Thrifty Alternatives ..Building Foam Campers

[68galaxie]

Was cleaning my garage to start build and came across some drywall ancors,
like these http://www.google.com/products/catalog? ... CsQ8gIwAg#

tomorrow I am going to coat with gorilla glue and mist with water and set one in the foam to test strength

just a thought

[GPW]

That might work , glued in... they're not very good on drywall .... tried em !!

[eaglesdare]

Here's my second mock up .... just checking fits ... held together with darts from my blow gun ... works !!! Inside's pretty much done except for the inner reinforcing strips and paint , all done after assembly ... ready to stick it to a ply floor now ...

looking good gpw, now just take it outside and make it real. glue it all together. did you say you have a boat trailer to put it on?

i think today is going to be a nice day, so i may be going out there to glue 2 pieces together. i will have no place to store it once it becomes 6' tall. will this foam be ok in the weather, ie rain?
i have to figure out how to hold the 2 pieces together til glue dries by myself. not sure what i have to work with.

[GPW]

Eagle , whilst appearing "rough" , the inside is pretty much done ... I'm just going to tape the pieces together with package sealing tape till the glue dries ...Those blow gun darts really helped keep things in alignment, like long sewing pins ...
Just another idea ... you could insert 1/4" dowel alignment pins into drilled holes in the foam joins .... dipped in a little GGlue they would become permanent ... That would be Very strong ...

[eaglesdare]

Eagle , whilst appearing "rough" , the inside is pretty much done ... I'm just going to tape the pieces together with package sealing tape till the glue dries ...Those blow gun darts really helped keep things in alignment, like long sewing pins ...
Just another idea ... you could insert 1/4" dowel alignment pins into drilled holes in the foam joins .... dipped in a little GGlue they would become permanent ... That would be Very strong ...

i am not going to mess with the dowels. mainly because i don't have any, which would mean i would have to buy them. thrifty on this one. but really because i don't think they are needed. i have this foamie that does not have all these screws and dowels and it holds very well without. once it was wrapped it was not going anywhere.

but sticking two 8 foot long pieces together for a proper alignement might be a bit much for just me. 2 people to make sure on each end would be better. but i am not a patient person, so i may go out and try it on my own. at least i can cut the one piece down to 2'. then maybe i can wait til hubby gets home to glue and stick together the 2 pieces.

[GPW]

QUOTE: " once it was wrapped it was not going anywhere. "... That really is the basis of this construction ... It's the Skin !!! The better the skin the better the Job !!! I was surprised how much stiffness just the bedsheets added to the foam .. Can you imagine how strong Canvas is ???

[eaglesdare]

QUOTE: Can you imagine how strong Canvas is ???

since mine IS wrapped in canvas, yes i can

i can kick my door open in the morning. i know i have done it. but i mean a good kick to open the door. my hinges will give way before that canvas covered foam will.

[swampjeep]

...but sticking two 8 foot long pieces together for a proper alignement might be a bit much for just me. 2 people to make sure on each end would be better. but i am not a patient person, so i may go out and try it on my own. at least i can cut the one piece down to 2'. then maybe i can wait til hubby gets home to glue and stick together the 2 pieces.

do you have some nice wide tape? 2" wide or more? try putting the 2 pieces together, then tape them, once you are happy with how they are fitting bend them apart using the tape like a hinge, add your glue, hinge them back together... do you have a picnic table or other 6-8' long table to try that on?

disclaimer: I haven't tried this, so I can't say for sure it will work, but it might.

[starleen2]

...but sticking two 8 foot long pieces together for a proper alignement might be a bit much for just me. 2 people to make sure on each end would be better. but i am not a patient person, so i may go out and try it on my own. at least i can cut the one piece down to 2'. then maybe i can wait til hubby gets home to glue and stick together the 2 pieces.

do you have some nice wide tape? 2" wide or more? try putting the 2 pieces together, then tape them, once you are happy with how they are fitting bend them apart using the tape like a hinge, add your glue, hinge them back together... do you have a picnic table or other 6-8' long table to try that on?

disclaimer: I haven't tried this, so I can't say for sure it will work, but it might.

Sound like a good Idea to me - I use that technique on wood pieces all the time!

[starleen2]

Mike , I edited everything I even thought might be controversial, objectionable or suggestive in any way ... I'm still a little confused about what ...

Bending it in a compound curve really adds a new dimension to this huh??? I've bent thinner foam (1/4" ) in the past to many interesting shapes , but being able to bend the thicker material really makes something like a Roswell or jelly bean very possible ... Have to be done in sections , but that's no problem with the foam ... Best thing is if we can't bend it we can just glue on a block or multiple layers of foam and just carve/sand away till we get the shape we want ...

I'd like something like a Big bumper Car ... (still on with that idea )

Some advise on compound bending - Yes you can do it with foam - However, canvas is very reluctant to streach in two directions. Any compound curve will have to have seams cut and sewn into the canvass to "fit" the curve. I say - take it easy on yourself and just stick with a plain curve and work with the straight edges

[GPW]

That'll work ... that's how I join book matched wood pieces for guitar tops ...You need a nice FLAT area , and it helps to cut the pieces down to their smallest size first ... but you probably figured that out already ...

As far as tape goes , I tried everything and common package sealing tape (2") works best and is CHEAP ... second was the blue masking tape which was kinda' Pricy ...

S2 , we found dampening the canvas helps give it a bit more stretch ... that and a good bit of pulling in both directions ... As you said, extreme compound curves would require some "piecing" together ... best pre planned and carefully made to look like it's meant to be that way ...

[eaglesdare]

i got the 2 pieces of foam out and i found another horse fencing board so i broke that out. that board will be used for marking my length, something to visualize with. i was so hoping i had that 3rd piece of 2" foam but i do not. i do have a couple of sections of the 2" stuff. i may go ahead and see if i can use that. thrifty huh? lol but if i don't like it or its not enough i will just go buy the 3 piece.

i just called a local gal pal and she said she would come over to lend me her hands for the sticking two pieces together.

the only tape around i have is the duct tape and painter tape. i might give the duct tape a try.

now to figure out that flat surface area. what if i don't have that? i don't have a picnic table. i will just have to keep thinking, maybe i will go sit outside and see what pops up in the brain.

[eaglesdare]

well i did not have to go outside. i just sat here thinking. and heck we started the first build in the house, so why not this. i can use the kitchen table and i have my daughter here to lend a hand. my door to get it back outside is taller than 6' so i shouldn't have a problem getting it back outside.

now to get the zig saw out and mark the foam.

[swampjeep]

well i did not have to go outside. i just sat here thinking. and heck we started the first build in the house, so why not this. i can use the kitchen table and i have my daughter here to lend a hand. my door to get it back outside is taller than 6' so i shouldn't have a problem getting it back outside.

now to get the zig saw out and mark the foam.

good deal

but if you really want to work outside on this nice day... have any flat cement area for a driveway, porch, or deck? anything like that would work too, even the floor in the house if the table isnt' working

[HandyAtLeast]

So this weekend I picked up a gallon of TitebondII and a quart of Kilz Latex sealer. This morning I put an outer coat of TB2 over the fabric on my 12" radius test piece. Even without the outer coat, this test bend is major strong and I believe will pass the stress test. I'm also going to start a test piece for a fabric hinge.

I'm also going to pay a visit to the local thrift store and search out a turkey carving knife. I think that would work great for cutting the foam. I also want to make a hot wire for cutting the foam. I've looked up some schematics and will try it soon, I hope. I have tons of .02" music wire about.