The Astroliner

[KCStudly]

These are one-off pieces with custom paint and epoxy finish. ...it turned out beautifully, if I may say so.

One of the things I dislike about today's campers is the stark, plastic, dull look of the bathroom. We made it a point to change all that.

...little did we know at the time how difficult it would be to build the cabinets! ...Notice how the front of the cabinet is curved to match the sink. Tricky to say the least!

Are you freakin' kidding me?

Dude, Brotherman, you may absolutely say so!

You just have to be, have to be so proud of the work you are doing to go this far. Great team effort. I bet when you give tours you can hear the audible "gasp" and "oohs", and "aahs" that people involuntarily release when their jaws hit the floor as they peek inside. Stunning.

Me? TPCE? Well I've been thinking about getting back to the task of epoxy filler, trying to tilt in that direction anyway. I can say that my pool game is getting better. I've only lost 1 match in 7 this session, so far. (It is a distraction, for sure!)

[Atomic77]

Dude, Brotherman, you may absolutely say so!

Well, thank you Brotherman. I know your work, so coming from you that's a great compliment! I'm curious to know what you're talking about regarding the epoxy filler.

[KCStudly]

I'm stalled in the bodywork stage. I have large areas of the weave from the epoxied woven cloth to fill in and fair. Not looking for an auto body smooth finish because i am resigned to painting with a winter camo theme, but still want it smooth enough to look decent. We've had this conversation before. I've been following the West System regime, using sanding filler and epoxy to fill the weave, but had problems with sagging on the vertical surfaces of my side walls. Last thing I did was lay the cabin on it's side and build a small scaffold (wooden table, really) to stand on so I can just reach the middle while filling sanding. Problem is, the work is tedious... at my skill level, anyway, and hard on my back leaning over. Basically, I got discouraged by the lack of success and level of effort I was achieving, so I took a timeout... too long of one. I may revisit your suggestion to use high build primer instead.

But let's not get side tracked with my BS. You are getting it done, and in style. Whoot Whoot!

[Atomic77]

I'm stalled in the bodywork stage. I have large areas of the weave from the epoxied woven cloth to fill in and fair. Not looking for an auto body smooth finish because i am resigned to painting with a winter camo theme, but still want it smooth enough to look decent. We've had this conversation before. I've been following the West System regime, using sanding filler and epoxy to fill the weave, but had problems with sagging on the vertical surfaces of my side walls. Last thing I did was lay the cabin on it's side and build a small scaffold (wooden table, really) to stand on so I can just reach the middle while filling sanding. Problem is, the work is tedious... at my skill level, anyway, and hard on my back leaning over. Basically, I got discouraged by the lack of success and level of effort I was achieving, so I took a timeout... too long of one. I may revisit your suggestion to use high build primer instead.

But let's not get side tracked with my BS. You are getting it done, and in style. Whoot Whoot!

My apologies in advance if I've already said this. Chemo-Brain

If you are working larger, flatter areas... I would suggest 3M Premium Filler and forego the epoxy filler. You will be doing yourself a huge favor. I've put it to the test many times at over 200mph... never a failure. It fairs out nice, sands easy and is a breeze compared to the alternative. I would still use the 2k primer. Also, go down to Harbor Freight or the local pawn shop and pick up an air file. It will cut your labor by 75%. Trust me on this. I rarely hand sand areas like that. Get a cheap one and throw it away when it's all over. Give it some consideration my friend... Good Luck!

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[OP827]

+1 as Michael said above, except I'd keep my tools, old or new.

[Atomic77]

+1 as Michael said above, except I'd keep my tools, old or new.

My point being, even if you buy a cheap one and only use it on this one project, it would be worth it.

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[Atomic77]

Since I've been posting interior pic's, thought I would post a few of the paint process and the finished product. I haven't had the opportunity to do any custom paintwork yet, but I was able to at least lay down the silver and a ton of Holographic Flake. It's pretty cool because in the shade it looks like plain silver. In the sun it pops with a million Holographic colors! Anyway, here's some pictures of the exterior.

Headed home after 4 years, still in primer!



Carrie and I after a very long weekend of getting things ready to hit the road



Brother Matt finally gets his shop back!



In the Paint Shop!











All Silver! Finally!









Emblems in place!





The Taillights make me happy!



At home by the pond...



There you go! Until next time, Happy Building!

Michael, Carrie & Brother Matt

http://www.astroliner.blogspot.com

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[OP827]

Michael,
I do not think I have ever seen another trailer painted like that here, especially this big.
Can I just simply say that all your build team, you guys are great and therefore your Astroliner is beautiful?
Now, you got me thinking about flakes on top of base coat ... This is not good... I thought.. I might..maybe.. can...
Oh boy, I am not sure I like where it is going now..... Anyhow, do you care to tell what spray guns and nozzles do you use for this kind of work: base, flake, clear? Where are the flakes from?

[Atomic77]

Michael,
I do not think I have ever seen another trailer painted like that here, especially this big.
Can I just simply say that all your build team, you guys are great and therefore your Astroliner is beautiful?
Now, you got me thinking about flakes on top of base coat ... This is not good... I thought.. I might..maybe.. can...
Oh boy, I am not sure I like where it is going now..... Anyhow, do you care to tell what spray guns and nozzles do you use for this kind of work: base, flake, clear? Where are the flakes from?

I will tell you how I spray my flake but you are not going to like it lol! I go to Harbor Freight and I buy their $9.99 cheapest gravity feed gun they have, (2.0 tip) on sale. I spray all of my flake with it and when I'm done I throw it in the trash. Now for base and clear I use 1.4 and 1.8 respectively. SATA is the only brand I use, but I have a friend in the racing world that will spend $20 on two Harbor Freight guns, and throw them both away when done. Flake does a number on paint guns and thinner ain't cheap to clean with. If you decide to go with some flake, the way I do it is lay down the base, then add dry flake to the intermediate clear, then straight clear for the final 1-2 coats. Adding dry flake is super easy and super cool. I have 3 places I get flake depending on what i want:

http://www.rothmetalflake.com
http://www.paintpearls.com
http://www.painthuffer.bigcartel.com

You will spend hours on these three websites and your mind will be blown at the options. The Tangerine flake on my interior is TropiCali by 'Lil Daddy Roth:



The Magenta color is Rattsberry by Roth:



The Holographic Silver is from Paint with Pearl:



Have fun!

p.s. Thanks for all your nice comments and being here from the start! Glad you appreciate all that's involved!

Michael

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[capnTelescope]

Michael,

There's nothing I can say about your Astroliner that hasn't been said before, but what an awesome job!

The best part is you got out there and went camping, made memories, and lived to tell the tale. You gotta love those multi-month road trips.

Keep on keeping on!

[Atomic77]

Michael,

There's nothing I can say about your Astroliner that hasn't been said before, but what an awesome job!

The best part is you got out there and went camping, made memories, and lived to tell the tale. You gotta love those multi-month road trips.

Keep on keeping on!

Thank you my friend. She's not all finished yet, but I've got the winter to check some things off my list!

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[OP827]

Thanks Mike, now if you excuse me I gotta go to those websites and blow my mind with the flakes lol. This might end up bad.
BTW why are your throwing the cheap guns in trash, not possible to completely clean from flakes, so not worth the time cleaning? Those cheap guns must be having a rough surface inside...? 1.8 for clear, is it because you are going very fast?
SATA are nice guns, I should have known that you being in that business you would use something like those or some iwata ws400 hd "Supernova". See, I did some research already... How long does it take to learn shooting the paint like that, a lifetime? Sorry for so many questions, you really got me thinking about this. This spray paint business is apparently very addictive..

[Atomic77]

Thanks Mike, now if you excuse me I gotta go to those websites and blow my mind with the flakes lol. This might end up bad.
BTW why are your throwing the cheap guns in trash, not possible to completely clean from flakes, so not worth the time cleaning? Those cheap guns must be having a rough surface inside...? 1.8 for clear, is it because you are going very fast?
SATA are nice guns, I should have known that you being in that business you would use something like those or some iwata ws400 hd "Supernova". See, I did some research already... How long does it take to learn shooting the paint like that, a lifetime? Sorry for so many questions, you really got me thinking about this. This spray paint business is apparently very addictive..

Well for me, I've been doing custom paint for over 35 years. I have an IWATA but doesn't compare to the SATA's in my opinion. I won't spray big flake through my SATA Jet 5000... $800 gun! And for $9.99 I'll flake it and trash it without a seconds thought!

Go Flake or Go Home!

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[OP827]

This makes sense, thanks Brotherman. How much flake (in grams) approximately on Astroliner?

[Atomic77]

This makes sense, thanks Brotherman. How much flake (in grams) approximately on Astroliner?

Two 4 oz jars did the whole thing. Roughly a heaping tablespoon per quart of clear

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