Tear that Coroplast Built - Maiden Voyage

[Todah Tear]

I finally got my coroplast tear campible! I have been toying with the idea a few years ago. After doing a few adhesion and paint test, I started a build last summer. It got too hot to work in the garage, so I had to stop until it cooled off. Anyway, I took it on its maiden voyage to the Beavers' Bend annual gathering. Its a 5 x 9 (I added a foot) with a pull-out 4ft extension. It held together fantastically. It took the wind, the trucks passing, and passing trucks like a champ (402 miles, round trip). The cherry on top of the Sunday is that it only weighs 580 LBS!

The bulges that you'll see are spots where the Great Stuff expanded. It took a little time for me to figure how much to use for just adhesion.

I'll add more photos later. The system started churning, so I had to abandon photo upload.

Here you go!













Todah

[SteveW]

Do like! Can't wait to see more photos and get some description, especially of the extension.

[StPatron]

I had the privilege this past weekend of seeing the latest build from this extremely talented and ingenious builder. Thanks for the tour and the detailed build discussion. Very impressive! Yes, you read that right... 5 x 13 = 580 lbs!

The coroplast sandwich is surprisingly strong. She had an oval piece that I think was the window cut-out for demonstration purposes. I couldn't bend it and the ability to withstand impact is an added bonus. The 4' slide-out is easily extended with minimal effort.

Add the artistry that she incorporates in her builds and this one stands out in the crowd. Very well done, Todah Tear!

Those who desire a lightweight camper would be wise to take notice.

[Todah Tear]

The extension's sides and roof are made from 10mm coroplast. The footings of the side are the metal rails (Lowes) that are used for floating ceiling. They slide on the carpet like a sleigh. It can be slide in and out by one person easily. The flooring for the extension is 10mm coroplast with carpet on it, in hinged sections so that it will fold up while the teardrop is in transit. The supports for the extension are 12"x18" foam blocks that are feather-light. They are free from Northern Tool Supply. They usually throw them away (If you decide to ask them for some, don't tell Northern Tools exactly what you are going to do with them. Just tell them they are for an art project. If they know that the blocks are very useful, they may start to charge for them.)

Thanks Gary for the props. Your build is was very impressive, artful, and meticulously done!

Hey, if you get a chance, it would be nice to have that cloth vest-leash that Dewey was wearing.

Todah

[GPW]

So Todah , what was the best glue for the corroplast ... just the Great Stuff ... ??? That’s pretty COOL !!! I always had trouble getting anything to stick to it ... Glad you got it to work !!!

More pics please !!!

[eaglesdare]

that is fantastic! your tear looks really nice.


now can you tell me more about that great stuff? you mentioned something about adhesion. please tell me more.

[Todah Tear]

Thanks guys. I have loaded more pics in my album. I think that I might have more of the earlier stages, but I haven't located one of my cameras. I did have camera issues back then though.

BONDING:
As far as using great stuff as an adhesive, I tested Great Stuff foam on two small panels after I researched coroplast. You have to lay down a thin layer of GS on the coroplast, smear GS around ****with a gloved hand or something other than your bare hand. Next while the GS is still wet and not expanded, place the next layer of coroplast or wood on the layer of GS. If forming a sandwich panel, place another thin layer of GS on top of the last material, then another sheet of coroplast (See pic in album.) Place something flat on top and place weight on top keep the GS from expanding too much.

PAINTING:
You can spray GS on the desired coroplast and smear. Let the thin layer expand, then paint it. This will give a textured look.
OR
When I tested, adhesion enhancer (like the kind for painting plastic bumpers) worked well. However, Fusion paint (or paint for plastic) plus regular paint on top worked as well. Start by spraying a very, very thin layer of plastic paint on the coroplast. Give it a 10 minutes or so to dry, then add another thin layer of plastic paint. Let the 2nd layer get semi-dry, then spray on any color and kind of paint that you want.

[CliffinGA]

Looks great Todah! Did you use the regular great stuff or did you use the minimal expanding GS/

Cliff & Sheri

[Todah Tear]

I used the regular GS, the one for around windows and doors. They have another one for large gaps that can be used to fill large voids.

Also, (correction) ETERNABOND not Elastobond tape adheres really, really well to coroplast. Warning, where ever the Eternabond makes contact, it stays. When using it only peel back about 6" of the cover paper at a time. For thin layers, you can remove it by rolling a little in a ball and dabbing it on the spot that you want to remove (Like removing sticky gum with another piece of gum.) I used it to seal edges. If I had to relocate a screw, I rolled a tiny piece into a ball and worked it into the empty nail hole. I can't say enough about Eternabond. However, it is pricey, but worth every penny, correction dollar.

(correction) SCOTCH double-sided tape (not 3m) also adheres well to coroplast.

Todah

[Wobbly Wheels]

I read a thread about this stuff a while ago. IIRC, it was panned because of how difficult it would be to glue - glad someone actually put in the effort to figure it out.

In your opinion, would this be better for someone who is just looking for a fast cheap trailer that you might get a couple seasons' worth of camping out of or does it seem to be a fairly sturdy and permanent structure ?

[Todah Tear]

...In your opinion, would this be better for someone who is just looking for a fast cheap trailer that you might get a couple seasons' worth of camping out of or does it seem to be a fairly sturdy and permanent structure ?

Well, it will not be cheap cost-wise. There is a chemical that is used in coroplast that is also used in oil refining. When you see the cost of gas go up, there will also be a rise in the cost of coroplast. What happens is the suppliers of that chemical reduce what they will provide to coroplast manufactures and dedicate it to the oil industry. When a product is harder to come by, but the demand remains the same, the price increases. I found this out last summer. (Let me add a caveat, again: If you decide to purchase coroplast for building a tear, do not tell the supplier that. Once it is known that there is a new market, the price will increase.)

Secondly, it will not be cheap quality-wise either. In my humble opinion, I think that it should last fairly long if taken care of. I have an old political sign that has been on my patio for over six years and it has not broken down. Yes, it may be partially blocked by an Adirondack chair, but my patio faces West and the Texas sun is intense.

When a coroplast camper is not in use, I would keep it covered with a tarp that has UV protect built in. The coroplast that I used has UV protection in it already, but every bit helps. If you look closely in the picture of the interior of my tear, the one where you can see the carpet and the shelves, notice there are a few wooden verticle boards that provide support. The perimeter is wood (Although in hinesight, I don't feel that is really necessary. There are alternatives...lessons learned.) Coroplast is sturdy and intended for exterior use, however it is not indestructible. Like everything else, extreme heat will have an effect on it (BTW, I don't camp in extreme heat.) ...but it will be back to it normal state when the extreme heat is removed. I used a soldering iron to make pilot holes for some of my pop rivets.

The advantages that I weighed were, the tremendous weight reduction, sturdiness, and the fact that I won't have to re-apply spar urethane every year. Someone already mentioned in one ther foam threads, but it is great to be able to lift a side panel with ease and w/o assistance. Coroplast is fun to work with, but you have to think through how you are going to mount things. Don't get me wrong, I still like the look and feel of the wooden teardrops and will build others. But I have a Kia Soul and I wanted to build something that I could pull with it. It has a limit of 850 LBS. ...now I just need to get a hitch installed.

Todah

[Wobbly Wheels]

Thanks Todah. I too am building to a weight constraint for pulling with a 4cyl Ranger. I'm using glass and foam but I've had this idea in my head since it was kicked around in one of the threads. Further to my question about durability, I'm working on a boathouse and the owner has some coroplast cutouts that his kids painted years ago but the plastic crumbles away when you handle them. That said, they've been hanging on the outside wall exposed to sun, rain and salt spray. His son is graduating high school this year so it's been at least ten years: far longer than I would expect to get out of such a trailer, personally.

Someone already mentioned in one ther foam threads, but it is great to be able to lift a side panel with ease and w/o assistance

Lol, that might have been me - I'm building a 6X13 foam standie without an extra set of hands (Mike's got a big one on the go too)
One of the applications for coroplast that I've been thinking of is for drawerboxes and the door to the head (though I may just use a curtain). I have a cheap particle-board pantry in the house that uses a piece of coroplast for the door and, within its frame, it seems sturdy enough to do that job and will let a bit of light through while still providing privacy.
I've got FOAF who is a signmaker, so I'm not too worried about getting a good price on the stuff...if it's going to work...

You're happy with pop rivets and backing washers ?
If you bend with the 'grain', will it bend a decent 90 degree corner (for a box) or do you think it would be better made from separate panels like a plywood box (assuming thinner stock than the 10mm you used - I'm guessing 1/4") ?

[Todah Tear]

Brian,

I built a storage shed out of the the plastic "ripple" sheets that they sell at Lowes. It too has been exposed to heat and rain, NO salt spray. It has held up very well for the past 8 years. The only deteriation that has occured has come from the lawn folks hitting the lower part of the sheets with the weed wack...even though I put metal protection around it from about 4" up.

To your question about using coroplast for drawers, at the place where I work, we have some of our parts shipped in coroplast boxes/containers. Some of them sit outside in the heat until that are needed.

As far as bending 90 degrees, 4mm will bend at a right angle. If I were using 6mm-10mm, I would just use two pieces married together by bracketry or wood. You could seal the edges with duct tape...or eternabond.

[GPW]

Todah , thanks for all the information about the construction and gluing !!! I’ve used Corroplast in the past for making model planes and it worked Great for that ... But we’ve seen the political signs (the corroplast you can get for free) deteriorate after about 5 years ... Starts to split... my neighbor covered up some hay with old political signs ,and now it’s all split and shards after 5 years ... ... Maybe there are different “grades” of the basic material ??? Maybe it’s all just a matter of painting the material ... as it seems to be a sunlight thing ...
You sure managed to get a lot of space with such light weight ... I’m sure with higher gas prices and smaller cars , we’ll all be looking for such light camping trailers in the future...

[Todah Tear]

... I’ve used Corroplast in the past for making model planes and it worked Great for that ... But we’ve seen the political signs (the corroplast you can get for free) deteriorate after about 5 years ... Starts to split... my neighbor covered up some hay with old political signs ,and now it’s all split and shards after 5 years ...

You are welcome GPW.

(Disclaimer: The following is not intended as a smart-mouthed response. It is just a statement of truthfull purpose .) I have presented my build. I am not trying to sell anyone on coroplast. I used it because I felt, and still feel, that is it a good building material. Every builder has to decide which material he/she feels most comfortable using. One has to use his/her own best judgement. If a person has reservations about coroplast, then they should use what they feel comfortable using.

Even when I have built/owned a woodie tear, I did not leave it exposed to the elements year round. When I wasn't camping in it, it was either stored in my enclosed garage or outside fully coverd by a tarp. With most things that we own, the life cycle of the item is a factor of the care put into maintaining that item. If you take care of a coroplast tear as like you would with a teardrop made of any other material, there is not reason why it should not give you many years of service.

Todah