6" i.d. 10" o.d. this porthole was made for a wall 1 1/2" thick, so it fits perfect. because of the curve on the door, it's a little tricky to snug it up, without distorting the aluminum door too much. i have foam spacers in teh door, though, which helps hold its shape.
I started sealing the interior panels (birch), but before i start putting wood in the pickle, i thought it best to take care of the endcaps (leak wise). I'm working my way up, one panel at a time, polishing, and sealing... polishing, and sealing... polishing, and sealing...
also, i found a great way to clean up the vulkem that dried on the skin from last year. caulk remover from Ace. put it on, rub it in, let it sit for an hour, and pressure wash it off. works great!
My A.D.D. must be kicking in again... either that, or it's too blasted hot to finish polishing the exterior... so... time to start talking BIRCH! First, i test fit the pieces, and clecoed them in place, trying to get all the ends to line up just right. I kinda lucked out with the 18 footer. the flat walls are exactly 8 feet. So i cut the birch panels 5' X 4' (down from 5'X5'... Baltic birch comes in funny sizes).
After test fitting both wall pieces, i marked the window from the outside, removed removed both panels, cut the window opening and switch/outlet holes, then finally put down a final coat or 2 of satin poly and let them dry for a couple of hours.
I am doing something kinda cool for the joints. instead of lapping the wood, I'm butting it together, with a thin aluminum strip behind both sheets. this does 2 things, 1, it will prevent any future water from getting in between teh wood, where it's most vulnerable, and second, it allows me to rivet both sheets of birch to it, making a smooth surface for cabinets, etc. when it's all together, i plan on covering it up with a 1" piece of cherry.
the pics don't do it justice. I'm going to try to get a few more panels at least test fitted in today. stay tuned! I'd love to be able to take the little guy camping this fall!
i took an "Airstream Day" today. boss said it was alright. ha!
I'm about 85% through the curb side now. All that's left is finishing up the bottom of the panel that spans the door opening. It feels like about 100 degrees in that trailer right now, so I'm saving the finer strokes for when the sun goes down.
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