Lost in the forum

[ghcoe]

Hi I unclamped my carrier, I used the latex caulk, It failed, I let it dry for 3 days. This was edge glued sides to a full sheet bottom. Not sure what happened I even ran the wall paper thing on the foam. I've tried to pull wood to wood apart with that stuff on there it just don't wont to let go?. It must have flexed, but I would have expected that stuff to have a bit of flex?

I'm out of time, I'm going to glue the fabric to the inside of the foam, then glue the panels together, so it will be fabric to fabric? Someone mentioned trying that? Like to find the thread or here from someone who has used this method. I will use TB11 for fabric to foam, what should I use to glue the fabric to fabric joint together?

Anyone think this is a bad idea?

Mike

Did you glue the walls to the edge of the floor or to the top of the floor? Also the foam has oils on it which is used as a releasing agent. It is best to clean the surface areas that are to be glued and painted with alcohol or with sanding the surface down. Not sure about the gluing the fabric first. I think it has been mentioned before, but again, the glued area is only as strong as the weakest point.

[mvankanan]

Hi I unclamped my carrier, I used the latex caulk, It failed, I let it dry for 3 days. This was edge glued sides to a full sheet bottom. Not sure what happened I even ran the wall paper thing on the foam. I've tried to pull wood to wood apart with that stuff on there it just don't wont to let go?. It must have flexed, but I would have expected that stuff to have a bit of flex?

I'm out of time, I'm going to glue the fabric to the inside of the foam, then glue the panels together, so it will be fabric to fabric? Someone mentioned trying that? Like to find the thread or here from someone who has used this method. I will use TB11 for fabric to foam, what should I use to glue the fabric to fabric joint together?

Anyone think this is a bad idea?

Mike

Did you glue the walls to the edge of the floor or to the top of the floor? Also the foam has oils on it which is used as a releasing agent. It is best to clean the surface areas that are to be glued and painted with alcohol or with sanding the surface down. Not sure about the gluing the fabric first. I think it has been mentioned before, but again, the glued area is only as strong as the weakest point.

George I glued to the top of the floor. I did sand and I used the wall paper picky roller thing too. It was rainy and over cast and the build was under a tarp canopy. The caulk stayed soft for a couple of days until the sun came out. I then let it sit for two days in the sun, so I guess it was almost 5 days. Maybe the caulk was bad, it was the cheapest but a name brand. I think it moved a little when I removed the clamps. I have a work up table of 2x4 on the flat, like a ladder, I put a piece of ply on that and screw it down, it's not real flat, so I put some aluminum tubing under the table and clamped it all together. That got it flat, but maybe when I let it loose it moved to much, broke the seal just a bit. We where moving it around to take some more measurements.

I got bed sheets on the bottom today, took about a hour. Used the TB11, almost 1/3 of a gallon? I'll see how it looks tomorrow, if ok, do the sides and top. I scraped, and washed all the calk off, sanded and did the roller thing before gluing.

[ghcoe]

The only caulk I have use is the Dap Alex Plus. Only because I have worked with it on many other projects and have a feel for how it reacts to different applications. I have glued flashing to foam and then had to separate it at a later date. The foam literally came off in big chunks with the flashing.

Did you happen to take a look at the separation point. Did it look like the caulk did not bond or did you notice a thin layer of foam still attached. If the bond failed you would not see foam on the caulk. If there was foam then the bond was good and the weak point was the foam.

Also, when I apply the caulk I apply a liberal amount so it will fill in any voids when the two pieces are pressed together. Make sure you go edge to edge on the glued edge too.

Good luck.

[mvankanan]

The only caulk I have use is the Dap Alex Plus. Only because I have worked with it on many other projects and have a feel for how it reacts to different applications. I have glued flashing to foam and then had to separate it at a later date. The foam literally came off in big chunks with the flashing.

Hi George, I used dap plus. I expected it to be impossible to separate too!


Did you happen to take a look at the separation point. Did it look like the caulk did not bond or did you notice a thin layer of foam still attached. If the bond failed you would not see foam on the caulk. If there was foam then the bond was good and the weak point was the foam.

I scraped caulk off of both pieces. All of the glued surface was covered completely, all the little holes from that roller thing where full.

Also, when I apply the caulk I apply a liberal amount so it will fill in any voids when the two pieces are pressed together. Make sure you go edge to edge on the glued edge too.

I chose the caulk when I first read about it fill any possible voids, I also blue tapped alongside the glue line, so squeeze out wasn't a problem, didn't have to scramble around cleaning it, and bumping into the glue up.

Bad glue? The squeeze out didn't skim over for the first two days under the tarp, the tarps more like a car port, I walk under it,so it's not right on top trapping moisture? It only took a couple of hours to start to skim over once it was in the sun. Once it was dry, at least 48 additional hours, I unclamped it but left the top spacer deal in place on top. We then moved it to the top of the car to get some final measurements. We where as careful as we could be until the first section lifted up.

I also pushed in along the glue line, between the clamps, before unclamping, there was no movement.

I think the foam may have moved a little, the bottom returned to shape. I may have over clamped it? What happened

Good luck.

The glue up of the bedsheets to the interior sides and bottom seemed to work ok, I also glued it to the surfaces that will get glued when it's glued togeather, so I will be gluing two glued fabric surfaces together! I did read that this may work better! I'll try to get the top cut and covered, and then try to get some paint on the majority of the inside of the panels,keeping well away from where I will glue. The top is two pieces, plus a carved nose piece, I'll have to glue up, but want the thing on the car for final fit.

I followed rowerwet's instructions from instuctables, went great, except I was worried about getting enough on, seemed to use more then I thought, trying to get those little holes filled as he described. I sanded and used the roller on the foam. I ended up with some glue through, I didn't want that but I really can't have it come loose.

So how do I glue it all together to get the canvas on? I'm going to use pl premium, unless someone has a good reason not too, like it will eat through the TB11

I'm going to spread it on fairly thick and lightly clamp it, maybe do some of Rowerwets glue bolts? Hopefully that will let me get the canvas on. I'm not sure the surfaces are close enough to use GG or TB11, there not bad but there is enough variation, and both of those glues say they don't fill voids. I thought that the caulk would do all that, it should have, I thought it was pretty good idea, still do. Anyway I hope the PL will get me through this. Getting at least the majority of the top on in the initial glue up should hold it together better.

Mike

I'm out of time, there's a chance I wont even get this done in time for our trip, leaving the 24th, what a bummer that would be

[GPW]

Funny about that ... “ both of those glues say they don't fill voids “ ... You know that’s true , especially TB2, but the Gorilla Glue does if you spritz it with enough Water .. The airplane guys seeking lightness even mix water and rubbing alcohol with it to speed up the foaming... While this might not be very good on a wood to wood joint , on foam it seems to work fine ( foam to GG foam to foam ) ... If you want to fill voids , Great Stuff ( spray can foam) works well and is just more Foam , and is very sticky to most everything... That’s what we used to fill huge gaps on the FoamStream and Foamie #1...

[rowerwet]

Gorilla glue will foam up to fill gaps, but it tends to push the rest of the joint apart.
I've found that using a hand held power plane gets edges flat and straight easier than any other tool.
A power plane will remove cured GG, with the least chance of ruining the rest of the surface. The trick is the controlled amount of material removed at each pass is small.
I use the TBII for the fabric, it works best full strength IMO, but you've got to keep plenty of it ready. I found thinning the TBII caused more of it to soak into the fabric.

[mvankanan]

Hi is there a tape that sticks to foam, foam that has been cut? I was trying to glue canvas to a small thin carved piece of foam, I used painters tape to provide a bit of clamping, the pieces were less then 3/4" x 1 1/2" in the thinnest area and curved, easy to break and hard to clamp. That tape works well, as long as it stays stuck. I will have several more curved pieces to do, most will be thick enough to pin?

I've now glued foam to foam with caulk. fail, but still open to it.

Glued foam to bedsheet with TB11 works good but got some glue through, worried about paint sticking?, I'll be cutting 2 pieces, a door for the rear of the suby, about 38" w x 34" h and a cover about 42" x 48" out of the sheet of foam with the bed sheet on it, I'll use canvas on the out side. I got about 5 days to close the hatch in some how, and get on the road, or I take the jeep to Co.

I've glued foam to foam with GG, I used small cut off's from angles cut in the ends of larger sheets , glued together, rather then cutting a 2" piece off a larger sheet. worked pretty good would of worked better if the added up to 90 though. I like the GG, can be sanded, but tough. Anyone try it as a edge? To expensive? Not tough enough? Dumb idea

Mike

[ghcoe]

I use packing tape.

I guess I will have to try some more tests with the caulk. I really only did one test foam to foam, which worked real well, but maybe it was a fluke. The other uses were mostly for gluing the flashing to foam and I know that works real well. The only think I can think of is that foam to foam may just create a long setup time. Which in a quick build may not be that practical.

GG is harder to sand than foam. When I had to sand something smooth with GG I would take a dremel tool, with a small grinding tip, and grind the GG down below the surface of the foam. I would then fill the void with light weight spackle and sand the surface smooth.

[mvankanan]

I use packing tape.

Have to try packing tape

I guess I will have to try some more tests with the caulk. I really only did one test foam to foam, which worked real well, but maybe it was a fluke. The other uses were mostly for gluing the flashing to foam and I know that works real well. The only think I can think of is that foam to foam may just create a long setup time. Which in a quick build may not be that practical.

Perhaps it was set up time due to the humidity, but I'm thinking the caulk must have failed some how. Wood to wood you can sometimes pull the boards apart and that stuff still holds on till it finally pops! I was a carpenter, and a bit of a nut with air infiltration, so if I made a mistake or there was a change I've had to get some of them apart.

GG is harder to sand than foam. When I had to sand something smooth with GG I would take a dremel tool, with a small grinding tip, and grind the GG down below the surface of the foam. I would then fill the void with light weight spackle and sand the surface smooth.

I really need a dremel. I tried some of that light weight spackle on a couple of gouges in the panel I glued bedsheets to it worked well but I'm guessing that the glue might not hold right there?

Mike

[GPW]

The glue ( any glue ) will hold only as well as the material it is glued to ... the foam .... which is pretty weak and will always fail first .. except maybe with library paste ... The cloth covers the imperfections , no need to fill every scratch and gouge , unless like some of our more esteemed members, you are going for a car show SMOOTH finish ... That is an option... JMHO, I like canvas texture and paint... Nice and SIMPLE