Not sure which years have pocket doors, but my
1968 GT has one separating the bath from main cabin.
The dismal oatmeal colored, wood grain plastic skinned pocket door specified by Airstream's Land Yacht trim level disintegrated at some point in 40 yrs time. The poorly imitated wood grain melamine better emulates dripping vomit. Airstream's chosen plastic was a cheap and unthinking match to the beautifully lacquered original ash interior. I'll skip the anguishing detail of its mechanical dysfunction.
I removed and further de-laminated the door, expecting to find a cardboard honeycomb, but was surprised to find floating un-joined 1” x 1” rails and stiles of an unidentifiable wood species. Adhesive spattered on the melamine was expected to hold the framework together with no internal wood frame joinery or mechanical fasteners. At first, I thought about doweling the mystery wood back together and letting in translucent panels but the boss moaned to that idea. The original framework was temporarily screwed together for measure, fitment, and pattern, then re-purposed as garden stakes.
I selected a long time hoarded 110 year ¼ sawn, “old growth” Douglas Fir board from my coveted woods bin, and ripped, doweled, biscuited, lap joined and planed, a new 15 lite frame. The height of the lites increase in the ratio of phi as they descend. I then routed a rabbet in all the lite frames and adhered plasticized waterproof Japanese Shoji paper. I reground the nylon rollers 'til true, tuned up and aligned the roller hardware. This is holding up way better than expected. The boss is pleased.
Next issue... The original header was also faced with the afore mentioned melamine.
The tradition with Japanese Shoji screens is to have an open carving (Ranma) above the door where Euro-centrics would call it a “transom lite”. They are traditionally carved as flora or fauna or architecture or landscape or geometric. Its function is room ventilation. Originally there is no bath fan designed in this trailer. With a Ramna, the bath vapors can vent through to the nearby cabin roof fan vent.
I have never attempted wood carving. I was gifted some clay from the Acoma Pueblo, so I smoothed it out flat about 15mm thick and tried my hand at scratching out a sublime Southwestern fantasy scene with some traditional Japanese Ranma elements of canyon, mountain, road, bridge, forest. My attempt pales in the light of Japanese artisans, but I can live with it, and it seems appropriate considering the material's origin....
I fired the 7x22 inch clay tile to 2000F degrees. It is unglazed, but for a few dabs of silver, red, and black. It floats in a foam bedded wood and aluminum frame fastened above the shoji door.
The most enjoyable benefit, beyond the ventilation and functioning door, is the light. Much of the light from the 5sf. rear window pours into the cabin with the bathroom door closed. Free photons...
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