Superlegerra -ish 5x9 foamy - First Trip!

[KCStudly]

Yes, there certainly are moments during a build where you have to stop and check yourself!

Keep plugging away at it, it's coming along swell!

[Mary C]

don't worry you will get it, I am still working on my doors. I cannot understand why the doors seem to be growing. They keep getting bigger or the opening keeps getting smaller. Just keep with it. You are doing fine. You are making great progress. It is harder now that the sides are up, I call it the Big progress. Sometimes the little progress that takes lots of time gets difficult and feels like you are not doing anything. Keep on plugging on you are getting somewhere.

Mary C.

[lthomas987]

don't worry you will get it, I am still working on my doors. I cannot understand why the doors seem to be growing. They keep getting bigger or the opening keeps getting smaller. Just keep with it. You are doing fine. You are making great progress. It is harder now that the sides are up, I call it the Big progress. Sometimes the little progress that takes lots of time gets difficult and feels like you are not doing anything. Keep on plugging on you are getting somewhere.

Mary C.

I kind of wonder if cut foam expands a bit in the humidity. I can't tell but some things that fit fine a while ago on my trailer are now snug. All in cuts. Maybe once I'm done with the trailer and have some scraps I'll get out a micrometer and do some experimentation. It's the foamy way right?

[GoTurtleGo]

Hey Laura,

I'm new but I have been reading your build journal for awhile and I am really enjoying it. You are so methodical and good at thinking things through that I am learning quite a bit. I like the heated putty knife technique - cheap too. And I am so glad you got your doorway cut. It looks great!

This building business is quite suspenseful.

Cheers,

[lthomas987]

Today the shop foreman (aka Zeeker the wonder english cocker spaniel) and I went to a hunt test. Where he did great. I failed him at the final step and he didn't get a ribbon. Maybe tomorrow. It was so tiring and frustrating though. To spend the whole day that could have been trailer door time, and not get a ribbon (and a leg towards Senior Hunter).

I did hit the hardware store and get some things I need to advance the trailer. Lightweight spackle, some putty knives, and more gorilla glue.

[lthomas987]

No ribbon from Sunday either.

Um. I didn't get anything done on Monday night. Well I got about 5 hours of shopping for a new TV for the foamy but nothing on the trailer. My old TV is about to die.

Last night I finished inletting for the door frame and got it glued in. That all went rather uneventfully. I took some plywood scrap I had laying around and covered it in packing tape. I also took some 1x2 scrap and used them in combination to clamp the frame in place while the glue set. I wanted the frame as close to flush on the outside as possible. I put the plywood on the outside (packing tape side in) and the wood blocks between the door frame and the clamp on the inside. Thus preventing my clamps from crushing any foam. Miraculously given all the gorilla glue mess I had going on nothing was glued where it shouldn't be. Also the door fits really flush to the outside of the trailer!

I had a learning experience too. Not the good kind. So while doing all this with a bottle of brand new gorilla glue ( I forget how much stiffer it gets when it's been open a while ) I had a lot of ooze/drip coming down from the top of the door frame. This resulted in me getting gorilla glue on my face and a fair bit of it in my hair . (I forgot to wear a hat.) So then I went to find the acetone to clean up all the gorilla glue... and we were out. So I tromped down to the cabinet where we store all the solvents.... I found some brake/carb cleaner. I tried it on my hand (where I had gotten gorilla glue after taking off my gloves and checking out my hair). It worked fine. so I then went after my cheek and chin... worked there too. (but it was starting to burn).... also the house smelled TERRRIBLE. I ended up hopping in the shower with the carb cleaner and using it to get the gorilla glue out of my hair. There were a lot of fumes. I then used a LOT of aloe gel to solve the chemical burns on my face and scalp. An hour later I went and washed my hair out one more time before I went to bed. I still smell like carb cleaner. On the up side I still have all my hair. Nothing hurts! and um.. my door frame is glued in and looks great!

Laura

[pchast]

glad you are ok after that.

[Mary C]

you now know another reason I hate GG. I did use some other glue but the Tight Bond II held the best even though it took a while for it to dry after cutting the grass I will be gluing up some tomorrow. What is wrong with the TV. I saw that and I didn't gloss over it. When I come up next spring, I will get to show you my new to me TV and TD. I promise we will have a great time. I decided to work real hard to get the inside of the TD more done. It has cooled off and the weather is better so now is the time to really get to work. You are doing great. I wish I could come up sooner to help you, If nothing else I can be your cheerleader!!!

Mary C.

[lthomas987]

Well the bias reinforcing strips foor the wall to floor joint are glued in inside and out.

I used great stuff to fill some bigger gaps.

I am almost done with the hot wire round over tool for the outside of the wall roof joint.

I have scheduled helpers for canvas work on Saturday.

Between now and then I need to round off the edges.
Spackle the imperfections.
Sand spackle.
Sand the whole trailer.

Going to be a busy beaver

[KCStudly]

I am very interested to see how your round over hot wire rig works.

[lthomas987]

I am very interested to see how your round over hot wire rig works.

I have had great luck with other hot wire foam cutting using the solder gun. When I made the roundover I used the table saw to cut grooves in the wood so the curve could taper into nothing easily. Sadly the kerf on the saw vs the size of my copper meant that when I used a piece of PVC to round my corner it pushed too much into the groove. I probably should have done it with a hack saw (even though they're no good on wood) or something with less kerf than my table saw. So in the end it would round over foam but not too well. It was slow going and made some chunky bits in the curves that I had to clean up with a surform plane. I know somebody else on the forums made it work I was just copying him.

I just did the second side with the plane because it was faster and looked nearly as good. By the time I hit it all with a sander it should be fine. Then again my foamy is not the work of art yours is.

I do however have spackle on all my dents and divots and screw holes. Tomorrow night after dog training probably I'll sand, or maybe gorilla glue things. And sand after that's dry.

I have some friends coming over to do canvasing on Saturday. So before then I need to:

• inlet for hinge reinforcement block on back edge of roof
• inlet for break light support block
• glue in supports for galley counter
• glue in hinge reinforcement
• sand everything everywhere
• run the pokey tool over evertything everywhere
• decide if I am canvasing with Gripper or TBII so far I've been using TBII
• buy whichever I need
• decide if we're doing this in the yard or the driveway or the garage
• run the wiring for the third break light

The big list of remaining chores

• cavnas
• paint (at a minimum before winter waterproof solid white coat trim /decorative colors can wait til spring)
• mount lights
• remove underfloor insulation that obstructs fenders
• while under trailer verify I have sufficient screws in all the brackets holding the trailer to frame
• mount fenders
• build door
• install door
• install windows (including buying butyl tape)
• build and canvas hatch (thinking all foam except for some reinforcing blocks for screws) I have some ideas on this I'll share when I'm not obsessing about being ready to do the canvas work
• buy aluminum to use with living hinge (and for under part of front edge lip)
• install aluminum on front of trailer
• seal bottom of headboard area with great stuff
• install super simple electrical system

[GPW]

LT, JMHO, I’d stick (the canvas) with the TB2 ... On small areas of the FoamStream we had some canvas adhesion failures (Gripper) and had to peel it back , apply TB2 to that and re cover... No problem since ... The Gripper is a Nice PRIMER , but not as good for canvasing as TB2 which IS a Glue ... Just sayin’ ...

I went out this morning and checked on the FS roof , which parked under the Crepe Myrtle tree has some mildew on the roof ... but it’s easily cleaned and the re-glued canvas is still very Tight, as with everything else ... The curious thing about Foamies , like your growing door , is that once the canvas and paint go on , that shrinks a bit over time , and quite the opposite , the foam in summer heat Expands inside , creating a tight skin for everything ... Making the whole structure VERY Solid !!!

[lthomas987]

GPW, that is a great answer about the TBII. I have been using it all along and been very happy.

I am thinking when it comes time to paint I'm going to use either exterior house paint or maybe porch paint. Suggestions on primer for the linen anyone? I have a week or two to figure it out. I am hoping to glue/canvas this weekend. Let it sit til next weekend (maybe some trimming of fabirc and stuff) then prime the following weekend. Let that sit a bit (2-7 days), then paint.

Since I am using linen and not tarps my fabric is not as wide as my trailer roof. I was thinking I'd do one big piece the full width of the fabric back to front over the roof. Probably off center so that it can lap down over the sides a few inches. And another longer narrower piece to overlap the full width piece a few inches and lap down over the other side. I plan to roll it around a big cardboard tube and start at the back and work forward, so by the time I am doing the vertical and inverted parts most of the fabric is stuck down already and gravity is as with me as it can be.

Other options I have considered include making bias cut linen strips like I used to secure the walls to the floor and centering the fabric and lapping bias cut fabric on both edges. It would probably go around the curves nice. But I sort of fear not getting everything straight and not too stretched. Also it would take me from one roof seam to two. I could also add bias strips over the top if I don't like the way something works out.

Briefly I entertained running the length of the fabric width wise and making multiple roof joints because it would let me work with much smaller pieces of fabric. Instead I found helpers!

Sides first? or roof? (I was thinking sides, for better lapping down over the edges)
Inside or out first? (I don't have a strong opinion on this one most people seem to go outside first, but is that just to get campable faster?)
How did you all apply glue to the foam? Rollers? what nap? or pour and brush?
Would you lay down the full width fabric first or the narrower piece?

I am planning on not gluing down the edges right away but leaving them wide and floppy and when things are dry cutting them off to a uniform width and gluing them down to hopefully get a nice looking edge. DesertMoose did it that way I think and it looked great.

[GPW]

Use the Gripper for the primer... I used Gripper over the old paint and linen on the now “Nookery” ... Worked super covering all the old dark colors ...

Covering is always a tricky business ... So many ways to accomplish , and we always found out half way through there was a better way to do it ... Just take your time and do what You think is the best way ... And then , once painted , all Foamies look pretty darn Good anyway !!!

I’d cover the sides first , then over lap the roof covering on top so all overlaps point down and back away from wind and rain .. (wind whilst towing )

For the edges, the best trick was to mark the straight lines to be cut , then apply a highly thinned mixture of glue and water over the proposed cuts , so the fabric edges would stay sharp and clean ... no fraying or fuzzy edges .

[KCStudly]

I appreciate the extra description (and the compliment!), but I'm not following the details of your round over hot wire rig. Saw kerfs and PVC?

Perhaps a photo or two when you get a chance?

Regardless, you are getting good results for the amount of time you have into it.