another foamie build thread

[scuba1978]

Laura, that's it! Just a cheapo soldering gun. It seems too hot, and it tends to wander a bit, but it got the job done. I may try a different method for the other radius, such as a battery charger hooked to welding wire through a wood block.

Check out his guy's amazing use of simple hot wire jigs.

http://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=55&t=54099&start=0

[lthomas987]

I have much of his kerfing bookmarked. I don't own a battery charger. I do own a cheap soldering gun. I really liked his sliding gravity system.

[scuba1978]

Laura, a battery charger should cost $25 or so, and it would be a wise investment. I have had one, and I have lent it to friends and used it myself several times a year. My soldering gun was $15 and I ruined it for this project with less than stellar results. Also, if you plan to install a battery on your camper, the charger is nearly a neccessity. Do whatever you are comfortable with, just thought I would share my opinion. For what it's worth, I will probably not use the soldering gun again, it was just too much of a pain.

[GPW]

We did our kerfing with a small hand held router, and it made a MESS , and just worked OK (not wonderful) , Thinking that gravity sled cutter ^ is the best , especially cutting the V shaped kerf, which (theoretically ) allows the inner seams to come tightly together when bent (some Math involved) ... much nicer looking that way and when glued , much stronger, easier to finish .

[lthomas987]

So, would flux core welding wire work? or would I have to find some other sort of wire? I can be convinced to go spend $25 on a battery charger especially since it is payday.

[KCStudly]

IIRC most of the newer battery chargers won't work for hot wire cutters because they are too smart. You need a good old dumb battery charger from a garage sale.

Flux core wire is a bad idea. Solid mig wire might work, but may stretch and sag as it heats. Inconel wire works good, but costs more and may not be readily available at your local hdwr store. Some people have had good luck with guitar string.

[scuba1978]

Dang KC, I wondered how the smart chargers would work. And Laura, I tend to agree that the flux core wire might cause problems. Who knows?

[GPW]

Solid stainless steel (fishing leader ) wire worked the best for me ...guitar strings (G) break too easily ...

[lthomas987]

In the garage I found an old spool of 0.0300 regular steel welding wire! Who said chores were all bad. Spring cleaning!

[GPW]

Laura, you’ve already developed the Foamling' Spirit ... seek and you shall find !!!

[scuba1978]

GPW, you mentioned in your foamstream thread that your canvas shrunk. Was it bidirectional, or did it only shrink one way? I'm getting close enough to that point to fret over it now. I have a 75" wide camper and 72 " roll of canvas, so I wondered how much I should wrap the sides over the top?

[GPW]

Scuba, it shrinks mostly lengthwise (mine did ) ... not a problem if you allow a little extra length of canvas to trim later ...

[Mary C]

Scuba I have been watching your build since my computer died and you are doing great!!! My canvas did not shrink so much mainly because i just glued it on without stretching it so much I just laid it on, sorta smoothed it out, but of course you need to make sure you are using canvas without sizing in it. if it says stains wash out or anything like that then it has sizing, it will be harder to get the canvas to soak up the glue. just a hint!!!

Mary C.

Grits builder!!!

[scuba1978]

After a long hiatus (read: honey do's), I finally got back to the foamie. Pictures soon I promise. I finished glueing the shell together, filled some holes and gaps, shaped 2/3 of the shell with a rasp, built 1 1/2 of the cargo doors, framed one main door, built 1/2 of a main door. I still need to fill the kerfs on the rear inner radius, and I need to shape the rear 1/3 of the shell, then I will be ready to canvas the outside (well, after I cut out and frame the hole for my roof vent/fan). I estimate another 40 work hours to be campable!

[GPW]

Filling kerfs inside .... May I suggest just covering them over with something thin , like chipboard , like we used on the FoamStream ....That was Easy and made a nice smooth appearance ... Just an idea ...