The Poet Creek Express - Foamie Hybrid

[tac422]

Hmm. I didn't see any examples of bull nose that would wrap around a radius profile, like my hatch or front 15 inch radius.

KC,
Here's where I used plastic bullnose drywall molding in my build thread viewtopic.php?f=55&t=56441&start=15

To get the tighter radius, I trimmed a little bit off every little section with scissors so it wouldn't overlap. I used both the rounded bullnose and the regular corner bead. I attached it using Gripper.
I'm very happy with it.

[Fred Trout]

KC,
Here's where I used plastic bullnose drywall molding in my build thread viewtopic.php?f=55&t=56441&start=15

To get the tighter radius, I trimmed a little bit off every little section with scissors so it wouldn't overlap. I used both the rounded bullnose and the regular corner bead. I attached it using Gripper.
I'm very happy with it.

Clever. Had any problem with delamination in the sun mentioned by others ? Seemed unlikely to me.

[KCStudly]

Okay, I'm off to read the big pink thread again. Does the bull nose have a raised edge? It looks like it sits proud and has to be buttered up or would leave an edge.

Sanded the curb side roof and hatch edges flush to the wall, and sanded the kerf bumps on the front and top rear radii. Pics and a video when I get to it.

[KCStudly]

Well, TPCE got its first big jolt of a kinetic energy last night. Call it a shock load test. Unintentional with a big scab of foam and wood “bark” scrapped off of the curb side thrown in for good measure.

As I was preparing to continue sanding the roof panels fair to the spars, Karl said to me as he was retiring to the house for the evening, “Let me know if you need a hand tipping it up and I’ll come back out to help you.” Me, “It’s not that big of a deal, I’ll just carry the floor jack up the stairs and use that.” Karl made a skeptical like gesture , “Really, it’s no trouble. I’ll come back out.” Me, “I’ll be fine” (that was my "here, hold my beer" moment).

So after working the curb side down and doing a little touch up here and there I get the jack; put a waster scrap of vinyl plank on the jack pad so it doesn’t dig into the underside of the floor; position the jack under the curb side approximately adjacent to the CG and at a marked cross member location for the floor frame; get some blocking ready; and start jacking. I’m watching the cradle to make sure that it doesn’t slip off the 2x blocks on the other side; totally forgot to empty the stored stuff out of the cabin, but that didn’t seem to be bothered anyway; keeping an eye out to make sure nothing tips wonky; and totally forgot to make sure that the jack was rolling on the wooden floor.

The jack has to roll as it rises to keep the pad from slipping out of position, but with the plank floor and slippery vinyl pad, the wheels stayed put and the pad pulled out from under the floor as the jack arm swung thru its arc. The cabin side, which had been at least 12 inches up in the air, came crashing back down in a blink; and as it did it swung back into the edge of the jack pad, which dug into the foam on the side wall, caught the underside lip of the fender blocking and tore a big sliver out of that edge.

Just one more “little” flaw that will need attention during the body working phase.

The cabin seemed to otherwise be unscathed from being dropped with a raucous thump. No surprise, really, the thing is rigid as hell and is built to go bouncing down the road at pace, so will probably see much bigger “hits” than that on a regular basis (“hits” referring to the energy impact of a pothole or bump in the road… hopefully we won’t revisit the side gouge in normal usage).

Hmm, okay. I can still do this. Take two. This time I sat with my back up against the window knee wall with my feet on the back of the jack and as I lifted I made sure that the jack pushed in under as it lifted. Once up to the desired level I used those 4x4 chunks of Ipe as jack stands under the raised edge of the cradle. I wasn’t too happy with the stability of that due to the shipping hatch planks having a little spring to them and being on a seam. At this point the curb side was high enough up and the balance point had shifted enough to the street side (…rocking about the street side cradle edge that is set in under the side of the floor…) that I could get down on all fours and use my shoulder to nudge it up enough to get a milk crate under the center. From there I shimmed the Ipe blocks up a little more and was happy with the stability. A little sketchy, and I for sure would not leave it this way unattended for any length of time (for fear that heat from the sun might soften the milk crate or some other equally dope issue), but it was enough for me to get the rough fairing done in the middle of the roof. Maybe next time I will use jack stands.

Then I reversed the process to lay it back down. Before tipping the cabin I shot some video of me sanding the roof panels and that used up the camera batteries, so I didn’t get any pictures of the process, but will take some of the carnage tonight and will have an opportunity again when I move to the next grit. I would have knocked it out all in one go, but when I peeled the coarse paper off of the long board it took a chunk of the plywood fibers with it and I had to fill that back in before I could tack the next grit to the board.

I wonder what Karl will say when he sees the gouge.

[capnTelescope]

[tac422]

Clever. Had any problem with delamination in the sun mentioned by others ? Seemed unlikely to me.

No problem with delamination at all.

Does the bull nose have a raised edge? It looks like it sits proud and has to be buttered up or would leave an edge.

The thin plastic edge sits on top of the foam, and could be "buttered up"... (it wouldn't take much, it's not very thick) but I didn't do that, and it looks pretty good.

[KCStudly]

I guess it wasn't really that bad. Just one of those potentially catastrophic moments that could have turned much worse. Controlled chaos, if you will.

Hey Brad, I've been meaning to tell you (if i haven't already) that I really like your new signature pic. Very cool.

[Wolffarmer]

I guess it wasn't really that bad. Just one of those potentially catastrophic moments that could have turned much worse. Controlled chaos, if you will.

Hey Brad, I've been meaning to tell you (if i haven't already) that I really like your new signature pic. Very cool.

Not like burning your shop down with your trailer project inside.

[KCStudly]

Nope. Nothing that bad. Heaven forbid and there but for the grace of dumb luck go I.

[capnTelescope]

Not like burning your shop down with your trailer project inside.

Randy, that is too much. I can't handle it.

I really like your new signature pic. Very cool.

Thank you, KC. One of my Kahleefoornya camping buds took it. I liked it too.

And whatever you do, don't burn down Karl's shop!

[Wolffarmer]

Not like burning your shop down with your trailer project inside.

Randy, that is too much. I can't handle it.

Actually that was me before the fire. You should see me now.

[Sheddie]

Not like burning your shop down with your trailer project inside.

Jeez!!!! Don't even mention things like that That is really tempting fate.
Oh well it could have been much worse. After all filler comes in all sizes.

[KCStudly]

Just to be clear for those of you who may not have caught it, Randy/Wolffarmer did have a pretty serious fire in one of his out buildings and lost a bunch of stuff to heat and smoke damage.

Don't be so hard on yourself, Randy. But then again, joking about it some can have a healing affect, too.

I'm off to load pics and vids, so stay tuned.

[Wolffarmer]

I just got rid of some of the things holding me down. Now to sell off the rest so I can cast off the lines and set sail on the open road for the few years I am able. Wheres Rollie been?

[KCStudly]

Let’s get caught up with pictures and videos.

In this mostly accelerated 3:16 min vid I start out by trimming the overhanging roof foam excess at the front radius and front wall edges with the steak knife. Those areas were overhanging a good 1/4 inch or more. Then I switch to the coarse 36 grit block and take it down close to the finished surface; then I finish with 100 grit wrapped around a longer piece of 1x2. Note that Karl and I both fuss over the end of the hatch foam near the hinge spar. That’s where I smacked the sanding board into the edge of the hatch foam several times and broke a chunk out (still pics below).
Sanding Curb Side Roof Edge

Here’s an in process pic, looking from front to back along the curb side roof edge.


Further along.


Then I went on and did the edge of the hatch. I should have done these together as one big job. If I had I might not have hit this edge so hard or so many times.


Once I removed the excess the damaged area wasn’t so bad, but it will still need some filler (will probably us GS).


Using a strip of 1x2 wrapped with a sheet length piece of 100 grit, I got a little sloppy with my fingers hanging onto the edges of the block and gouged the edge of the hatch with my finger nail. This will all go away when I round the edge over, but it was a lesson learned; I used the small oak block to quickly sand my fingernails down and prevent recurrence.


I had a little more time, so I attacked the facets from the kerfing on the front and top rear profile radii. I used the small oak block working in an alternating diagonal motion up and down along the radii constantly moving from side to side to take the low crests off of the creases caused by bending at the kerfs. I have a little more work to do, but it didn’t take too much to make a big difference. You can really feel the difference when you run your hand along the profile.



Yesterday I roughed the top surface of the roof panels down on the curb side using the curved long board and 36 grit. The technique is to keep the board parallel to the long axis (to match the curve of the profile), but to work in a crisscross diagonal pattern to keep from hogging out any one spot. The length of the board ensures that it rides over at least two roof spars at any given time. Link below is to an accelerated 3:13 min vid. Note that when I use the vacuum I am careful to keep the corrugated vacuum hose from dragging on the edge of the roof, lest it act like a big rasp and “bark” off chunks of the foam.
Fairing Curb Side Roof Foam with Curved Long Board

Here’s a minor example of a vacuum hose bark. This spot will get cleaned up with the round over, but could quickly become much worse if I was careless.


Here’s the big boo boo from the incident with the jack. Nice hardy bark, about 2-1/2 inches wide x 3 inches tall. Kind of left a shingled effect the way the foam chattered and tore.


Here’s the patch to the long board before sanding the filler back smooth to the contour.


I tried not to get too carried away posting all of the still shots I took of the roof fairing progress after 100 grit, just in case they all look the same as the rough in, but you can at least see how the foam is all pretty fair to the spars, and how the texture is starting to look smooth again (at least on the outer two fifths… still need to finish the middle section, but ran out of time tonight). Still a little work to do at the transition from top roof arc to front radius, too.







I’m reminded of the old one liner, “I just flew in from Cincinnati and, boy, are my arms tired”. But not really as the foam sands fairly easily.

Rolling along.