Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

I have completed the second layer of 1/8th inch plywood on the teardrop skin. Right now it is both glued [Tightbond II] and stapled in place. I am planning on using Rot Doctor CEPS and Fill-It epoxy filler covered by either a quality house paint or Uniflex 255. I will be adding a piece of aluminum angle around the bottom of the camper, but I don't plan on adding any at the roof/side corner (seam).

My question is, should I remove the staples or set them and fill any depressions with Fill-It? Will they work out over time and cause problems if left in place?:thinking:

It would probably be easier to set and fill...however there is a possibility of the staples backing out over time so it may be best to remove them(toss a coin, I guess)...the main thing I would recommend would be to add that piece of trim to the edge...that hard edge will never seal properly and will definitely give you problems on down the road.....
madjack

I to stapled the skin on my trailer. When the glue dries the staples that stick out will need to be dealt with, removing is one option. My trailer has many staples left in it, none have worked there way back out through the fiberglass and paint. It has 6000+ miles on it this winter. This is my experience, your mileage may vary.

del

I guess my question would be...what kind of staples did you use and how are they set in the wood? Ya know..those narrow crown staples set with an airgun below the surface of the ply probably won't work out and I would just fill and coat. But if you left them proud or used a regular stapler with something like Arrow T50 staples...I would pull them. The build is looking good....darn good to me!!! Good luck!!!!

What Dave said. Those kind of staples (air gun) are resin coated. When they are driven, the resin is heated and melted by the friction and sets up when it cools. If you can pull them without absolutely destroying whatever they are holding together, you're a modern marvel. Arrow T-50 staples have no resin. If that's what you used and you aren't putting something like fiberglass resin over the top, then they best be pulled.

Best,
Tom

tk/Tom wrote:What Dave said. Those kind of staples (air gun) are resin coated. When they are driven, the resin is heated and melted by the friction and sets up when it cools. If you can pull them without absolutely destroying whatever they are holding together, you're a modern marvel. Arrow T-50 staples have no resin. If that's what you used and you aren't putting something like fiberglass resin over the top, then they best be pulled.

I'm not to the point of stapling yet. I bought a Harbor Freight electric staple gun that shoots Arrow T-50 staple pretty well - if you hold the gun tightly to the surface. Will probably glue and staple the first layer of 1/8" plywood to the roof spars. I plan to fiberglass the roof with epoxy and 6 oz. cloth. Would that keep T-50 staples embedded on the 2nd, top, layer of 1/8" plywood? Your answer above seems to say it will. Just asking anyone who has experience doing it how it worked out? BTW, the roof and sides will be painted after fiberglassing them.

Thank you all for the advice. I used an electric stapler that I found in the garage - still in plastic (when did I buy that?) with 9/16" staples (T-50's I think). About 50% are flush with the skin and the rest protrude a bit. Right now, I am not planning on doing much fiberglassing, so, I think I will pull them all out.

Dave, thanks for the complement on the build. It is getting to the point now that I am getting excited about taking it out and camping.

madjack, for the edge trim, I just making sure I that I am following your suggestion above. I should trim the full edge where the roof meets the sidewall? (using something like "RV Roof Edge Molding" from Lil Bear) If so, then it looks like I will need to place another order soon.

-- As a side note, I recently ordered from Lil Bear, and I was really pleased with the service. Grant answered my questions right away, the stuff arrived in a couple of days and in perfect condition. And to top it all off, my hatch hinge was shipped in a piece of pipe (not cardboard) to ensure it arrived without damage. Awesome!

cc, that hard edge will be hard to seal effectively without either a strip of fiberglass tape or some sort of trim...while some might not, I wouldn't leave it out there onna bet orra dare...just too susceptible to screwing up a lotta hard work...
madjack

p.s the stuff from Grant would be a good choice, since it is "dead soft"(I believe) and would conform to your radius's easily........MJ

madjack. Thanks for the information. I will shoot another order off to Lil Bear here in the next few days and get some corner trim. As always, this forum is a great source of information (and entertainment)