Visit our Popular Forums

SuzyHomemakr · 04-04-2014, 03:17 PM

The head vanity is roughed in. I immediately took everything apart and took the countertop to the shop for fiberglassing. The tormented ply, two layers of 3mm Eurolite, seems to be holding its shape nicely. It's more of a hassle to to bend things like this, but they sure get rigid when the glue sets! I'll be cutting a door in, and adding a cabinet to the left that stretches back.

I'm contemplating throwing a couple of scraps in the pool, and then seeing how tight I can bend them. I'd have to use a thickened epoxy, as there would probably be adhesion problems with a water-based glue.

SuzyHomemakr · 04-06-2014, 09:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by truckasaurus

Nice, is there a functional limit on the length of the RCA's that you know of?

Just got done rigging up a test with 50' cables, worked just fine. I used the spare RCA cable and soldered on the 2.1mm pigtails to form an extension cord. Covered the joints with heat-shrink, of course, so it looks fairly sano. Hopefully I'll have a cable-pulling extravaganza later this week.

A section of the belly pan dropped down on the way home from a trip, taking some propane lines with it, so that had to be repaired. The Z-bar supporting the plywood under the fresh water tank was rotted away, so that was replaced with 2 pieces of angle steel. Steel was treated with POR-15, as per perryg114's suggestion.

The breakaway switch went rogue on the same trip, leaving me looking at a dead electric tongue jack. After much poking and prodding, it was convinced to lift the trailer so it could be hooked up. Replaced that bad boy today with a new one from Vintage Trailer Supply.

The antique water pump got switched out to a new filtered Shurflo model with an accumulator. Much quieter, less pulsing, pressure switch actually works. I'll be moving the water pump switch to over the galley sink, as I'm tired of turning the water on, staring stupidly at its lack of water, then walking over to turn on the switch!

I'm thinking about making my own 12V LED sconces, sorta like the one pictured, only mounted upside-down to shine up. Two of these would go in the head, and two in the stateroom, as room fill lights. I'll use my epoxyglass and fancy paper treatment, like the head door.

SuzyHomemakr · 04-30-2014, 10:02 AM

Bathroom cabinetry is in, and done but for the last coat of varnish. Hoo-wee! My head is still spinning from yesterday's varnish application. Tried to keep the trailer closed up to minimize dust, but had to have the A/C and a fan running. Still gots some dust on the horizontal surfaces. It'll be fixed with the next coat, I hope! The pics don't really do the countertops justice, as they have a layer of fiberglass cloth on them, and a build-up of epoxy and varnish. Very smooth!

For such a small area, it's amazing how long it takes. Same stuff as would go in a regular size room, just more curves and less room to move in. When the air clears in the Airstream, I'll start in on the floor pan with molded-in shower sump. Maybe I should hook up and drive it around the block a few times?

Found a good deal on rocker switches: "10PC New 16A 12V Round Rocker Toggle Switch Green LED SPST For All" from Amazon. You get a lot of switches, but they are good and cheap. Though they require a slightly larger hole than advertised, so I've ordered up a 13/16" forstner bit for my switch-installing pleasure. Also, there is a small ridge on the side of the switch that needs to go in the hole. I found that a Rotozip Zip Bit (I use them to cut out holes in drywall around electrical boxes) in my Dremel cuts the slot easily, maybe too easily for some. Switch could be a little less stiff, but otherwise I'm pleased.

I finally installed my custom deck prism lights, they look very wild! If asked about them, I'm working on keeping a straight face while I declare that they are the Airstream's power source. This goes along with a design direction for instrumentation that I've decided, my own version of the LCARS interface from Star Trek: The Next Generation. Some ideas about that are documented here: Illuminated instrument panel - Airstream Forums . The upper panel will have a "status" display (mostly just pretty lights) with a drawing of the trailer.

Speaking of instrumentation, I moved the stereo and water pump switch over the temporary panel above the sink. More goodies, such as the SiriusXM and cellphone docks will also go up there. It's nice to be able to put things in as I need them, as the final version of the panel will happen when the new kitchen cabs go in. Who knows what other shiny, twinkly things will grab my attention before that happens?

perryg114 · 04-30-2014, 10:32 AM

Nice work on the cabinets. I was wondering why you used OSB for the counter tops?

Perry

SuzyHomemakr · 05-01-2014, 05:41 AM

Ah, OSB, so maligned! It's great as an underlayment for floors, thin, light and stable. Sanded down, glassed and varnished, it has a similar look as granite (to my eyes). I like to use elements in my design that are unexpected, yet blend in well. And it matches the tops in the stateroom.

But I'm mostly done with the OSB, the remaining countertops in the kitchen and the main table will be the fabulously expensive Kirei board in the original drawings. Maybe a little more OSB behind the setee and on the desk in the stateroom.

perryg114 · 05-01-2014, 06:10 AM

Are you making these complicated curves with the Eurolite? Care to share some secretes on producing all the round shapes?

Perry

SuzyHomemakr · 05-02-2014, 06:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by perryg114

Are you making these complicated curves with the Eurolite? Care to share some secretes on producing all the round shapes?

Perry

Cutting curves, or bending the wood?

For curved edges, I use large pieces of cardboard as a template. I've been able to get 4X8 sheets where I buy my plywood, just by being a nice guy! It's rough cut (within a few inches) into shape, then fastened to the target area. Usually this is some form of clamp, but sometimes a strange assemblage of scrap wood, chairs, bulky items, etc. are required. Holding a cheap compass (the drawing kind, not the directional kind) as level as I can, I find the largest gap in the cardboard and set the compass to that. Keeping the compass level, carefully trace the contour, using the needle as a feeler. Remove the cardboard and make your cut, put it back and repeat the process, this time with a much-reduced gap in the compass. Eventually, the cardboard fits perfect. Be sure to write lots of notes on it, especially on which side is up. It's easy to have a perfectly comprehensible template when it's in place, then have it go completely confusing when you get back to the shop.

To do the bends, it requires a custom bending form, usually 3/4" ply, hopefully scrap, screwed to other pieces of scrap to make a rigid form. This form should be a little smaller than the actual size needed, as the finished piece tends to relax a bit. Two pieces of 1/8" ply are rough cut to allow at least an inch overhang all around. I use lots of woodworker's glue between the sheets, then wrap them around the form using straps as clamps. I can get down to a 9" radius with the Eurolite, but that's about it. I tried an experiment by soaking a scrap in the swimming pool for a couple hours, but it creased where some internal seam was. An enterprising person could go to extremes to get a tighter curve, but should probably be prepared to throw away a lot of broken plywood.

The 1/8" Eurolite seems to be a different species than every other thickness. I didn't care as much about the additional darkness with the previous pieces, but wanted a closer match for my new fridge panels. So I used two-part wood bleach on the panels, and got a much closer match.

Makes sense? Need pictures?

perryg114 · 05-02-2014, 08:09 AM

Mainly the bending of the wood. You got some pics of your bending fixture?

Perry

janeinthemtns · 05-02-2014, 10:26 PM

I would like to put wood veneer on my endcaps. Maybe get rid of the cabinets all together although I hate loosing the cool gauges. Also I'd like to put antique beadboard on the the partitions and pressed tin on the refri. I'm in New Mexico.

SuzyHomemakr · 05-03-2014, 06:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by perryg114

Mainly the bending of the wood. You got some pics of your bending fixture?

Perry

Sorry, no pics left of that- I did some digital housecleaning and got rid of them. It's basically some cross-sections of your curve, mounted onto a strong piece of wood. I used a set of trammel points to draw the big radii, then cut them out with a jigsaw. I'll be building another fixture for the thin cabinet by the fridge in the next few days, I'll be sure to take a pic of it. This will be for wood-strip, but the principle is the same.

SuzyHomemakr · 05-03-2014, 06:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by janeinthemtns

I would like to put wood veneer on my endcaps. Maybe get rid of the cabinets all together although I hate loosing the cool gauges. Also I'd like to put antique beadboard on the the partitions and pressed tin on the refri. I'm in New Mexico.

Sounds nice! I've seen some great pics from Timeless Trailers, they like to do the veneer thing. Your trailer is like mine, I think; you have a single, molded endcap. The earlier models would have been easier, in that you could remove the inner skin, and just trace around them to get your panels. Definitely a non-trivial task that you have in front of you. Each of the pie-shaped pieces has to be cut in a precise curve, like lines of longitude on a globe. I think that veneer by itself would be too flimsy, that you would need some special bender plywood to back it. Any moldings that you used to hide the dreaded plywood edges would probably need to be steam bent. Sounds like fun!

The other items sound far easier, though be careful about adding too much weight. If you remove a bunch of the useless cabinetry that came with the trailer, it shouldn't be a problem. The added benefit is that now you don't have places to hide heavy stuff that you shouldn't be carrying around. So double the weight loss!

I always like using beadboard panels as a wainscot, with a chair rail molding and a smooth panel above. Maybe some cool wallpaper? Your being in New Mexico makes me think of Southwest Art like Georgia O'Keefe, chiles, and Dia de los Muertos artwork. That would be a stylin' ride! Maybe mount a cow skull on the end cap and call it a day?

Let us know how things progress!

SuzyHomemakr · 05-03-2014, 02:06 PM

Here are some pics of my fixture for making the curved panel. This is bead-and-cove, but suitable bendy ply could also be wrapped around it.

The second shot is of the setup that I used to make the edge details. The featherboards make for a safe and precise working experience.

The last shot details the edges, and how they go together to form a curve. After my glue (Locktite PowerGrab) sets up, I'll sand down the exterior to form a smooth surface. That gets a layer of fiberglass cloth and epoxy- nice and rigid after that!

desertair27 · 05-03-2014, 05:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SuzyHomemakr

Here are some pics of my fixture for making the curved panel. This is bead-and-cove, but suitable bendy ply could also be wrapped around it. The second shot is of the setup that I used to make the edge details. The featherboards make for a safe and precise working experience. The last shot details the edges, and how they go together to form a curve. After my glue (Locktite PowerGrab) sets up, I'll sand down the exterior to form a smooth surface. That gets a layer of fiberglass cloth and epoxy- nice and rigid after that!

you got some serious skill mister,looks great!

janeinthemtns · 05-04-2014, 04:18 PM

I'm 30 miles north of O'keefe country. Too many O'keefe ladies down there for me. Already painted a nice adobe color with greenish turquiose windows. Navajo red door. Someday I'll figure out how to post photos. The end caps look like a compound curve similar to the face of a hyrdoelectric dam. Just make it fit. I have Aleut friends in AK who can tell me how to bend wood. You are doing an awesome job.

janeinthemtns · 05-04-2014, 04:30 PM

janeinthemtns · 05-04-2014, 04:48 PM

janeinthemtns · 05-04-2014, 04:49 PM

I put the link to the photo in the box and, as usual, nothing happens.

perryg114 · 05-04-2014, 06:01 PM

Try a different browser.

Perry

SuzyHomemakr · 05-05-2014, 06:58 AM

Thanks for all of the kind words!

I was able to get the panel sanded down and glassed yesterday. I'm using epoxy, while more expensive, is far more gentlemanly to use than polyester resin. Longer working time, less odor, stronger material, less sensitive to heat/cold in the shop. Progressive Epoxy Basic No-Blush is my go-to choice, but I'm currently using the house brand from Glue Products Plus out of West Palm.

First, the dry cloth is laid down over the piece and completely smoothed down by hand. Using plastic cups, I'll mix up a small batch. I tried a coffee can once, back when I bought coffee in a can, and the metal caused a runaway heat reaction. Scary! A red beer cup is far preferable, and bathroom dixie cups make for good measuring cups. The resin is spread out with a chip brush and all excess resin is removed with a bondo spreader. The cloth should look dry, no air bubbles, stuck tight to the piece. Nitrile gloves are a necessity, as is thick plastic dropcloth, which the epoxy doesn't stick to.

I'll leave the shop for a couple-few hours, to allow the epoxy to kick. If I was to allow this coat to fully harden, sanding the cloth would make it visible, and weaken the piece. A "hot coat" is applied while the previous coat is still slightly tacky, making a good chemical bond. This morning I'll razor blade off the extra cloth overhanging the piece. When this coat fully catalyzes, there is enough of a buildup to allow for sanding. Then, two coats of varnish, and I'm done!

MIKO92 · 09-08-2014, 09:43 AM

MAN! There are some serious skills on display, here. So, I feel comfortable asking whether you have an idea about a floor trim issue....
The toilet/bathroom area in the back of my 78 Argosy Minuet is being re-arranged. I installed a composting toilet (got rid of the blackwater tank) and now have a curved section of floor (opposite the shower pan) that intersects the curved wall.
I have bamboo flooring to install, and need to hold the edge down with trim. What material could be used to: 1) hold down the floor and 2) bend enough to match the curve of the wall?

Any ideas are appreciated!

Shannon in Athens, GA