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LRPorter · 08-22-2006, 07:43 PM

Anyone worked on the sliding Tambor doors in the Argosy? My sliding door under the sink has been damaged and is hard to open. Is there a spring that assists the door?

CanoeStream · 08-22-2006, 08:17 PM

Under the sink? Are you talking about the sideways rolling tambour? These have been the most resistant of any of mine. I have siliconed until I'm blue but still have trouble. It is difficult to access the take-up spirals (plastic like the rest of them?). Maybe gravity has gunked the lower spiral with dust & dirt and I can't succeed until I fully take them apart. I can't see how this can be done in any other way except perhaps removing the countertop.

Anybody else?

Janets Husband · 08-22-2006, 08:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LRPorter

Anyone worked on the sliding Tambor doors in the Argosy? My sliding door under the sink has been damaged and is hard to open. Is there a spring that assists the door?

There is not a spring it is all just slideing in the track.
There are two problems I have found with these doors. Dirt in the track or in the door box. The door box is where the door disappears into when it is opened, it all rolls into the box.
You can pull the door by removing the track. Make sure it is very clean, no sticky stuff. The track and box will collect anything spilled into it.
The second item is alignment of the door box. I found that the box warped when the cabinet loosened up over the years. I had the counter top off and I was able to tighten up the cabinet and make sure the box was square.
Check out these points also look for damage on the edge of the tambour door.
Good Luck

DreamStreamr · 10-30-2007, 10:10 PM

Gary,
Would you recommend purchasing a piece of tambour or just making it for this sink cabinet door? Our tracks appear in great condition so we seem to simply need the tambour material and the leading edge pull.

Jim

overlander63 · 10-31-2007, 06:07 AM

I had success with removing the grooved round track at the top of our bathroom tambour. You may have good luck carving off the grooves in yours, and leaving only the outer rim to keep it from getting away from you.
What this does is reduce the binding, while the bottom groove still allows it to roll up.

Argonaut20 · 10-31-2007, 06:43 PM

I found that the assembly of the tracks for the under sink tambour was such that the door rode in the tracks when nearly full open, but the tracks opened up to the point that the door could ride out of the upper track when closing. PO's had forced the door to close to the point that it was almost torn apart at the top. Lifting the door as it was closing kept it sliding freely. I put a pin at the bottom of the door to raise it off the bottom of the bottom track and keep the top engaged in the top track. It worked smoothly when I was through. It may not be the prettiest fix, but it kept the door operational and should last.

love vintage · 12-14-2007, 03:49 PM

Love my tambour, the esthetics draw the eye.

We were very, very lucky insofar as our 1975 (released in 1976) Argosy, has all tambour intact and in immaculate condition. However, I do agree, the under-sink door is a pain.

This may sound too simplistic, but we cleaned the tracks and soaped them (dry bar of soap). Doors slide with no effort on our part.

Worked for us, hope others will be pleased with results.

Merry Christmas, et Joyeux Noel,

juel · 12-14-2007, 05:34 PM

This is our solution to the pain of the horizontal tambours without losing the "look".

love vintage · 12-19-2007, 05:27 PM

Ours are on a vertical slide-track. Kitchen area rounded.

Sorry I could not help. Check the Airsteam forums, invaluable insight.

Gkiesel · 01-22-2008, 11:00 AM

It is common for the lower spiral to break after all these years. They are hard to find. Also the Tambour tends to delaminate. I replace mine. The new stuff is thinner and seems to stay in the track better. I got a piece from South Jersy RV. A whole sheet is expensive if you only need enough for the on door.

cameront120 · 01-22-2008, 12:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gkiesel

It is common for the lower spiral to break after all these years. They are hard to find. Also the Tambour tends to delaminate. I replace mine. The new stuff is thinner and seems to stay in the track better. I got a piece from South Jersy RV. A whole sheet is expensive if you only need enough for the on door.

The links from this thread should help you!

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f38/...rts-39148.html

Gkiesel · 01-22-2008, 12:59 PM

Thanks cameron, That's a big help. Do they sell the spirals as well. Couldn't find that specifically.

cameront120 · 01-22-2008, 01:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gkiesel

Thanks cameron, That's a big help. Do they sell the spirals as well. Couldn't find that specifically.

Yes they do:

Woodworker's HardwareÂ® - Kitchen Cabinet hardware, clamps, cabinet drawer slides, knobs, pulls, hinges, abrasives, adhesives, cabinet organizers.

LRPorter · 01-22-2008, 11:12 PM

I solved the problem. After talking with an experienced Airstream repairman in OKC I tore into the job. In my case the plastic guide that directs the tambors as you slide the door open was broken. I replaced the guide and straightened the chanel and cleaned it as recommened above. It now works better than it did when it was new. I believe Andy can get you the guide. It was easier to fix that I had guessed. But without the new guide it would never have worked and I would never have guessed how to fix the problem. The repairman in OKC is Griffin Rv Griffith RV Recreational Vehicle Service - Oklahoma City - (405)-495-2590

juel · 01-23-2008, 05:31 AM

Glad to hear you got with Tom. He's a great source of information and I get lots of my Airstream parts from him too. Good to hear you got the tambour to work for you. I think mine was just too far gone to be repaired since it was the tambour wood itself that was bad. Our solution allowed us to keep the original tambour but actually have access to under the sink storage. Working out these things keeps the brain active doesn't it.

Argy 78 · 02-09-2008, 09:03 AM

What is the best way to get to the tambor chanels for cleaning and what is the best type of lubricant?

John

Lumatic · 02-09-2008, 10:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Argy 78

What is the best way to get to the tambor chanels for cleaning and what is the best type of lubricant?

John

If you are talking about cleaning the spirals I guess some dissassembly. I have not done it since all the under sink tambour was missing or falling apart anyway.

As far as the lubricant I have used generic silicon spray which seems to work fine.

Squid · 03-03-2009, 06:43 PM

A little confusing on what material to try and order from www.hardware .com to fix/replace my tambour door under kitchen counter. will try to post pics here or in Photo Gallery.
Squid

Airdog · 03-03-2009, 08:18 PM

The tambour material had warped a little from the heat from the force air propane furance in our trailer. New tambour material fixed it. Drill the rivets to take the track out. Use the old peice for a pattern. It is a pretty easy fix.

Lumatic · 03-04-2009, 12:34 AM

There are 2 problems with the factory arrangement. First overcoming the increased friction of getting the fairly long length of tambour to load. Second overcoming the flexibility of the long length of tambour itself without it wanting to buckle. What I did was this: I cut the tambour into 2 equal shorter pieces and added a pair of tambour handles on the second piece. Now I only have to worry about getting half the tambour rolled on the spiral. The second piece just slides flat to the left or right. Also if I need something from the cabinet on the aft side I don't have to roll away the whole tambour, only one section. If someone wanted to spend more time than I did they could also add a second spiral storage on the left side of the cabinet.