Tongue Box

[Dirke]

I don't have a trailer so I can't start building my walls and such. However, it is freezing out and cabin fever has set in. So, I decided to try making a few accessories. For my first project I was thinking of making a box to put on the tongue to hold the battery and a few tools, etc. I got a couple of copy paper boxes and am going to see how those work covered with TB2 and some bed sheets ($1 resale). I will probably put a board underneath the whole thing just to give it extra strength on the bottom.

Here is what I have so far:

My two boxes saved from the recycling bin


I decided to try laying them flat to make it easier to glue the sheets on.


First side all glued and sheets attached:


I am curious to see if I will be able to fold the boxes back up so I am starting with just one for now. If it works then I will glue and cover the other side If nothing else, it gives me an idea of how the process works. If it works out, I am going to make some storage containers for the galley too. Time to let things dry....

[Shadow Catcher]

I would think this would work as long as you do not glass the hing points until it is re folded.

[GPW]

Having done many projects like this , might we suggest painting the inside of the box with “the Mix” before folding together , that would waterproof it , and not interfere with the skin ...That is , unless you plan on skinning the Inside of the box too ...
If you glue in another layer of cardboard on the bottom and skin over that it will be like a Tank , very strong ... (Twice as thick is 8 times as strong ! ) Just a suggestion to consider !

[Dirke]

Well, I don't know if I used enough glue as there seems to be some spots that are a bit bubbly. I'm not sure if it wouldn't be better to just use foam.

[GPW]

You have to STRETCH the material on from center outward to eliminate bubbles ... Slightly dampening the cloth helps ...

[atahoekid]

I used Gripper to attach the canvas to foam. I was generous (not sloppy, though) with the paint and I got good adhesion and no bubbles. That much adhesive might cause the board to deflect though. I would advise you to allow for venting in that box with the battery. Interested to see how this works out

[Dirke]

I am thinking foam would work better for this. The cardboard from the paper boxes is too thin and warps a lot. I think I might let this one go for now and work on my porta potty.

[KCStudly]

I wonder if it had been left in box form (instead of flat) if you would have seen the same warping issues. It would seem to me that the box shape itself may have prevented some of the warping.

When welding things there is a lot of movement due to shrinking as the material cools (which I can imagine being similar to the fabric shrinking) and so it pays to tack weld the shape together (i.e. form the box) before attempting to weld all of the seams (i.e. shrink the sides).

[Dirke]

I thought about that too. I may give it a try later. I am out of TB2 at the moment and spend all my mad money on a really cool antique folding table to take camping.

[KCStudly]

Cool, I'd like to see the table. Maybe you could post a pic in the vintage camping equipment forum and a link to that here (or just put a pic here).