Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

I've started to skin the interior of my build.
In some spots, after the fabric is glued down and is starting to dry, the fabric lifts and will
create a hard bubble or wrinkle.

Is there a way to avoid this?



Thanks
Warren

The build journal has been updated...

Warren , maybe you just need to stretch and smooth it a little more when applying..Start in the middle and work outwards ... For now , you can try a warm iron to seal it down again ... Not hot , just warm enough to activate the glue underneath ... From the pics , doesn’t look like you had any oily contaminants that prevented the glue from sticking .... That ’s about the only other cause ...

Thanks,

I thought I had it stretched out but perhaps not.
It was smooth when I left it, then was like that later.

That being said, I've been doing this for the weekend now and the results are getting better.
Thumbtacks are your freind for this job.

Warren

The inside is very hard to do! I used staples, but I still have bubbles on my.

Warren , covering does take a bit of practice , and it always gets better as you go along ... Just take your time and do a lot of pulling stretching , smoothing till it’s on real nice and tight (we’ve been using blow gun darts for tacks ) ... then keep an eye on it as it dries so you can pat down any offending bubbles before it sets up ... otherwise , the warm iron trick works after it’s dry .... I don’t know why everyone’s reluctant to try that ... all it does is cause the adhesive to go thermoplastic and re-stick itself ... (if you’re using the good household Iron , a towel underneath will help keep it clean , and protect the foam and finish ! ) Naturally too hot an iron will melt the foam Test on scraps as always , or if you have a thermometer , set it for ~ 160F , that’s good for a start and won’t melt the foam.. Try not to go above 190F .. take your time , and those bubbles will disappear Forever.. Ps. if it’s a big bubble you may punch a small hole in the middle of it to let the heated vapors to escape .. otherwise as you heat the trapped air inside , it just expands and makes the bubble BIGGER ...

This also works for flattening seams too ... What sticks up , gets ironed down ...

First, let me issue the disclaimer. I only used canvas on a small section of my foamie. But I was pretty liberal with the gripper and pulled and tugged pretty hard. I liked it best when the gripper would come up through the weave of the fabric. I then immediately primed right over the top with the Gripper. I never got any bubbles. I also did mine in September when it wasn't too hot. Maybe it's drying too quickly?

Ahh,

Mel brings up a good point.
I think weather may have played a part here.

It's been raining here for a week and a half. One hundred percent humidity and hot as 'heck'.
I was using gripper as the glue, it took a day and a half to dry.
The next day, I started using a heater to move warm air over the work and it seemed to work well
except the garage was even hotter.

GPW,
Does the iron trick work for gripper? ( Just give it a try I guess )
I have a model covering iron that may be good for this.

Warren

Warren , We found our Monokote iron a bit small for what we needed ... The household iron was better ...
Never tried it on the gripper , but it being Acrylic , like everything else , it should work ...

Another thing to think about is contaminants .... if you handle the foam a lot , you get “oils’ from your hands on it .... Glue and Oil don’t stick !!! We routinely clean areas with a "degreaser” before painting/gluing ... just a simple wipe down with a paper towel and 91% rubbing alcohol (cheap) does the deed...