Aluminium skinning

[doris s.]

I'm looking for some tech info on how to skin the outside of the camper with aluminium. I could not find a thread on the subject. Can anyone describe the process of skinning the whole camper with aluminium? Is this a difficult process? Does one glue it on and screw it down? I want the silver finish, no painting. Thanks.

Doris Keil-Shamieh

[citylights]

Most of the info I found on it was in build threads. Try "aluminum skin" in the search engine.

Anyway, most recommend to glue the aluminum to the tear. Cut the aluminum to shape with a laminate bit in the router, carefully with a reciprocating saw, or with tin snips. Then trim the edges with aluminum angle or RV trim, screwed down. If the glue fails over time, the screwed trim will hold it. Also use a sealant at edges under the trim.

I haven't done mine yet, but I will be in a few weeks.

Try here for an example build

http://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=50&t=35081&start=390

[Roo Dog]

Doris,

Steel pre painted skin.
Used a nibbler. Went on very easy.
Glued to the plywood.

RD

[doris s.]

That's great gluing it down and cutting to shape, should be fairly easy. We are thinking of building a standy. I wonder if I can get aluminum sheet 75" tall and 12 feet long? Hmmm, I'll have to research that. I did see on some forums that folks were using .040 thickness aluminum.

We were going to build a cargo conversion but the trailers are very expensive. I think building a standy will work better for us. I'll keep searching the forums for a little more info.

Thank you,

Doris Keil-Shamieh

[glenpinpat]

I only used the trim to hold it in place. I used no glue. I have had no buckling and no movement since 2010. I cut it with a jigsaw set to a slow speed. Patrick

[markhusbands]

It seems to me that the convention, if there is one, it to float the aluminum skin, using only trim pieces and various fixtures to hold it in place. That's what I'm planning to do, anyway.

[aggie79]

As others have said, there are two camps - glue/bond to plywood or "float" the aluminum.

I floated the aluminum skin, but I did use a sealant around the perimeter and around openings in addition to edge trim holding it in place.

[markhusbands]

Did you use sealant other than butyl tape?

[aggie79]

Did you use sealant other than butyl tape?

I did not use butyl tape other than to weather-seal the windows in my doors. Butyl tape is good and has a proven track record, but it does shrink and become brittle over time. Admittedly, I was probably over-paranoid about water infiltration, so for everything else, I used 3M 4200 adhesive sealant. This is a very good product but is expensive. I didn't find out about it until later, but OSI has a gutter sealant that is probably just as good and is available at most lumber yards. BTW - I would not recomend silicone sealants.

I used the sealant around the perimeter and openings of the aluminum, on the roof vent, underneath aluminum trim (no butyl tape), and in fastener holes.

[doris s.]

Tom,

Great pics! Floating the aluminum with a bit of sealant around the edges is probably the way to go.

My husband and and I were discussing whether a RV manufactured door would look nice on a aluminum clad tear. These doors are usually white. When we built our 4 x 8 we hand built the doors and it was a bear to get them to fit correctly so this time we were thinking about buying a door but not sure how it will look.

Doris

[aggie79]

Doris,

I think either way works well - bonding or floating the aluminum. I've seen many fine examples of teardrops that have glued the aluminum directly to the plywood.

Whichever method is used, the key is to pay attention to the areas where moisture may get below the aluminum.

I'm right there with you in using manufactured doors. I too made mine but I could have saved a lot of time and money if I had purchased them. The only challenge is to find door color that works with your color scheme. Of course you can paint them.

I'll be following your build. We've been kicking around building a small standy of some sort.

Take care,
Tom

[doris s.]

Tom,

Hey, that's a great idea. I could paint a RV door that I buy. It's a bit more work but easier than making a door for sure.

Doris

[DMcCam]

Hi Doris,

Grant recommended that we use vinyl roof cement instead of contact or other cements. It holds well and will move with the expansion of the aluminum. We glued the sides and roof down. It really made attaching the roof aluminum much easier. We then trimmed it with aluminum edge trim. I figured that all that vinyl glue would be another moisture barrier too.

I'd guess that making my doors accounted for about 1/4 of the whole build effort. Using manufactured ones would save all that time. I'm with Tom; you can always paint them.

Cheers,

Dave

[taildragger]

I'm looking for some tech info on how to skin the outside of the camper with aluminium. I could not find a thread on the subject. Can anyone describe the process of skinning the whole camper with aluminium? Is this a difficult process? Does one glue it on and screw it down? I want the silver finish, no painting. Thanks.

Doris Keil-Shamieh

In addition to the questions above... what is the real purpose of the aluminum skinning? Is it just a fashion or somebody thinks this added strength or something else?

[citylights]

I'm looking for some tech info on how to skin the outside of the camper with aluminium. I could not find a thread on the subject. Can anyone describe the process of skinning the whole camper with aluminium? Is this a difficult process? Does one glue it on and screw it down? I want the silver finish, no painting. Thanks.

Doris Keil-Shamieh

In addition to the questions above... what is the real purpose of the aluminum skinning? Is it just a fashion or somebody thinks this added strength or something else?

Primary purpose is a very low maintenance weather seal for the plywood surface. Other surface treatments require some form of maintenance at least every couple of years, like repainting, new clear coat, waxing. Aluminum skin seems to last forever, weather you wash and polish it or not.

And all that is beside the cool airstream looks.