construction continues on the Menehune Swoop!

[teardrop_focus]

Wed Oct 07, 2009 7:32 pm

hello all...

I almost submitted a post this morning here in your thread asking for an update! but didn't want to bother you.

green_eyed_diablito

The trim looks fantastic!

Very, very nice work. This trailer of yours has come together quickly! (relatively speaking). I might be able to start mine here soon; I'm back at work in my regular job!

I have a pair of those 12V lights you're using for porch lights. They should be great! Have you tested their output at night yet?

[Greg M]

Looking great Don't worry about the schedule, you're on teardrop time. That's what I tell myself every time I look at both The Locust and Decotear unfinished in the driveway

-Greg

[2bits]

Wow! Man, I am so glad you went for that profile shape! I think that looks incredible, and the doors and the detail with all the trim. Very nice! You might not get any sleep at the camp grounds!

[S. Heisley]

It's definitely an interesting design. The wood trim adds a lot to it and emphasizes the swoop. Those dark spots in the plywood look to my imagination like whales, swimming.

I can't find Menehune in the dictionary. You've probably said somewhere what it means but....?

[green_eyed_diablito]

I almost submitted a post this morning here in your thread asking for an update! but didn't want to bother you.


Very, very nice work. This trailer of yours has come together quickly! (relatively speaking). I might be able to start mine here soon; I'm back at work in my regular job!

I have a pair of those 12V lights you're using for porch lights. They should be great! Have you tested their output at night yet?

thanks, chris. and you're never a bother! and congrats on getting back to work - that has to be a relief. are you back at sony?

i guess i should have tested the lights, huh? oh, well. if it turns out that they are too dim, i'll replace the bulb and socket with LEDs.

i'll be home sunday morning if you'd like to come over to check it out ad talk teardrops. give me a call.

[green_eyed_diablito]

Looking great Don't worry about the schedule, you're on teardrop time. That's what I tell myself every time I look at both The Locust and Decotear unfinished in the driveway

-Greg

thanks, greg. i know you're right. i have to remind myself of that because i'm impatient by nature.

but to further screw with my patience (in a good way), my new project is already waiting in the wings. last week a buddy gave me his '78 Honda CB550 that i'm going to bring back to life as a cafe racer. i told myself that i wouldn't touch the bike until i finished the trailer.

[green_eyed_diablito]

Wow! Man, I am so glad you went for that profile shape! I think that looks incredible, and the doors and the detail with all the trim. Very nice! You might not get any sleep at the camp grounds!

thanks, tom. i'm very happy with the profile too. and i'm happy that i don't have to build a curved hatch!

[green_eyed_diablito]

It's definitely an interesting design. The wood trim adds a lot to it and emphasizes the swoop. Those dark spots in the plywood look to my imagination like whales, swimming.

I can't find Menehune in the dictionary. You've probably said somewhere what it means but....?

i feel like it really came together when the trim went on. it woke up the design. thanks for the encouragement. and i really like that you see whales. it adds to the hawaiian theme.

the Menehune are a mythical Hawaiian people who live in the forest. they are tiny of stature and known for building structures over night. i figured it would be fitting.

[green_eyed_diablito]

hello guys and gals,
a little more progress...

The fuse box is attached. I made it out of 1"x3"s and attached it directly to a spar that's running across, under the skin. The bottom of the box is attached to the trim piece directly under it (the entire box is glued to the skin). I made the bus bars myself and I bought the fuse holder at Radio Shack. There are two holes at the bottom of the box where wires will exit and connect to the battery. The box will be weather stripped.


I made an overlapping lid to prevent water intrusion. It is held in place with stainless steel bolts under the chrome caps.


I think I'm going to stain the lid.

[green_eyed_diablito]

Today was not a successful day.

My next step in the build is to apply trim on the roof of the swoop. Because of the contours of the roof line, the trim pieces must bend, and in order to bend without snapping, the trim must be steamed. That being the case, I designed my own steamer...my ghetto steamer.

I put the wood inside this section of vent pipe, then I suspended the pipe from my patio cover. I wheeled my BBQ under the pipe so the steam from a pot of boiling water would rise directly into the pipe and soften the wood.

Three hours of steaming had almost no effect. :-( On two plan B.



Plan B was to cut a piece of trim into three pieces, then glue the three pieces together while clamped to a mold with the exact contour of the roofline (this section would have been the contour at the rear of the TD). The pieces didn't laminate nicely because I couldn't get even pressure across the entire surface.

On to plan C. Problem is, I haven't figured out plan C.



At least I was able to install the cleat that the curtains will attach to.

[2bits]

that is what this group is all about, not only sharing in your successes, but in the frustrations that we sometimes encounter. Remember to think of it like a scientist looking for a cure to whatever... When they fail, they only found one new way it wouldn't work, now they can move on... I was never good at annealing aluminum or softening wood personally...

[grizz]

What an awesome build.

I know what you mean wrt darkness and work getting in the way.

I got told off by Nicola few weeks ago for being in the garage at 07.00 playing with wood. So now I spend no more than one day over weekends on the trailer, and at night the cold has crawled in, so its less pleasant too.

Hope you get the steaming sorted out soon.

[aggie79]

Paul,

I like your detail on the cleat for curtains. I'll probably borrow your design and use your reason instead of the real reason I need to do so - slightly warped doors.

Two ideas for your trim. If your going to form it not on the tear, you may want to use a form or caul on both sides and more clamps. (The "more clamps" advice seems to be a mantra in teardrop construction.) The other idea is to attach your trim strips directly to the teardrop. Apply each strip individually with epoxy or PL glue to the roof. Use screws at 2-3 inches on center with a backing plate - 1/4" plywood. Fasten screws through the backing plate and trim strip into the sidewall. I did something similar here to attach 1/8" plywood to the 6" radius of my front roll pan:



The screw holes are small and barely visible, and can be filled.

Gig'em, Tom

[cokebottle10]

I like you fuse box, but I do not like the aluminum buss bars. If you have not done so yet please add anti-oxidant to the screws and terminals to keep them from corroding. You can get it at one of the big box stores in the electrical section. It is messy and it does conduct. Be carefull where you put it. Most of the time it looks like vaseline with graphite powder mixed in.

Thanks,
David.

[green_eyed_diablito]

thank you for the kind words and encouragement. i've said it before and i'll say it again, this site has a great bunch of people!

aggie79, i think you're dead on right about using two sides to coutoured form. it think it will help to make it wider too.

david, is your concern about the aluminum buss bars due to the dissimilar metals touching each other? thanks for the tip about the anti-oxidant.

-miguel