, long ago, I was thinking that I wanted max battery, so I installed two. I also bought a Coleman generator--reliable, small, relatively light, but a little too loud, so I didn't like running it. I depended on the batteries a lot. But then I caved and got a Honda generator, 2000. It's not silent, but it is quiet enough that I don't mind running it. A couple hours each day is all it takes to keep the battery topped off and the mircorwave running at lunch and dinner. I can easily do with one battery now, which reduces the weight and, in my case, frame bending.
I guess my bottom line is, unless a person has some overriding issue with using a generator every day or every other day, go light on the battery and quiet on the generator.
I don't think you can go wrong with a $200 Intellipower.
Yeah, you may well be right about the battery. I also tend toward overkill, but I'm also thinking about keeping a desktop computer running (200-300W, not a trivial load) a lot of the time, and I'd really like to keep the generator down to a few hours a day in the evenings. But I'm not committed one way or another yet and I'll think it over some more.
This weekend I finished cleaning, washing, etching & priming the walls & ceiling:
These are some of the colours I'm considering for the walls & ceiling, probably 3 different shades of green; the darkest for the lower wall panel, a mid green for the middle & upper walls, and a very pale green for the ceiling:
I'm glad I sanded the areas that will be visible, I think once the topcoat is on the Zolatone texture will be quite visible, judging from a test patch I did.
I didn't mean to change focus of your post, I am provisioning for batteries, inverter, generator inputs etc.. now also..
I went with used AGM-Gels (hybrid) tele-comm batteries that are 99 pounds & 118AH rated at 8-hour discharge. I plan on providing room for four with a pair just inboard of each wheel well - but to begin it will be one on each side. The new axles are a 500 pound increase each over originals and the batteries weight will be centered between axles. I am fabricating a weight spreader from mild-iron angle stock that will keep battery weight on frame rails and the spars - I am hesitant to allow long term weight on any wooden framework & hope you re-examine the battery location, I almost want to build a tray under the floor, welded cross-braces between frame rails with flooring cut away allowing batteries to be split-level..
Attachment is herding batteries into root-celler window at -20F. Whatever battery you chose remember it will have to be handled more often than we could hope for and the 8D size will be a challenge even with two people..
I have a Univolt 80A charger that w/o the charge wizard provides near-perfect float voltage for these batteries, even using the gel-charge-wizard on these would be out of spec since the GCW only lowers the lead-acid profile by 4/10ths of a volt. The inverter I have is also a charger which I plan to use for the maintenance charging only, a slightly higher voltage charge that helps keep sulphation down. These batteries can accept a C/4 charge rate so 80A divided by two is spot on...
Oh, I'm working on the electrical too, just wanted to post a paint update too.
You definitely have me thinking about the battery again. You're right about having to handle it, and about putting that much weight on wooden construction. Trouble is, there isn't much unused floorspace in front of the axles in my layout - the fridge is there on one side, and I just put the water heater on the other side.
Perhaps a smaller battery mounted at the front under the gaucho, right on the A-frame would be a better idea. The only problem there is cabling, but I could still put the inverter next to the battery under there too. And there's additional hitch weight, but I think that's manageable. The one place I know it won't be is the original battery location, right at the back.
What's the final word on venting for AGM batteries? I know that gel-cels were originally allowed without venting in passenger compartments but after some bad experiences were then required to be vented. But so far as I can tell, AGMs are allowed in passenger compartments without venting, which would definitely be convenient.
I seem to have written a book - I'm not lecturing, really, but presenting what little I know
Good point about venting - as far as I know code demands all storage batteries to be provided with X sq inch vent. When I explained Hydrogen and Sulphuric mists from deep-cycle batteries the woman in my life said find another way so I went with AGM-gells. But some provision has to be designed in for cooling, heat is an enemy to sealed batteries..
Look at the Mazda Miata battery installation for example - battery in sealed box inside trunk with flexible rubber hose as vent. But they have a smart charger designed for a custom made battery, a charger that will not allow the battery a chance to heat up from charging makes it last.
With sealed lead acid, AGM, Gels... there are known voltage-temperature threshold at/above produces hydrogen; the batteries pictured have internal catalysts which claims 93% or somesuch water recycling yet ANY charging when battery temperature is >107F has gas production with probable venting. Vent a SLA and water gets lost so it "is* to avoid.
I want to stay in the no-gassing zone with these batteries of mine - attention to details like temperature compensated charging or automatic overtemperature shutdown could make these AGMs ~almost~ vent-free;
I've seen huge banks of storage batteries where I worked vented by a small 24/7 squirrel cage fan, just maintain positive air pressure and vent from highest point of area - hydrogen zooms up through the air like gold plummets down through water...
In short I haven't figured it out all the way yet.
Tube through wheel well wall, or a flex tube that chases up beside sewer vent stack, or a dangling one exiting belly skins like a water drain. This may be the point where exiting shell similar to furnace exhaust is needed, use a marine deck fitting.
On the electrical front I was looking at the 4D AGMs at West Marine thoughtfully, still haven't bought any battery yet though. But I might wind up with a group 27 or 31 battery.
I think for venting I'll get a plastic battery box and attach my own vent tube that goes to the outside which should work fine. Having read around it seems true that even AGMs should be vented just in case, although the chance of hydrogen production is much much smaller than with a flooded or gel battery. The kind of vent I used for the fresh water tank would probably serve for the battery too - it's a chrome fuel-line vent from West Marine. (Obviously, a separate vent!)
I went on a bit of a shopping spree last night and bought a WFCO 9800 55A converter, which seems to have a good output for an AGM battery and unlike the Intellipower chargers does not automatically equalize, just has a constant float voltage, which I think is better for AGM batteries.
Also bought new propane regulator & hoses, a new toilet, a new water pump & strainer, and a water pressure regulator. Once I have the parts in hand I'll make an order for the fittings and PEX tubing for the plumbing system, I think I'm going to use Flair-it.
I think I'm going to do most of the plumbing before I buy water tanks, because custom tanks are going to be quite expensive. I can test running the system from (and into) buckets of water until then (very high-tech).
I also need to get on with the propane plumbing, which thankfully will be a bit simpler than the original - with the new layout, there are no propane appliances behind the axles - everything is up front: water heater, stove, cooker, fridge, lamp.
Also on my to-buy list is a Blue Sea AC/DC distribution panel (10x the cost of a fuse panel... but very shiny).
I started looking at cheaper inverters. The Xantrex RS400 is a 400W (800W peak) true-sine-wave inverter that's only about $200-250, and I could easily wire it into a specific set of outlets. That'd leave more money for a good propane-fuelled Yamaha generator while still letting me run a good set of electronics off the batteries when no high-power loads are needed. Well, I'm still thinking about that, but it's an appealing alternative to a much more expensive inverter/charger.
I'm moving soon, to a new house in San Leandro close to where I'm currently storing the trailer, but the good part is that it has a driveway I could get the Airstream into (unlike my current apartment's driveway) and a garage - and a landlord who doesn't mind this idea at all. So, since I'm mostly done with very noisy tasks (with the possible exception of replacing the belly skin and putting in new tanks... and making cabinets... and probably some other things my new neighbours won't like) I'm probably going to be out of the warehouse pretty soon. As soon as I do that I'll have to check for leaks and make any final patches that need doing on the outside - there's one large patch that definitely needs to go on, where the old water heater was.
I'm also debating the awning again. It's a Carefree awning, and the back and street-side awning supports are really ugly, so I doubt I'll put them back on. But the curb-side awning is just mildly ugly, and that mostly because it's anodized. And it sure would be nice to have some shade, and awnings are pretty expensive. This one needs new fabric of course.
I'm wondering if I could polish off that anodized finish (to then begin the instant oxidation of the underlying metal, no doubt) and like it better. But I feel like I'd better decide that soon, as re-attaching the awning will be pretty noisy & intrusive.
In terms of actual work, having primed the interior I then painted it, although it may need one or two more coats. I was originally intending to use Devflex DTM primer, but the ICI paint stores in my area were out of stock or closed, and time ticking onward, I wound up using Glidden Gripper primer which seems to have worked pretty well. For a topcoat I'm using Glidden Evermore Satin Exterior, which was highly-rated by Consumer Reports. It's very sticky though, a little difficult to apply smoothly, and coverage in the saturated colour I chose for the walls wasn't very good over white primer, but putting on 3-4 coats seems to have worked well.
For whatever reason or combination of reasons, even on flat aluminium this combination has a very slight texture to it, a little coarser than what I'd describe as "eggshell" but significantly smoother than Zolatone. I have yet to really examine any of the surfaces that I didn't sand (the ones that will be inside cabinets) although since the colour I chose is quite, um, bold, as one of my friends helping me said, "I think it'll take quite a while before anyone notices anything other than the colour". Well, true, but I think I'm still glad I sanded since I'd notice the texture.
The wall colour is quite alarming. Restoration purists may wish to avert their eyes. Now, we all know of course that most of the wall colour will be behind cabinets so I hope this isn't too terrifying. The ceiling colour is a very pale green which isn't very apparent except in person. I have a few photos but they're from Saturday, before the 2nd/3rd/4th (in places) coats of the saturated colour, I hope to get some better photos when I stop by tonight. Also, in these photos the line between the ceiling and wall colour is not masked (I was still painting the ceiling at this point), it'll be a sharp line along the panel seam, not a fuzzy line.
Scary! Hey, I like bold colours, what can I say.
The colour rendition in these photos isn't perfect either (as you would expect the camera has a little trouble with white balance when EVERYTHING IS GREEN). I should have more/better photos of it with better paint coverage tonight.
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