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dtbw · 06-12-2006, 03:40 PM

First off, the stainless doors that I designed and had fabricated for the water heater, fit ANY atwood 6 gallon water heater regardless of the specifics of the A/S installation. We have installed them where the w/h "breaks" the lower beltline molding as well as the units like Pahaska's. The installation is certainly not rocket science and is exactly as Pahaska has described. Taking a hammer to any part of an A/S sounds serious, but the metal tab at the sides of the w/h is aluminum and easily bent. I cover the adjacent A/S skin with a several layers of wide masking tape just to ensure that should I miss my mark as I tap the metal tab into a 45 degree angle, that no harm is done. The process is easy and does not require any real effort, just a series of gentle taps up and down the metal until it folds over.

Second, I am in the process of having a stainless steel replacement for that cheap plastic outside stove vent fabricated. No price or eta yet, but should be in the next month at the outside. After the stove vent, the plastic fresh water fill is next on the list.

David

wheel interested · 06-12-2006, 04:23 PM

Very glad to hear that more of those assaults to the senses can be replaced soon! I know most will have Classics but for the Safari people an outdoor shower door would also be appreciated. I almost paid the $500.00 change charge to prevent installation just to have them NOT cut another hole in the body and put up more plastic.

Also glad to hear the installation of the door is easier than I suspected. I was not clear about tapping the hinge and thought it needed more major refashioning. Thanks David.

Pahaska · 06-16-2006, 05:43 PM

This will be the next change to my trailer. I just spent a few nights in it and decided that I am terminally tired of the mirror overkill. I actually have 11 mirrors in the coach (there were 12 when it was delivered). I think they are trite; just about every SOB out there uses mirrors to make the interior look larger. The only mirrors I want to retain are those on the wardrobes in the bathroom and the mirror over the bathroom sink.

Last week, I helped my friend Gayland (GSTEPHENS) with a small repair to his vintage 31 Limited (first year of the Limited). His trailer has a wonderful rich feeling and I especially admired the richness of the cane inserts in his cabinet doors.

Today, I ordered enough of the fine pre-woven star-pattern cane to replace the 3 mirrors in the bedroom with cane. I won't stretch it into grooves like it was on Gayland's Limited; instead, I will adhere it to a 3/16" sheet of oak plywood and finish the reverse side to match the trailer woodwork.

I'll post photos when I'm finished.

norbert · 06-16-2006, 06:35 PM

john,
with all the mirrors in my coach, i thought it looked like a french whorehouse....i was able to reverse the panels on mine...
norby

2airishuman · 06-16-2006, 07:07 PM

well put norbert....

2 many mirrors......

the 07 classics have solid panel wood in place of the mirrors,
like in the galley....
so the only mirrors are bathroom, closet some where else?

i though about just reversing, like you did norbert.....
but i'm gonna ask the factory to send me some raised panel inserts now....

the base wood for 07 is the hickory......oak has been retired....for now.

cheers
2air'

Pahaska · 06-17-2006, 07:33 PM

I pulled out the bedroom mirrors tonight and temporarily reversed the plywood backing panels to put the finished side out. Less trite than the mirrors, I guess, but it looks a bit cheap; not really Airstream quality appearance. When the cane arrives, I will glue it to the unfinished side of the plywood panels and reinstall them..

After I install the bedroom cane, I will decide what to do with the mirrors over the couch. If I like the cane as much as I think I will, I will probably cane them, also. Otherwise, I may build two raised oak panels for that location.

Pahaska · 06-21-2006, 03:14 PM

The cane didn't work out, so I returned it.

I had the original pillows trhat came with the trailer and the fabric on the back matches the valences. We never have used those too-bulky pillows, so I sacrificed one to make decorative insets for the cabinet fronts. I bought a braid at Hobby Lobby and put it around the periphery of the panels, using a hot-glue gun. Then, I glued a layer of foam to plywood shapes to get some depth and then covered the shapes with pillow-back fabric using a hot-glue gun. I then hot-glued the shapes to the panels.

I think the result looks much better than the mirrors did.

norbert · 06-21-2006, 05:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pahaska

The cane didn't work out, so I returned it.

I had the original pillows trhat came with the trailer and the fabric on the back matches the valences. We never have used those too-bulky pillows, so I sacrificed one to make decorative insets for the cabinet fronts. I first bought a braid at Hobby Lobby and put it around the periphery of the panels, using a hot-glue gun. Then, I glued a layer of foam to plywood shapes to get some depth and then covered the shapes with pillow-back fabric using a hot-glue gun. I then hot-glued the shapes to the panels.

I think the result looks much better than the mirrors did.

oustanding john,
howsomever, that braid is a little too liberal for this conservative...

norby

Pahaska · 06-22-2006, 04:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by norbert

oustanding john,
howsomever, that braid is a little too liberal for this conservative...

norby

I enhanced the contrast on the photos quite a bit; the braid actually complements the valance fabric surprisingly well. Without the braid, the panels really looked bare and incomplete so I added the braid after installing the fabric items, not the other way around as I posted.

Pahaska · 06-24-2006, 02:35 PM

I just finished putting the second coat of polyurethane on two new oak panels for the lounge. I glued the faux-oak panel that backed the mirrors to the back of the new, real oak panels.

I really liked fabric-covered diamond that I put on the hanging closet in the bedroom, so I made two more diamonds covered with valence fabric for the panels in the lounge. That sacrificed the second of the two original pillows. I also made a similar, but smaller, fabric-covered diamond for the cabinet panel over the head of the bed.

I'll have the new panels ready for installation when I go to Dripping Springs for my breakfast taco in the morning.

At this point, I have eliminated 1/2 of the original mirrors in the coach. I'll leave it at that for the moment, but someday the 2 mirror panels over the credenza are going to disappear, as well.

When I bought the trailer, I gave the dealer the stiff, overly bulky, and impractical bedspread to put in my old trailer. I wish now that I had kept it as an inexhaustable source of matching fabric.

Pahaska · 06-25-2006, 08:24 AM

I just finished installing the new panels in the lounge and the diamond inset on the cabinet over the head of the bed. Someday, when I get time, I will make raised panels for the 2 cabinets in the lounge, but, for now, the new flat oak panels look OK. Surely better than the mirrors looked.

I think getting rid of 6 mirrors has changed the feel of the trailer to be more restful. It also eliminated a surprising amount of weight.

norbert · 06-25-2006, 09:13 AM

that looks really schweet john.....
norby

Pahaska · 06-25-2006, 09:39 AM

A while back, I tried without any takers to give away the almost-new foam cushions that came out of my International 22 when I modified the dinette into a couch. That foam came in handy to give some depth and softness to the plywood shapes that I installed on my cabinets. I simply set the fence of my bandsaw at about 3/8" and ran a foam cushion through. I then used 3M spray adhesive to adhere the foam to the plywood shapes before covering them with fabric matching the valance .

Pahaska · 07-05-2006, 12:48 PM

First will be an overlay for the folding table. We leave it up all the time and the sharp edges are constantly digging into my legs as I watch TV. I considered routing the edge and inlaying a plastic strip, but instead I will make a lift-off top of oak plywood with oak molding all around that has softly rounded edges. In the very rare occasion that we fold the table to use the couch as a bed, the topper will simply be lifted off and stowed elsewhere. The overlay will effectively enlarge the table top slightly for better dining and real oak with oak edging should look better than the currrent artificial wood table top.

Second will be a wine rack to go permanently on top of the microwave cabinet. Not designed yet, but it will probably hold 3 wine bottles which will get us through the happy hours at most rallies.

Pahaska · 07-10-2006, 09:54 AM

The table overlay is built and is in the process of getting multiple coats of polyurethane. The top is metric oak plywood, a bit thicker than 3/16". The sides are 3/4" oak rabbited to accept the top. The sides form a 1/8" rim all around and are radiused with the router to nice rounded profiles in contrast to the sharp edges on the folding table. The new top will be padded with felt to prevent scarring the old table.

The new top is effectively 1 3/4" wider than the folding table and 1 1/2" longer so that it should be a bit better for serving meals for two.

An oak strip fits into the gap between the table top and the credenza to keep the new top in place. I found some neat spring-loaded window sash locks to clamp the new top down. When we need the extended table or when we need the sofa bed, the new top can be easily removed and stowed elsewhere.

Pahaska · 07-11-2006, 10:38 AM

The table topper now has 3 coats of the wipe-on polyurethane and the felt is glued on underneath to protect the folding table top. This morning, I took it out to the storage yard for a first fitting. I did have about 1/8" of interference at one point, so I brought it home for a few coats of brushed on polyurethane and some final tuning.

The real wood table top really adds to the feeling of quality when compared to the obvious laminate that it covers. I never liked the appearance of the faux-oak laminate and I hated the sharp edges of the table.

Pahaska · 07-27-2006, 01:10 PM

I have been extremely fortunate to have almost no quality problems on my Classic 28, but one bit me today. I pulled out the large drawer under the refrigerator and it fell on my foot. Ouch!

I found that the drawer slides were attached to a wood frame that was not attached to the floor. The only thing holding the frame in place was one screw on the drawer slides that went into the oak face frame. No other fasteners could be found. Apparently, up until now, the front of the frame had been wedged in place just securely enough to support the lightly loaded drawer. I couldn't find a staple or screw anywhere.

I'm in a state park, but I always carry a tool bag and a variety of parts. I had 4 brass angle brackets and plenty of screws so I laid on my stomach and did a one-arm install. The worst problem was getting the cat out of her newly discovered cave so that I could reinstall the drawer.

I don't know whether other Classics have this problem, but with the leverage of a loaded drawer, it is obvious that the assembly will sooner or later fail.

Pahaska · 07-30-2006, 09:56 AM

The current Classics have pump soap dispensers in the galley and bathroom. I ran across a sale at Lowe's and bought a stainless pump dispenser for about $13 and installed it this morning.

After deciding on the location so that the washer on the bottom would just clear the sink flange, I drilled a 1/4" pilot hole and opened it up with a 1 1/8" spade bit. I used a brand new, sharp spade bit so that it would cut a nice clean hole in the Corean counter top. It requires a right-angle adapter for the drill to fit under the upper cabinet; fortunately, I own one.

There were a million paper-thin Corean chips flying around, so I used the hand vacuum about every 1/8" of drilling to vacuum all around. When I finished, it only required a few swipes of a wet paper towel in places that the vacuum could not reach such as behind the faucets.

I set the pump in plumber's putty per instructions and filled the bottle from the plastic pump bottle that we kept wedged behind the faucets. I also removed the unused soap dish from the wall. That's two fewer pieces of clutter in the bathroom.

I installed a similar pump in my Scamp years ago and the weight of the full bottle finally fractured the threads on that plastic bottle. The bottle gets pretty heavy when full and the threads were obviously not designed to cope with the shocks that occur in a trailer. I'll make up a little padded wood shelf this week and screw it to the wall behind the bottle so that it supports the weight of the loaded bottle and takes the strain off of the threads.

I think I will install a similar pump at the galley sink to contain dish soap.

Here are 3 photos showing stages of the installation.

myboyburt · 07-30-2006, 09:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pahaska

The current Classics have pump soap dispensers in the galley and bathroom. I ran across a sale at Lowe's and bought a stainless pump dispenser for about $13 and installed it this morning.

After deciding on the location so that the washer on the bottom would just clear the sink flange, I drilled a 1/4" pilot hole and opened it up with a 1 1/8" spade bit. I used a brand new, sharp spade bit so that it would cut a nice clean hole in the Corean counter top. It requires a right-angle adapter for the drill to fit under the upper cabinet; fortunately, I own one.

There were a million paper-thin Corean chips flying around, so I used the hand vacuum about every 1/8" of drilling to vacuum all around. When I finished, it only required a few swipes of a wet paper towel in places that the vacuum could not reach such as behind the faucets.

I set the pump in plumber's putty per instructions and filled the bottle from the plastic pump bottle that we kept wedged behind the faucets. I also removed the unused soap dish from the wall. That's two fewer pieces of clutter in the bathroom.

I installed a similar pump in my Scamp years ago and the weight of the full bottle finally fractured the threads on that plastic bottle. The bottle gets pretty heavy when full and the threads were obviously not designed to cope with the shocks that occur in a trailer. I'll make up a little padded wood shelf this week and screw it to the wall behind the bottle so that it supports the weight of the loaded bottle and takes the strain off of the threads.

I think I will install a similar pump at the galley sink to contain dish soap.

Here are 3 photos showing stages of the installation.

We did this exact upgrade to our Airstream (both galley and bathroom) two years ago and it worked out fantastic! BUT, if you live in the northern parts of the country (and all of Canada) be sure to empty these dispensers out when you store your Airstream for the winter. We forgot one year and had a bit of a mess to clean up. In the galley the dish washing liquid was pushed out all over the counter. must have been caused by the freezing temps.

Pahaska · 08-02-2006, 03:41 PM

Picked up another soap pump at Lowe's this morning and installed it this afternoon behind the galley sink and adjacent to the spray nozzle. Looks great; the 2007s have nothing on me!