It's a girl!!!

[mrgreen]

after being pointed here for a shell on restoraton my wife hasn't seen me for two nights!! wow is all i can say and i wish i had the time and money to do the same, incredible just incredible what you have done and kept to original and what is now better than original, my mind boggles at the perserverance and dedication, mine will be a "simple" frame strengthen and kitchen fitout compared to this!!!, you have raised the bar what a great husband/wife project to have....you will enjoy this trailer for many years to come with memories not just from travel but from the restoration..........priceless.

[InsideOut]

Wow! Thanks for your kind words...glad you stopped by.

Hope you are encouraged to make it through your project, the forum is full of folks willing to lend a virtual hand to help you along your journey. If you need help...just ask!

Shari

[InsideOut]

Hey guys ~ Looking for some help here...I've entered Birdy in a design contest. It's based on "Public Votes"...if you could stop by and cast a vote, I'd appreciate it. Thanks!

Best 3Form Installation Contest

Shari

[CanoeStream]

Shari, you click on the stars in the lower left corner to vote? I did that and it highlighted only -- no indication I'd accomplished anything and I wasn't stopped from doing it again.

Clicking on the 5-star ... right? Always love what you accomplished with Birdy!

[on edit: mmm, can't leave a comment either. is this behind a log-in?]

[InsideOut]

Hmm...looks like it might be, bummer. Oh well - I guess if you want to sign up for the site, you can then vote - if not, just enjoy looking at all the neat design ideas using 3form.

While your there, check out the Reclaim Program. It's a great opportunity to get your hands on some pretty cool (& expensive!) materials at a fraction of the cost ~ the materials are always changing so it's a good resource to keep an eye on.

Thanks anyways ~

Shari

[toastie]

Originally Posted by InsideOut

We got everything at Caswell's

(1) - GA58 Grinder/Buffer Adapter
(4) - SSCW1220 Spiral Sewn Cotton Wheels
(2) - LCW1240 Loose Cotton Wheels
(1) ea. - BRBC5 Black Emery Bar, Brown Tripoli Bar & White Rouge Bar
(1) - WR995 Wheel Rake (for cleaning & fluffing the wheels)

Mr.InsideOut uses two sewn wheels together (for a larger work area) with each the black and brown bars and use the two loose wheels with the white. Mostly using the brown saving the black for the most severely scratched parts. He work an area from brown to white or black, brown to white then follow up with Nuvite 'C' then 'S' with the Cyclo - although the intention is to compound the whole trailer then get to the Cyclo stage.

I do the exact same thing with smaller wheels and a drill for the detail work - I can't manage the compounder, it's pretty heavy and I have bad elbows. But I can do the drill & smaller wheels on the trim, tanks and other small areas.

It sounds like more steps, but it really isn't because we do far fewer passes with the wheels than when we use the wool buffs and Nuvite products only. The bars cut through the oxidation pretty quick - but I would say it would probably easier to go too far and burn through the Alclad easier too - especially with the black bars. The same Milwaukee compounding tool is used regardless of the pads & compounds - one method just uses it flat and the other is on end.

Shari

Shari

How many Spiral Sewn Cotton Wheels and Loose Cotton Wheels did it take to do Bridy.........toastie

[InsideOut]

Originally Posted by toastie

Shari

How many Spiral Sewn Cotton Wheels and Loose Cotton Wheels did it take to do Bridy.........toastie

Just (1) set of two Spiral Sewn Wheels and (2) sets of two Loose Cotton Wheels for the initial polishing. I think we have since bought a couple more of the loose cotton wheels - we use them more for the maintenance and they fall apart easier being that they are so floppy.

Shari

[toastie]

Originally Posted by InsideOut

Just (1) set of two Spiral Sewn Wheels and (2) sets of two Loose Cotton Wheels for the initial polishing. I think we have since bought a couple more of the loose cotton wheels - we use them more for the maintenance and they fall apart easier being that they are so floppy.

Shari

How many of the black, brown and white bars did you use, getting ready to order..........thanks very much

toastie

[InsideOut]

The list above that you quoted has the quantities of all the consumables we used... 1 each of the bars got us through the polishing with almost the whole black bar still left (we didn't use it much at all - too coarse). We also used a green bar (stainless) that isn't shown on the list (got it later)....we actually ended up using it the most for the initial compounding - it seemed to work best on our skins & tools. They're all pretty cheap and we figured we'd use "whatever works" for the various conditions on the trailer.

IMO the three biggest tips for getting a mirror finish are:

1) Compounding - use the finest bar you can that works at cutting through the crud - using too coarse of a bar just makes more scratches and more passes you'll have to do later with finer compounds. If something doesn't seem to be working, switch it up and try something else. Every trailer has unique history and the condition of the skins vary tremendously - even from one panel to the next.
2) Finishing - follow-up the compounding with a Cyclo-Polisher and Nuvite Grade "C' then 'S'.
3) Cleaning - wash your pads/wheels/clothes after each polishing session. Rake your wheels/pads regularly. Don't use too much compounding/polishing material. Clean the trailer thoroughly between each step of polishing removing the coarser abrasives before going to the finer ones.

Shari

[reinergirl]

I voted for you (sign up was easy folks!)

[InsideOut]

Thank you for voting Shelly!

Shari

[whitsend]

I logged in, only to find (I think?) that the voting is closed & winners chosen? Or am I looking at the wrong competition?

[InsideOut]

Originally Posted by whitsend

I logged in, only to find (I think?) that the voting is closed & winners chosen? Or am I looking at the wrong competition?

Thanks for trying...Could you have been looking at the 2010 Contest?

Here's the current one ~

Best Installation Contest - 3form

Shari

[toastie]

Originally Posted by InsideOut

Thanks for trying...Could you have been looking at the 2010 Contest?

Here's the current one ~

Best Installation Contest - 3form

Shari

just voted for you...............toastie

[toastie]

Originally Posted by InsideOut

Having done both now for the compounding - I would agree that the wheels w/bars are faster at cutting through the oxidation than the flat buffs & Nuvite products. Nobody can argue with our personal experience & opinions...

However, we are doing a kinda combined technique where we use the bars for the major compounding, followed by a pass with the compounder & Nuvite 'C' then final "wax" pass with Nuvite 'S' & the Cyclo. Whatever works - they are all just tools, the mirror finish is the goal - doesn't really matter how we get there.

Shari

Did you use the Nuvite 'C' with the Spiral Sewn Cotton Wheels........

thanks
toastie

[InsideOut]

No, we just used "C" with wool pads & the compounder and with the Cylco Polisher.

Shari

[InsideOut]

Chillin' with friends at an "un-rally" in Rocky Mountain National Park, Moraine Park Campground. Just a dusting of snow, daytime temps in the 30's (but VERY windy!) low's in the single digits...had the "beerstream" for shelter, a propane heater in the vault toilet, 7 trailers & 14 hardy souls!

First time for intentional "snow camping" - Birdy performed perfectly!

Awesome!

Shari

[safari62]

Wow!
This is Cool!!! ........and in more ways than one. Hearty westerners for sure.

I watched a group of people running into the atlantic ocean yesterday to "start the new year off wrong" but would have rather been doing this.

[oh2bcarefree]

Sheri,

Your group of 14 "hearty souls" are very adventureous! That is just awesome.

Silly question... are your water lines winterized? Since you mentioned single digits, I would imagine they are, but didn't know if maybe you had special methods to keep water related items warm.



Tina

[InsideOut]

We weren't the real adventurous ones, there were several people camped out in tents while we were there!!!

As for us, we kept our trailer winterized & warm. We use bottled water and disposalble plates, bowls & utensils. The few coffee & beverage cups were washed in a bowl of water which we then disposed of outside. We also used the parks vault toilet instead of our own.

A couple of our friends dewinterized enough to use their own toilets with lots of anti-freeze in the tank (below the floor). There are no water hook-ups at this location any time of year, so you have to use water from your tank anytime at this location. It's somewhat risky to dewinterize (& a PITA to rewinterize IMO) in those temps, but do-able. All the actual water lines are above the floor, so within the heated space of the trailer. As long as the heat is able to get into the cabinet areas at night, where the water lines are, it stays above freezing. It wasn't a problem for them and they then just rewinterized when they got home.

We preferred to look at it as a challenge to see how frugal we could be water-wise. We used 1-1/2 gallons per day and lots of alcohol based sanitizer for hand washing. Dishwashing "rinse" water became the "wash" water for hands & the next dishes, etc.

It was surprising how little water you can get by on without doing lots of dishes. It was only two nights, so baby wipes took the place of a traditional shower too.
Shari