Cliff starts a Grasshopper / Weekender!

[Cliffmeister2000]

Cliff you are doing a great job on your trailer. I wish I could say the same for my trailer.
Pat

Pat, your design is great! It takes awhile to build something worthy of greatness! As my neighbor told me, "When you are done, you will look at it with pride, and all the hours will fade away."

[Cliffmeister2000]

I thought I'd embed my Picasa web photos in my signature, so folks could get a better look.

[Cliffmeister2000]

CPES applied!







We had a "mild" day at 103º, so after church I went to work, with the phenominal assistance of my beloved. Man, that woman is unbelievable with a roller!

I'll admit that I was a bit afraid of starting this phase. I had never worked with anything "epoxy" before except glue in 1" increments. the fumes were not as bad as anticipated, at least while applying. Now that it is "curing", however, the garage is no place to hang out!

[Cliffmeister2000]

Only 100º when I got home from work.

After a quick dinner, decided to try my hand with the good Rot Doctor's Fill-It Epoxy Filler. The directions say 90 minutes work time at 68º, 45 minutes at 86º. I figured I had 20 minutes at 100º, so I mixed very small batches.

Mixed 4 such batches to cover what I got covered. Worked as fast as I could. Got the front, both sides, and most of the top done.





I had sweat running down my face and into my eyes so bad I couldn't see. Couldn't wipe due to the epoxy. Decided to call it a night. Have the rest of the top, the hatch, and the doors to do next (maybe tomorrow night?).

[Cliffmeister2000]

I bought a bandana to help keep the sweat out of my eyes!

Found I have a nasty rash on my left arm.


Put Aloe on it and went to work finishing the Fill it!

Yesterday I sanded down all the high spots, and mixed up some more Fill it and went to work again. I have one spot where two pieces of ply come together that needed some more feathering. I also found a few staple dimples I had missed!

Today I sanded everything else down smooth and re-applied CPES to the sanded areas.



Now I know were the rash came from. In trying to reach the center of the roof from a step stool, I drug my arm through the wet CPES. With its thin consistency, I never even noticed. Today, I got it scrubbed off as quifckly as I could. Hopefully the rash won't get any worse. It doesn't hurt, but it sure is ugly!

[mikeschn]

Cliff,

Good job with the epoxy filler. Be sure to take it out of the garage when you sand it though. You don't want to be breathing in epoxy dust.

Mike...

[Cliffmeister2000]

Cliff,

Good job with the epoxy filler. Be sure to take it out of the garage when you sand it though. You don't want to be breathing in epoxy dust.

Mike...

Good advice, Mike. Note the large dust collector in the background and the hose attached to the sander in the photo.



Outside isn't an option in August in Phoenix, especially for a fairskinned boy like me! (I almost said "fairhaired", but these days I couldn't prove that!)

[Ivar the Red]

Lookin good!!! Question, does the epoxy filler dry clear?

[Cliffmeister2000]

Lookin good!!! Question, does the epoxy filler dry clear?

Nope! Goes on blue, dries white. Luckily, I'm not trying to build a woodie, although when this thing started coming together both my wife and I thought about it!

[Cliffmeister2000]

Got this on eBay! From an Airstream. Table mount for the side of the 'Drop. 30 inches long! Worked out to a little over $1 an inch!

[Cliffmeister2000]

Started painting the Weekender with Uniflex 255 this morning at 6:30 while it was only 81 degrees! Brrrr....

By the time I was finished with the first coat, it was up to a comfortable 90º.

I only used about 3/4 of a gallon, and that was with putting a second coat on the roof! I'm going to try to mix only 1/2 of my remaining gallon tomorrow when I put the second coat on.

That stuff was dry to the touch by 9:00 am!]

[mikeschn]

I like the Uniflex 255, it hides lots of blemishes... How do you like the finish on yours. You rolled it on, right? Did you use a solvent resistant roller cover with a 1/4" nap?

Mike...

[Cliffmeister2000]

I like the Uniflex 255, it hides lots of blemishes... How do you like the finish on yours. You rolled it on, right? Did you use a solvent resistant roller cover with a 1/4" nap?

Mike...

I like it so far, Mike! Still have one more coat to go. And yes, 1/4" nap, solvent resistant roller cover from HD. Threw it and the roller away (because they were glued together by the time I was done).

Curious, I found a couple of staple spots I missed. (they ARE a lot easier to see once the surface is white). Do you think I could patch them with someting else (I'm out of "FILL IT") and put the final coat right over the top? I'm thinking wood filler applied with a toothpick. There are only 3. Or should I just leave them alone?

[mikeschn]

if you don't think the Uniflex 255 will fill the holes, you can use wood putty with a toothpick.

I actually sanded my first coat lightly before putting on my second coat.

Mike...

[Cliffmeister2000]

I got the second coat on it this morning. A few spots look a little light still. Think I'll put one more coat on! I'll look again after it has cured.