FoamStream...

[dodgedartgt]

Hiya G,

If'n your planning on trashing those 13" wheels, DON"T... At least, toss them on MY trash pile! They'd come in real handy fer one'a my projects.

Since you're going to Vinnie's place anyhow, see if he'll cut you one more rib for the inside nose of the trailer. Then mount it 2ft above the floor. That way, your inside nose paneling will be supported at the floor, at 4ft and in the middle also. Mybe even notch the inside radius for some vertical 1x2 "studs".

(One of these is great for notching, cutting stuff that you don't have clearance to use a traditional saw, http://www.harborfreight.com/variable-s ... OSJ9%0D%0A This link gives you the cheaper single speed version, which is what I have, and shows all the various attachments, http://www.harborfreight.com/catalogsea ... tifunction . It was a great $20 investment, but make sure which attachments come with it if you buy one.)

What kind of covering do you plan for the inside surface of the foam?

Mike in FL

[GPW]

Mike , I’ll put em’ on the side for you , along with a whole bunch of other stuff that might come in handy for one of your projects ... someday ...
Gone , is the idea of the paneling .... too Heavy and really would only end up painting it anyway ... The final decision (?) is chipboard between the stringers ,glued directly to the foam (inner skin eh!) , then maybe a deciorative fabric , or paint job .... trying to keep the post modern Industrial look , like the inside of a submarine , that’s what's with the small windows with small screens ....
Some of the other areas will be covered with a Heavy Kraft paper ... too thick to wrap things with .. cut and paste ... and paint ... I’m sure the decor will evolve over time ...

My double secret plan is a rolling Sports Bar with Two coolers , posters on the walls , Christmas lights ,bean bag chairs, and a BIG flat screen TV .... You are all now sworn to secrecy !!! No telling “you know who” ...

[atahoekid]

Hey GPW. I go away on a business trip and again you make great progress!!! Sounds like you'll need to carry double the ballast if we're turning this into a sports bar!!!! Woo Hoo

[KCStudly]

Do I see a trend? Maybe if Atahoekid takes a bunch of trips before hurricane season hits full force, GPW will get 'er done?

Just kidding. Geep, you are truly blazing a new trail now and she is looking super fine!

(I am still voting for the Jeanie lantern interior.)

[mezmo]

Hi GPW,

Just go with the smaller tires and don't worry about fenders.

Instead of fenders, get some aluminum flashing and use a piece
of it twice as long as what would run @ 6inches in front and behind
the tire diameter, fold that back on itself to double the thickness.
Adhere the insides of the doubled sheets to each other with silicone
caulk. [To help provide more stiffness to the flashing.]
Then adhere that to the under floor centered over the tire,
with the silicone caulk or fasten otherwise. [You'd probably have to
clamp it if adhered with the caulk until it set though.] Then install
mudflaps fore and aft of the tire.
-OR-
If you wanted to get fancy with the doubled aluminum flashing,
instead of mudflaps, you could extend the doubled flashing length
long enough to allow you to make 6-8 inch deep [high] pseudo
fender ends. It could all be one piece of doubled flashing, that
looked at from the side, would look like two large "V"s, one in
front and the other behind the tire. I'd put an inch or two long "wing"
at the top of the "V fore and aft too to allow that to be used to
secure that side of the "Vs" to the FS under floor as the other sides
would be secured by the long section of doubled flashing above the tire.
It wouldn't use but @ 1/8 inch of the clearance above the tires.

Cheers,
Norm/mezmo

[GPW]

Thanks guys , Just rolling along now , despite the Heat (85F here now already ) ... Thinking I need 2 coolers now ... and a big fan ...

Got the wife up to speed on the latest things we need to get ... All approved by the Finance Minister ... Ordering windows, AC, and tires today ... Then going out and doing more sanding ... Once we get everything in that needs a cutout (windows and AC) we can make the proper holes in the foam , then apply the canvas the right way ...

Flashing fenders sounds interesting ... I need to talk to the sheet metal man by Vinnies' ... He can whip something out pretty quick ...

[tac422]

Hi GPW,
I've been watching your build, btw, it looks GREAT !
I enjoy watching it come together
I've got a couple questions if you don't mind ...
How exactly are you planning on applying the canvas ?
After tons of reading ... I'm thinking a coat of regular Glidden Gripper on the foam, apply damp canvas over top while the gripper is still wet, and then apply a thinned coat of the gripper on top of the canvas ?
Looking at Mike's foamie teardrop build, his canvas shrunk significantly as soon as it got wet, not when it was drying . But if you size it first, you won't get any shrinkage, (tension) and shouldn't there be some ?
Have you tested your new canvas for shrinkage yet ?
Also he had a problem with not adhering on the edges... would it work to put a coat on the edges of both the foam and the canvas , let it dry, and then apply the canvas ?
Thanks in advance

[GPW]

Tac, This time , the canvas is soooo THICK , I’m thinking of just applying it dry over the fresh Gripper ... All basically flat areas (though curved) so that should be easy , except for maybe the round part of the nose ... but we’ll deal with that when the time comes (think hot air balloon and gores) . Then we’re going to let the whole thing dry (24hrs. ),making Darn sure everything is stuck down well , and just paint over the canvas direct with the latex Gloss house paint ... no extra coat of Gripper on the outside of the canvas except maybe just over the seams . ( I really don’t mind if the seams show )
All experimental , new to me using the Gripper ... so we’ll all benefit from the experience , one way or the other ... I’m actually counting on a little bit of shrinking to tighten things up ...
BTW , looks like covering has been delayed till we get the windows and AC in and get those cutouts made ...... Trying to do it right ...

Been sanding foam all morning ... nasty sweaty work , but somebody’s gotta’ do it eh ???
Found out a good trick , the hard way ... When sanding seams filled with Great Stuff... Do NOT press hard on the sandpaper (block or sander) ... that only compresses the GS, and it pops back out later on ...A very LIGHT touch with sharp new paper cuts rather than compresses the GS , allowing a nice flat surface... let the grit of the paper do the work ... not you...

[GPW]

Just got off the phone with Vinnie’ , asked him about some door wood (for the outer frame) ... he said he has some nice sinker cypress and would cut some pieces for me to the required 2” thickness ... Just figuring this would make a good door wood as it’s light , strong , and if it sat at the bottom of the bayou for the last 100 years and didn’t rot , it should be fine on a door ... for a while anyway ... Another problem solved ..."with a little help from my friends " Too bad we have to cover over it with canvas ... it’s a pretty Butterscotch color when finished... with any luck , maybe we can get him to cut some for an inner door face frame (decorative) , just finished natural in a good poly ... (the mix)

[GPW]

Just got off the phone with the Nice lady at FrankBear’s site... Got my windows ordered... That’s on the way ... These are probably the only things where the FS will have a chance at a more “finished” look ... If the windows look good , everything else doesn’t look so bad either ...

Busy day today , too HOT to sand anymore , so might as well yak on the phone , get the business stuff done ...

[GPW]

Managed to pretty much finish up the exterior surface sanding except for a couple touch up spots... Lots of area but it wasn't so bad, all hand sanded... stayed hydrated and kept working away . Tomorrow , the door ...

[Mary C]

When I was looking for the wheels and tires for my little boat trailer the cheapest I found was at Harbor Freight. Where did you find yours? I need a spare.

Mary C.

[tonyj]

Just got off the phone with Vinnie’ , asked him about some door wood (for the outer frame) ... he said he has some nice sinker cypress and would cut some pieces for me to the required 2” thickness ... Just figuring this would make a good door wood as it’s light , strong , and if it sat at the bottom of the bayou for the last 100 years and didn’t rot , it should be fine on a door ... for a while anyway ... Another problem solved ..."with a little help from my friends " Too bad we have to cover over it with canvas ... it’s a pretty Butterscotch color when finished... with any luck , maybe we can get him to cut some for an inner door face frame (decorative) , just finished natural in a good poly ... (the mix)

Don't worry about the cypress, but don't you dare paint it! Used extensively in the 1800-1900's for molding and trim (and painted). I have window screens on my house constructed from cypress and painted. 60+ years and I am now applying their third coat of paint. No rot, no insect infestations. A great exterior wood. For exterior applications, i prefer some type of penetrating sealer (Penofin, thomsons) just to give some add'l protection. The fabric, foam and glue will probably go long before the cypress. It is prone to checking and cracking, depending on moisture and drying cycles.

On the canvas--not doing anything to pre-shrink?

[GPW]

Mary , check the Wal Mart ... Their tire prices were reasonable , and no shipping ... just the usual local taxes... The HF spare looked kinda’ wimpy to me ... but it may be OK ...

TJ, That cypress is Nice huh !!!
No ,not pre- shrinking the canvas ...this stuff is so thick I don’t think it would shrink much anyway ... I can’t seem to stretch it by hand ... It’s THICK ... The linen canvas used to cover Foamie #1 was like paper compared to this stuff ... it’s too heavy for a tent ... not even that easy to cut ... Should provide Excellent skin strength for the outer shell .. If it shrinks a little bit , then good !!
Thinking it’s not only the canvas that shrinks , but the paint too ... Latex (acrylic) paints do shrink during drying as the lose volume as the water (solvent) content evaporates ...Thinking maybe some of the shrinking is not only due to the canvas...
We’re going to apply the canvas dry over the Gripper , smoothing it out and attaching as we go ...so there really shouldn’t be much chance for shrinking ... besides , pre-shrinking 20 yards of canvas could be unwieldy .. and would never be as flat as it is now on the roll ... Doing this all by myself , I have to use the easiest way possible ...not like we’ve never done this before ... I’ve been stretching canvas and painting on it for many many years ...It’s my profession eh !!!

[GPW]

Since we’re getting around to covering (and it’s raining again ) Drew up a covering plan (Yes, another drawing )...The outer skin is one of the most important parts of a Foamie, and done right should be trouble free for many years ...

Ps. we will be using a chalk line for accurate canvas layout and straight seam lines ...