Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

I canvas the side of my camper yesterday. In the morning I found that it dried and there are several Air Bubbles between the foam and canvas. I did use fans to help in drying (which I have done before with no problems) . I had checked to see how the drying was going at 3:00am. At that time everything looked great. At 10:30am I had bubbles!!!!
What should I do...I need help!

What are you using to bond the canvas to the foam?

If TB2 then you can use a medium hot iron (with wet rag between it and the canvas) to soften the glue and rebond the bubbled canvas to the foam.

HTH

Yes I used TBII, Thanks for the information. After calming down, the only thing I could think to do was, slice the canvas, get some glue in the bubble. Then pin the canvas back to the foam.
I like you idea much better

depatty wrote:What are you using to bond the canvas to the foam?

If TB2 then you can use a medium hot iron (with wet rag between it and the canvas) to soften the glue and rebond the bubbled canvas to the foam.

HTH

You my friend are my HERO !!!!!

Thanks. Glad it worked for you, but I'm not the one that discovered this, just passing along info that I have read about (and used) here on the foamies forum.

Some of the bubbles came back. Will try again. I spent the day canvasing the other side of camper.

You may end up having to inject some additional glue into the ones that keep popping up. May have had some areas that didn't get enough glue to saturate the canvas.

I have areas on the roof of my vardo that failed to bond properly that bubble up every time it gets hot. I've tried several things but guess I'm going to have to strip the canvas off and completely redo it. Not looking forward to that project.

Have you had much/any luck injecting glue in the bubbles, getting them to stay flat ?

I had some bubbling where I forgot to wipe down the foam with alcohol before painting. I use a syringe and 50/50 TBII for injection. I first poke a hole on one side of the bubble and then on the other side of the bubble. This allows the TBII to be able to flow across and come out of the opposite side hole for the injection hole. Thus insuring that TBII is getting across the bubble. You will see it start to come out the hole when it is full. Then just push down bubble and work it smooth.

rustytoolss wrote:Have you had much/any luck injecting glue in the bubbles, getting them to stay flat ?

Yep. The way George explains it should work a lot better than the way I did it as it will fill the area before coming out the vent hole. I just injected some in one spot and then squished it around, then put a plastic bag over it (to keep it from sticking) and then put a board wedged against it for a couple of days till dry.

just a tip : Foam just like any other surface needs to be CLEAN to apply paint or glue to … ( read the can) Foam has mold release, finger oils, and who knows what on the surface … The reason we give ours a light surface sanding , a thorough vacuuming and a wipe down with 91% rubbing alcohol (cheap) on a clean rag … The Cleaner you can get the surface , the better the paint or glue will stick to it … Note: the alcohol will remove the printing too …
And remember the canvas Must be CLEAN too , maybe a good reason for taking it to the laundromat and washing it first (?) … If the fabric has any “oils” (silicones) on it ,it’s sure not to stick as well eh ? …

What about pre-primed canvas? I have a friend who has a bunch he'd give me.

After the trouble I had. I'd still wipe it down with alcohol

We used pre primed canvas , and you have to make sure to squeegee the bubbles out while applying , or be willing to punch little holes in the canvas to let the trapped air out.

GPW wrote:We used pre primed canvas , and you have to make sure to squeegee the bubbles out while applying , or be willing to punch little holes in the canvas to let the trapped air out.

This primed canvas, would it also be pre shrunk? I'm looking for thrift and free can be the thriftiest as long as it doesn't require extra preparation.