#1

[ghcoe]

I was able to get quite a bit done this weekend. Weather was great for working on fomies. I finished sizing the trailer body and doors and most of the hatch.

Started smoothing with Coe's Foamie Smoothie Mix . Looks like it is going to work quite well. Just one application and I think it will hide the canvas weave enough for a smooth roll on paint job.

Application

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Half and half

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This shot shows the filled canvas vs. the raw canvas with two coats of sizing applied.

Corner

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[OP827]

That looks good! What is Coe's Foamie Smoothie Mix made of?

[ghcoe]

That looks good! What is Coe's Foamie Smoothie Mix made of?

Coe's Foamie Smoothie Mix
I took a empty gallon paint can and marked inside from the bottom up every 2". I added Glidden Gripper to the first mark, Dap ALEX PLUS caulk to the second line (about 2 tubes) and Dap Fast'N Final Lightweight Spackling to the final mark. Made about 3/4 of a gallon all together. I mixed it with a paint mixer on a drill and it came out nice and creamy.

Before application I sanded the canvas after I applied the sizing coats to knock down high points.

I found application to work best with a 4" putty knife. It goes on basically like you are painting on the primer with a putty knife instead of with a brush.

In most cases the canvas has a higher weave going in one direction. Working with the higher weave or going 45 degrees to it hides the weave the best. Basically you want to keep the putty knife gliding over the higher weave to fill in the lower areas. I was able to hide some small wrinkles fairly easily as well as some dimples.

I did not think this mix would go vary far. I have done both sides of the body, doors (one side) and roof, and still have about half the mix left still.

For me it was easy to work with and had a long work time.

[mikeschn]

Do you think this COE mix can replace vinyl spackling for major finishing and straightening?

Does it crack when it dries? How durable is it?

Mike...

[ghcoe]

Do you think this COE mix can replace vinyl spackling for major finishing and straightening?

Does it crack when it dries? How durable is it?

Mike...

I have not used vinyl spackling except in my house. Not sure how the comparison would be on a foamie. I personally think that it works good for weave filling and small detail work such as dimples and small wrinkles. I do not think I would use it for major filling though.

The mix came about from reading about canvas canoe finishing and theater set building. Paint and lightweight spackle is one formula used in one step of the canvas filling. Paint and latex caulk is used in set building to create a smooth surface in foam sets as well as different textures using different techniques. I figured I would combine the two and see what happened.

In my reading I found that latex caulking is just real thick paint. If the canvas canoe guys are using paint and lightweight spackle, and caulk is just thick paint, then yes, I think it will be durable. No cracking as of yet and it is easy to work with.

[OP827]

This is really interesting technique, it seems that a high quality finish was achieved by canvas canoe builders. Would be great to use it on trailers. I found some canvas canoe images like this for example with a nice gloss finish:





So you say that the canvas canoe builders use paint and spackle mix to fill the canvas weave before painting? Could you share where you found the information? Thanks for sharing it here!

[ghcoe]

So you say that the canvas canoe builders use paint and spackle mix to fill the canvas weave before painting? Could you share where you found the information? Thanks for sharing it here!

http://www.wcha.org/canvas-fillers/

Chris Merigold’s Water-based Filler
2 quarts gray Cecofill (now called Ekofill), applied 1 quart per day over two days.
latex house primer (50%) and lightweight spackle compound (50%), applied to finish filling the weave.

http://forums.wcha.org/showthread.php?1 ... ler-method

Scenery, Props, and Rigging

https://www.controlbooth.com/threads/va ... ipie.5128/

[bonnie]

That is very cool. Just in time too!


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[GPW]

Make it too brittle ( too much solids ) and it will tend to crack later on ... “ Fat over lean !! ” More binder (the Glue part of Paint) is indicated ... Just sayin’ ... Probably better to just use a couple coats of Primer sanded in between , or an especially THICK primer like “concrete block Filler “ ... Foam is flexible , canvas is flexible , and Latex paint is flexible , to a point ... anything not so flexible over that will crack .... Just Basic Paint 101 ...

Ps. although they do get wet ... canoes are not kept outside either ... Not the Nice ones anyway ...

[OP827]

Thanks for info George. I stared looking this up and also found this video with flexible and fireproof filler used on a canoe, this video Robson's RT-10 mastic fireproof coating should not crack as per manufacturer information. It fibre that should help to prevent cracking.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoEUPHG9BfM
Interesting that before applying the filler they quickly go with a propane torch over the canvas in the same channel , but previous video.
I am interested to know how your COE filler will work for you. I would use this technique too. If only the filler used sparingly to fill the weave to produce a smooth surface, that I hope would not carry a risk of surface cracking in future, what do you think?

[ghcoe]

what do you think?

Granted I have no long term personal experiences yet, but I do feel confident enough that it will work fine. Mix up a small batch and see what you think.

[ghcoe]

Finished up the Foamie Smoothy coating last weekend so this weekend was paint. Two coats of paint on the body, still have to finish the hatch and doors though. Might have to wait till next weekend. Once I get all the outside painting done I will be able to reassemble the doors and hatch to the body and get the windows and vent in. So I heard mention of a good product to glue windows and vents in. Not looking forward to searching the forum for the product, but if someone remembers and can let me know I would appreciate that.

One coat of foamie Smoothy mix got me to a texture I liked. I wanted a bit of texture to help hid imperfections....

Paint

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Top paint

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Side

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[KCStudly]

Looking good.

[GPW]

3M 5200 marine adhesive , sealant is what we used on the FoamStream windows ... It takes a few days to cure , but should outlast the trailer ... I’d have to CUT them out now If I wanted a change ...

[greygoos]

If I remember correctly there was a previous build done with burlap covered in a mix of lightweight joint compound and paint mixture? Wonder how that is holding up ?