The Astroliner

[dales133]

Yea i know nothing about filon but it's always going to be a delicate area on any build

[Atomic77]

I don't know anything about filon either! But I guess it's about figuring it out as you go. By the time this project is finished, I will have a good education.

[OP827]

I don't know anything about filon either! But I guess it's about figuring it out as you go. By the time this project is finished, I will have a good education.

That's right, we all will!

[Eulalia]

Look out, you may just become the resident expert on all things Filon by the time this build is on the road. A worthy position, since there have been many questions about it.

Good luck on the build, it's looking great!

[Atomic77]

Look out, you may just become the resident expert on all things Filon by the time this build is on the road. A worthy position, since there have been many questions about it.

Good luck on the build, it's looking great!

Thank you very much. We've really learned a lot about it. and I love the idea of it. Wash and go, laughs at dents, corrosion free... and I've learned quite a bit about the theory of it all. I guess I will be the guinea pig for testing of the practical usage. I vacuum bonded the walls and I am happy with the result. Now to get this roof done so we can see how it does!

[Atomic77]

Some things of note that I thought about because of something OP mentioned. Each spar in the roof was set into a pocket and epoxied into place. The roof Luan was epoxied into the wall Luan with an overlapping edge, to cap the wall. Then the Filon on the roof will be epoxied into the Filon on the wall. I know there will be linear expansion, but my gamble is going to be that it won't be enough of a force to be an issue. But still...it's just a gamble. Based on little actual experience. It all just makes me think floating it will give it the best chance of moving where it wants to move without it being noticeable. I do like a monolithic look. But there were actually two other reasons I chose not to go with an edge molding. I went to the RV wholesale place locally, and looked through their edge moldings. After finding just a couple that I like they gave me a 4 foot sample piece to take home and try. It just could not make the bend on the radius in front. So that was an issue. Issue number two is... I've yet to put any screw holes in the body of this thing. Therefore, I'm not real crazy about drilling a bunch of holes for an edge molding. That's why I think I can epoxy this thing to death, make a good joint and end up with something that's rather unique, looks sharp, and has the potential to never leak. Plus, I work on boats everyday and it just makes sense to me to have an all fiberglass camper... Maybe I'll flip it over and make a boat out of it.

[dales133]

Good points Micheal and it will look great without the edge mold, it's just a matter of research research and more research like everything else when it comes to building these things.
You'll get there mate

[Atomic77]

Thanks man I appreciate it.

[Atomic77]

So I have been thinking about the fact that I could potentially put this roof on without a single screw or screw hole in it. I realize the roof fans are designed to be screwed down, but what I'm wondering is, could it be possible to glue the roof vents on with say, 3M 5200 or even some type of silicon? If I do that, I could do an entire roof with not a single screw hole anywhere. The windows use a ring/clamp system that allows for no screw holes. Any thoughts on this one?

[KCStudly]

A good friend of mine has done a couple of serious boat restorations and is fanatical over his maintenance program (...and is even more detail oriented than me ). He likes to say that when his boat is in the water for the season all it is trying to do is sink the whole time, and it is his job to make sure that it doesn't.

Same thing with these campers. When they get wet they are trying to leak, and it is our job to see that they don't.

You are doing a great job and I think if more people were comfortable doing good quality glass work we would see a lot more campers with molded corners.

One of the deciding factors for me doing a foamie was the omission of the trim and all of the screws that go with it.

My MaxxAir fan mounting ring wouldn't really lend itself to that kind of modification because of the way the fan mounts to the ring and the way the interior trim fits up inside. You could maybe do it with double ended studs like these (or whichever size you need), giving you the opportunity to set them in epoxy, then maybe use acorn nuts and sealant on the top side. Not sure it is worth the trouble though, as more things could go wrong (...like misalignment making it hard to get the flange on).

[Atomic77]

I really like the stud idea KC. I might look into that. Thanks!

[dales133]

The only other way I can think is something like sika 11fc would have no issues at all bonding it to the roof it would just be a matter of making sure you had no holes in the seal and not making to much mess with it.
While it's possible to remove off almost anything with turpentine it's by no means fun.
Expensive but good, got a sausage of it today for the extra long guns for 27 bucks on sale

[Atomic77]

I've read about the Sicka products and they seem great. The problem is, here in the States it's difficult to get the kind I'm looking for. A lot of products for masonry, etc. But for our purposes 3m brand 5200 and 4200 are the standard it seems...

[dales133]

Ahhhh ok. It's probably similar anyway.
This stuff stretches an insane amount with out even looking like tearing

[aggie79]

Michael,

On my sidewalls, I used a bead of 4200 around the perimeter and around openings to hold the aluminum in place. I "blue-taped" and clamped the aluminum where I could and didn't use any fasteners.





Although I later put trim around everything, I am convinced that the 4200 is more than strong enough to hold the aluminum skin in place - even traveling down the road at 70 mph plus.

Take care,
Tom