Thrifty Alternatives ..Building Foam Campers

[eaglesdare]

i forget who suggested this, but you could mark your edge with a line, then t2/3 it good. let it dry and then cut along your edge. should not have many if any frays that way. just another step and a bit more glue.
you will need to lay that farbric out to do this though. and have something under it so it won't dry to whatever it is laying on. i found the parchment paper to work great. although that is one more thing to have to buy, but it works. and if you don't use it all, then you still have it for baking.
(although knowing me, i would use it all)

[swampjeep]

swampjeep: i forgot to say it so i will now: happy belated first bday to your little one.
if i am not mistaken that wheel is used like a pizza cutter. you just roll it and it will cut your fabric. but if you go that route, don't forget the cutting mat to cut on.
its a shame for me, i am a scrapbooker, and have a room full of supplies, cutting tools, i think i have like 30 plus scissors, and slicers, mats etc. but nothing will work on the material.

actually you're not really late, teh B'day is the 18th, this wed. but the party was this last weekend, becuase this coming weekend has too many other things going on in it, so thanks

as for the pinking shears and/or wheel... I think I better just try Pat's method of dabing some glue on the line I want to cut, let dry a bit, then cut... I think I will be cutting after glueing on the structure.

[eaglesdare]

be warned, that once it is on the foam, proper cutting becomes more difficult. one of the reasons i am not real happy with my first one.

i have excess canvas that runs along the bottom, i can't cut it down any further and there just is no place for it to go, so there it hangs.

[GPW]

Got my lower reinforcing strips on , 3 sides , waiting for the glue to dry , before I flip it ..

Oh , I get it , a little glue on the fabric , then cut .... Brilliant !!! Maybe the 50/50 T2 would work better there, more a "sizing" ... wonder if spray starch would do the same thing ..?

[pat g]

GPW,

I used about a 50/50 mix of T2 to water on the edges of the fabric. It seemed to me that you could thin even more.

What I did on my roof edges , where they overlapped the sides, was to glue them on, mark the cut, peel the edges back (where the line was) before the glue had set, made the cut, ironed the edges back down. little or no fraying.

Pat G

[GPW]

Pat , NICE !!! Can't wait to see more of your progress pics!!!

Got the other reinforcing strip on , and you'll see I overlapped it over the floor and into the cabin too... reason being to protect that ply edge ... all the other edges are encapsulated under 2 layers of fabric ... thought this would help that exposed edge ... Haven't treated the ply floor in any way other than sticking a little wood filler in the voids .. Plan is to paint the inner floor and Tar the bottom as per previous success ...

[Anita Rae]

They make a liquid to stop fabric edges from freying but I think it would be too pricey for the amount of edges we are dealing with here. When It dries on the fabric it has a thinned down glue feeling to it. I used to have some but my sugar gliders got into my sewing cabinet and chewed a hole in the bottle. I think we might be alright with some kind of thinned down glue in a bottle and just squeeze it out on the cut edge. I haven't made it to the fabric cuttin' place in my build yet.

Eagle...that dang trailer just about killed both of us. We sure went to bed tired both nights. But it is one sturdy trailer. Then add to the fact that I can't read plans and we cut a cross member that we didn't have to. OPPS! Ohhh My!

[GPW]

Door framing

[eaglesdare]

They make a liquid to stop fabric edges from freying but I think it would be too pricey for the amount of edges we are dealing with here. When It dries on the fabric it has a thinned down glue feeling to it. I used to have some but my sugar gliders got into my sewing cabinet and chewed a hole in the bottle. I think we might be alright with some kind of thinned down glue in a bottle and just squeeze it out on the cut edge. I haven't made it to the fabric cuttin' place in my build yet.

Eagle...that dang trailer just about killed both of us. We sure went to bed tired both nights. But it is one sturdy trailer. Then add to the fact that I can't read plans and we cut a cross member that we didn't have to. OPPS! Ohhh My!

ok that is too funny.

[eaglesdare]

hey bear, that is looking fantastic. oh i love your fabric inside the trailer. i haven't really been able to see it in the others.

[GPW]

Still looks like a mattress to me Once we get the outside done , will work on the inside ... any ideas for that ???
Got my door hinge mounting strip glued in now ... 2" X 2"... on the forward door side ... moving along ...

[eaglesdare]

hehehe it does look like bedroom sheets. hmm, maybe "buy" new material for the inside? or check out yard sales for some?

i got my second side cut out this morning. i must have had a shakey hand though, it just is a bit more curving than it should have been, did not quite follow the line as well as i could have. but nothing that some sanding won't take care of.

so now i sit and wait for the next pay for the floor wood.

but i suppose i could set up the measurements and try to decide where my windows and door will go, and where i am building out over the wheel.

[GPW]

if you can't build , you can always plan ahead !!!
On the inside , the plan is to just finish with the tie-in strips , then paint it ... But I was thinking of a shelf up front , just a place to put stuff ... Thinking foam skinned with Luan on the top... same type center brace??? Room for igloo and Bear rug ...

[Ratkity]

Still looks like a mattress to me Once we get the outside done , will work on the inside ... any ideas for that ???
Got my door hinge mounting strip glued in now ... 2" X 2"... on the forward door side ... moving along ...

Wonderful progress!!! Wait wait... did I see ducky sheets inside?? hehe. J/K.

Hugs,
Ratkity

[GPW]

Rat, Yes, just "ducky"... Tried to get the solid color sheets , wife wouldn't cut loose with those .. Maroon and or Teal would have looked fine for me ... I get the flowery s***...