Thrifty Alternatives ..Building Foam Campers

[GPW]

Eagle , glad you found a use for that wood ... I’m re doing my garden this weekend ... Spring’s already here...

Fused Plastic bags ??? Er , NO!!!! Although the layers of bag were indeed fused together and it appeared to stick to the foam , melted through in some spots ... it didn’t stick to the foam very well and more Heat was not the answer.... so Nix that idea ... Oh well... we tried !!!



Still might be good for a rain hat ...

[linuxmanxxx]

That's eps xps would have much higher melting point so do you have any of that blue foam left to try it on?

[GPW]

Sure do ... I’ll give it a go , see what happens ...

[GPW]

OK, gave it a quick try on the Blue .... NADA!!! Got to the point I was melting the Blue foam , and yes it stuck , but was still easy to tear off ... Still amazing how the bags melt together to form one thicker piece... Useless in this case ...

[SteveW]

Okay, not quite ready for a build thread, but I ordered my axle and trailer hitch today.

[KCStudly]

I'd say you're ready for a build thread cuz now that you've committed funds (and admitted it) there is no turning back.

[eaglesdare]

Okay, not quite ready for a build thread, but I ordered my axle and trailer hitch today.

[pete42]

Brian said "I'm sure there must be somebody here who's had the pleasure of polishing metal aircraft skin ?"

I never knew the wings of an aero-commander 100 were that big until I started washing and then waxing them.
sold it bought a Cessna 150 darn if the wings didn't seemed just as big.
I worked for a FBO one summer washing planes never waxed any until I got my own,
my own airplane that is, I'm far from getting my own wings, at least I hope I am.

[Wobbly Wheels]

Lol, the chief instructor at the school was restoring a 150. I remember him commenting once that, if he didn't have students to do the 'legwork', he would have painted it. That is a lot of square footage to polish for such a small plane. That old Viscount was a patchwork of shiny and corroded spots - I couldn't imagine doing the whole belly.

[eaglesdare]

hate this weather. all week its been high 70's, low 80's, perfect weather. so i work on the garden. so this morning i go to lowes, get stuff for the floor to the trailer and wouldn't you know it, it drops down to 50's. so i had to pack up and get into the house. i was also watching the grandaughter who is 2, and its just too cold for her out there. and since i did not take any pics, this is what i did not get done. (i really did get it done, just no pics). the frame for the sandwich floor has been cut out, but only got 1 pieces glued. need more screws now. i have finally decided to go with the sandwhich floor. it is not perfect by any means of the word, far from it. but i figured really once its glued and screwed and bolted down to the frame it will be fine.
once i get it to looking like a floor i will take a pic. i will admit, this type of floor is a pita!!!!!!!!

[eaglesdare]

ok, this build is not going to be as easy as we originally thought. i will try to get out there and take pics of some of the problems we are facing. hubby and i had a heavy (another arguement) about this darn thing. anyway, the floor itself lends to 2 areas of problems. 1 is the frame/box/lip what ever you want to call it, but the wood slids into it, and the other problem is where the light wires are, they are enclosed in a tube that runs almost the lenght of the trailer. it sticks out towards the inside of the trailer about 1/2 inch.
so as hubby and i were discussing this, we decided just to use 1/2 foam around the perimeter, then just build the floor and drop it in. that part is fine, but then there is the approx 9-11 inch sides (the side wall rail), with that 1/2 space, the foam will have to be fit to this. those side short walls are going to have to slide into the space, not dropped down.
now each of these things are not a problem individaully, but as a unit they are. how on earth do we do a wrap (the sock). after hubby started talking, and i started to really see this as we are really getting to think step by step, well its about impossible to do this.

i understand the sock very well. but i just don't see this sock taking place here. i know i can't describe it very well. if the sun will ever come thru the fog i will get out there today with the camera.

my only other thought to this is to build the floor wrapped, drop down. then those small side walls, wrapped, then slide in. now each of these has to be done over time also, because i have to paint them before being bolted to frame. other wise, i will never beable to get to the canvas for painting. so like i said, i can finish the floor completely, bolt down. finish the short rail/side walls completely, slide in and bolt to rails. then those wing/lip part with the top shell can be build off trailer with an over hang of canvas, then once its down on the trailer, that overhang can be glued to the inside of the rail/side walls. possibly laid across the top of the floor a few inches. then on top of that a finish of sometype on the floor.

so while i understand the wrap of the canvas theory, i wonder if the wrap will be just as good on the inside rather than the outside. as seriously that is the only way i see at this time. i know i am just rambling right now, but it is helping me to understand my problem.

[linuxmanxxx]

Whoaaaaa louella you are worried about nothing. Just build all your bottom with sandwich walls with luan and then only worry about wrapping from the top of the rails up problem solved. On the side walls to the outside epoxy them to waterproof them and just treat your inner luan walls however you want and your issues are resolved. I looked at that style of trailer and immediately thought the tubes with the wiring would be an issue especially with me building my storage area door framing. Change your mode of thinking to building the lower part as a traditional sandwich and then do foam wrapped upper part above the rails and you will still come in very light.

[eaglesdare]

i am about ready to scrap this sandwich floor! i want to pull my hair out. i am thinking about getting rid of it and just going with wood. this is a pain in the arse!!!!!!!!!! uuuuggggggg.
so far i have the frame built (for sure not perfect). i have the luan on with glue at the moment, and lots of stuff sitting on top, did not have enough clamps and they wouldn't work in the middle anyway. tomorrow i will cut foam to fit, and see how it does. but i am about ready just to give it to the old man.

[GPW]

PATIENCE Eagle !!! Just another design problem to solve ... THINK, don’t go get frustrated !!!

[linuxmanxxx]

What is being a pain? I've built many of them now and can easily tell you the shortcuts that save a lot of time and frustration. I had mine built and skinned in about 3 hrs total by myself and only needed help sticking the final luan on it. I just cut the foam to the width of the row I'm cutting and then mark it from edge to edge and cut a square mark the next cut it and go with it. Doesn't have to be perfect btw just filling in most of the space. Did you ever go get that cheap air nailer I listed before? You really should and it makes all this go mucho faster.