go ahead, call me crazy !

[dave campbell]

Hey Dave,

Just to mention, I'm getting mine spay insulated in a couple of days. The roof void only of course. I'm being charged €175 for the job and the guy will be driving 30 miles to me to do it.

I did think of doing it myself but the only stuff I could get was the foam in large aerosols that builders use. This apparently is not the same stuff.

The foam in the cans is "open cell" foam which is porous (try to envisage a stiff sponge) and not a great insulater. The stuff the spay professionals use is "closed cell" foam which is waterproof and has more insulation value.

It all looks great anyway .... keep up the good work.

Larry

great name !! i'll put in in the hat-----

lots to report today. my last draft was more eloquent than this one but it crashed so maybe more to the point this time----
bought metal for wheel wells---made jig for same---fabricated, then moved on to sealing all the exposed wood (minus the underbelly) as the weather is about to go sour for a week and i will be busy with a juicy tile installation somewhere......so here is how the day went------

here's the 20 gauge steel

well metal.JPG (38.72 KiB) Viewed 1665 times

a quick compass--thumbtack, ruler, pen-in-a-hole measured to the width of the wheel well

ramboard compass.JPG (35.19 KiB) Viewed 1665 times

made a mistake here--- that pen mark should've been a few inches lower to facilitate water sweeping-away-action. oh well i can fix later

choosing well height.JPG (44.35 KiB) Viewed 1665 times

turn the page DING

[dave campbell]

allrighty on to the jig ----

so....after determining what portion of my paper circle i wanted turned into a steel semi-circle, i then cut two pieces of ply and three 2x4 spacers. plus some chunks to hold the steel in place around the curve. the clamps and 8" sticks of wood really helpd hold the ends nice and squarish.

well jig 2.JPG (74.94 KiB) Viewed 1663 times

after the piece is secure, just plop on the cap and zap zap zap

well jig.JPG (46.96 KiB) Viewed 1663 times

a few tacks is all you need an then it pops off the jig to be welded

well tacked.JPG (71.31 KiB) Viewed 1663 times

turn the page DING

[dave campbell]

ok last one i think---

this was a mistake. i will zap and silicone on extensions later. at least the install is not a struggle this way. initially i thought it would be clever to sit the well on top of the 1x1 base but now that i have welded the two THIN pieces (and had a lot of trouble with burn-through) i think it would not be smart for me to try welding the 20 g to the square stock--as i am not the greatest welder. plus it would be better to keep potential rippage and accompanying leaks away from this spot

well dimension mistake.JPG (61.44 KiB) Viewed 1660 times

got out the old can of acrylic stain and sealed up as much as i could before the air is full of water. i didn't get to the underside but will next chance i get

blackout.JPG (52.75 KiB) Viewed 1660 times

[dave campbell]

not much to report today---busy with other things but......i did go to a thrift shop and found a screw jack (5 bucks) and a windshield wiper motor (1.99 !) that works ! thinking way ahead here to the stabilizer stage....

motor and jack.JPG (55.67 KiB) Viewed 1613 times

also picked up a red lens today for 3 bucks. i will be contemplating some custom bullet lights for a while....

brake light.JPG (47.54 KiB) Viewed 1613 times

and one more shot while i'm here of the trailer cage blacked out for the wet weather. i still need to crawl underneath and seal up the perimeter, as there are gaps between the floor and frame, in the curved portions. i'm thinking of a wide (6") border of light gauge aluminum fastened to the plywood before i seal the bottom with (?)

blackout2.JPG (71.91 KiB) Viewed 1613 times

[kudzu]

Still watching & still loving this!

[dave campbell]

Still watching & still loving this!

thanks kudzu !! i'm still making wee moves, but progress has slowed due to weather and a shift in gears as i get ready for the skin. when the rain stops looming i will be out there with template material--figuring out how to wrap this beast !!

[dave campbell]

i made some progress on the wheel well design yesterday. added a lip to give the structure some rigidity, and a fastening zone at the outer skin. ideally i would like to be able to remove these wells in case of damage, or to inspect the wall cavity. the new lip will be just inside the aluminum skin, riveted to it. the other connection points will be---- behind the wheel (at the well's apex) via a screw into a tab dangling from the well cage (there presently but too short)---and on the underbelly of the trailer. when complete, the wells will wrap under the trailer at both front and back

well progress--lip.JPG (36.38 KiB) Viewed 1558 times

well scheme.JPG (35.47 KiB) Viewed 1558 times

happy sunday !

[dave campbell]

now that i am in front of the computer, the sun has decided to come out. too late ya bugger ! spent the morning and afternoon doing the much needed cleanup and reset.
after so many weeks of full sun this rain just feels heavy today.

raining.JPG (66.45 KiB) Viewed 1534 times

[dave campbell]

another thing i started was a brake light form. started with a random chunk of cedar and began reducing it until i ended up with this shape. i'm not sold on it yet, but it does have pleasing a-symmetry about it, and the proportions aren't totally bad, but.........maybe little pointier--we'll see

brake light2.JPG (61.92 KiB) Viewed 1534 times

brake whittlin'.JPG (49.6 KiB) Viewed 1534 times

brake placement.JPG (64.49 KiB) Viewed 1534 times

[KCStudly]

Nice work.

I'm curious about the red structure with all of the windows. Is that like a three season bonus house or pool/bath house?

Keep up the good work.

[dave campbell]

Nice work.

I'm curious about the red structure with all of the windows. Is that like a three season bonus house or pool/bath house?

Keep up the good work.

it's the three season bonus house !! sometimes a bedroom, sometimes a space to play ping pong, sometimes workshop---motorcycle parking, storage, and full time cat house.

[KCStudly]

Thanks.

I'm having a moment of deja vu, as if we've had this conversation before. They say that the hearing is the second thing to go, but I forget what the first thing is.

[dave campbell]

still chugging along with the boring stuff--sorry......
a sunny day, so i first hit the underside with an acrylic based wood stain, then hit it with some spray-on rubberized asphalt stuff. three cans today and some touch ups tomorrow, where i had to do a bit of caulking.......
seems like she's sealed up pretty tight !

underbelly.JPG (39.41 KiB) Viewed 1474 times

[Vedette]

Hi Dave
Your trailer build is wonderful!
I have been of the grid camping lately and this is my first chance to catch up.
Trailer lights!
You should check out 1939 Chev tail lights, 1937 Ford tail lights, 1946 Chev PU park lights (on top of headlights) or any other top mounted (headlight) park lights from the late 30's to early 40's????
59 Caddy tail lights are readily available in reproduction but are very over used.
Good Roads
Brian & Sandi

[dave campbell]

Hi Dave
Your trailer build is wonderful!
I have been of the grid camping lately and this is my first chance to catch up.
Trailer lights!
You should check out 1939 Chev tail lights, 1937 Ford tail lights, 1946 Chev PU park lights (on top of headlights) or any other top mounted (headlight) park lights from the late 30's to early 40's????
59 Caddy tail lights are readily available in reproduction but are very over used.
Good Roads
Brian & Sandi

hey --thanks for the like !! yes we have been looking at all sorts of vintage lights---including the overused 59 caddy lights. actually we really like them--overused or not. they are even available with LED. but, as my signature says "must make EVERYTHING !" i will look again for more inspiration but for the time being i will continue to pare down the cedar form and see where it goes. i'm not overly concerned with keeping to the 30's---just going with my gut