Latest on foamies

[GPW]

Bonnie , The Nookery is so light I could easily pull it by hand over my gravel driveway ... The simple construction made it Strong ... and as far as the material , i refer to the Sledge hammer test ... (see Pic) I’m a sorta’ Large person 6’3” and I really swung than sledge into the foam we'd removed from the Foamie build ( window cutout) Big dent , no pass through ... as foam compresses it gets DENSER , quickly !!!


Mike , OK , I see your point ... we’ve been “blabby”

Step One .... Surface preparation ... Canvas will only cover so much ..... best fill in the dents and gouges that happen with some lightweight Vinyl spackle . Then BLOCK sand the whole surface smooth as you like ( 60-80 grit), to break the gloss on the surface and give the foam some “tooth” . Sanding a surface before painting or gluing is a common practice. Vacuum well after that with brush attachment ... The more little loose bits you remove , the better the glue sticks ... Some choose to perforate the surface with a wallpaper perforating tool .... That works well , and is optional . Then , wipe the surface down with something to remove the oils from your hands ... when we touch something we leave traces of skin oils , which may interfere with glue adherence... We’ve used 91% rubbing alcohol on a clean rag , and have been experimenting with common household Vinegar ... (not flammable , non-toxic, but more rubbing )

Read the glue instructions .... Most all say “ apply to a CLEAN , DRY surface ... so that’s basically what you need to do ... Any questions ... ?

[mikeschn]

Yes, let see some pictures of the joints.

And then your complete glue, prime, paint process and if you size the canvas, or iron it.

Mike...

[GPW]

“ Yes, let see some pictures of the joints. “ ... That’s not a Colorado joke eh ??? Do you mean foam to foam ? Nice clean well fitted join ...

[GPW]

And not to stray too far away , After we built the 4X8 Foamie trailer , we immediately thought , “ if it was only wider ?” ... Easy to do , extra space is appreciated by we “large frame” folks ...

[GPW]

Step two . Conventional thinking and testing has proven that going through the trouble of washing and pre shrinking the canvas is really worth the trouble ... If you have a big job, (lots of canvas) go to a Laundromat and use the big machines... Canvas usually comes on a roll and you can cut off sections to make it easy to handle but leave a GENEROUS margin , especially if you’re washing it .. and if you choose to put the canvas on unwashed , prepare for a little shrinkage in the long direction... The 18oz. canvas on the FoamStream shrunk a good 4” over the 10 foot run ... If you wash it , hang it out on the line (Solar Dryer) to dry with as few wrinkles as possible , or Iron it ... Or don't ... you‘ll just have to stretch and smooth it more when you’re applying it ...

[GPW]

Now then , as a kid (20) I worked for a shop that made guitar amplifier speaker cabinets , and one guess who got to cover all those cabinets ... So I have PLENTY of experience covering everything ... and it’s EASY with lots of practice ... However , for the beginner it is a bit too much to do by yourself ... Having somebody else to help is almost mandatory . (word to the WISE !!!)
I was able to do both my Foamies by myself with the help of large pins (blow gun darts) , but it would have been so much easier with an extra hand or two ...

If your canvas is not wide enough to cover the whole side and you have to apply several pieces , you need layout lines ... We measured (twice) and marked out (once) our dimensions and used a common chalkline tool to make lines where the canvas edges would go . No guessing ...

Step Three , the glue and wrestling the canvas...
Best way so far to put on the glue has been with a roller , a nice heavy coat that THOROUGHLY and Completely covers every square inch of foam . (most bubbles are caused by a missed glue spot ) However you do use more glue that way so be prepared. And you may want to thin the glue slightly which makes it easier to apply and goes a bit further (thriftier) . A gallon of TB2 + a quart of water = 5 quarts of useable Glue ...

Roller in hand pick a spot to cover , roll the glue out as best you can to get it even and cover everything ... Then you and your helper align the canvas to the marks or side , leaving room for all the overlaps , and shrinkage .. then press,stretch, and smooth it into place over the glue... Try to stretch the canvas evenly using the weave to keep it straight .. The idea is to smooth the canvas to the foam so it makes contact on every bit of the surface and the canvas is absolutely SMOOTH , no wrinkles, no bubbles ... To be honest it’s a race with time before the glue sets and you get it smoothed down and tight, so only work a section at a time ... In the summer heat we found a spray bottle with water in it helped keep the canvas/glue workable a little longer. All the ends are just hanging loose ... and are unglued. At this point you can trim the canvas on the edges , and glue them down also ... On some bends,curves, you might have to make small V cuts in the canvas so it doesn’t wrinkle ... Once done , proceed to the next side ...

Note , JMHO , If you’ve never covered anything before , I’d highly suggest getting one of those Plain cheapo styrofoam coolers (the square ones) , and covering it with an old bedsheet or similar material .... it’s easy , you’ll learn everything you need to cover a big trailer , and you’ll end up with a good cooler too ... place to keep the Beer ballast

[rowerwet]

I thought reading through the big thrifty thread was the entry fee for building a foamie...

[bonnie]

I thought reading through the big thrifty thread was the entry fee for building a foamie...

+1

[KCStudly]

I'm not in agreement with Mike on gluing canvas across wood to steel trailer frame joint on to the face of the trailer. I don't think that has been tried by anyone and am skeptical about what issues might arise.

The proven method is to build the shell out, wrap the canvas under the floor, and bolt the completed cabin to the trailer (unless your floor overhangs the trailer all around and you can wrap under while it is on the frame).

Also, I am a big promoter of doing as much work on the bench as possible, so I would make those angled cuts and do the door opening on the bench before standing the walls up. It is a lot easier to measure, cut, clamp and glue in the flat.

[mikeschn]

KC,

You're right about doing as much on the bench as possible. I've cut my fair share of pieces after they've been installed, and it's harder. But in my CAD program it was really easy to do!

Gluing canvas over a steel frame only theoretically works where the body is the same size as the frame. Some people don't like to see the frame, which is why I suggested it. In retrospect, it's probably more cosmetic than structural, and you'd probably have to use gripper instead of TBII. The internal baseboards are more structural. I'll go and update that post to reflect that.

Thanks for taking the time to read this thread thoroughly and making positive suggestions that improve it!

Mike..

[KCStudly]

Thanks for taking that the way it was intended, Mike. I should have added that I appreciate the effort that you have taken to "revitalize" and demonstrate some of the basic foamie building methods. Good work!

[mikeschn]

If I wanted a slightly curved roof, how much could I curve the foam without having to kerf it?

I'm looking to improve the water run off, and make it look cosmetically a little more appealing. any ideas?

Here's where we are at with the flat roof...



Mike...

[mikeschn]

Just for fun, I took a full sheet of 2" foam and clamped it to the table. I left 6 feet overhanging. Then I measured it completely horizontal. It was 32" from the ground. Then Chell put a little bit of pressure on it with one finger and was able to bring it down to 16", no problem. So we can drop it 16" over 6'. What would that look like?

Okay, I had to try it. Here's 16" over 8' (certainly doable, since the test was at 6')




Mike...

[djdawg]

Wow, Mike and everyone! Thanks so much for everything! This is awesome...

I did read the thrifty foamie thread but I think it would do me well to read it again...and again...and anything else I can read. Responding here is so nice of you all and really helpful! I can't begin to express to you my gratitude.

Mike, it looks like you're thinking I would be using the very popular HF 4'x8' foldable trailer and you would be correct. Score! 2 points for you! Unless I can score something cheaper that's what I'll do.

A couple of thoughts...I'm really interested in putting a queen size mattress in the thing (cuz I'm a big guy and who knows, maybe I'll have a bunkmate now and then, ha ha) and I've seen in other threads that it can be built wider over the fenders. (or are they left off all together?) I need to read more about that. And when the heck do you put the mattress in? Obviously it's before you get all four walls put up...or else I'd be cutting it in pieces,

Also thinking that I might purchase a decent door already made? It doesn't look TOO difficult making one out of foam tho...I'm up for that too. Windows I might purchase as they don't sound too expensive. I'd probably put a shelf inside somewhere. A light on the outside would be nice and one on the inside. Although I could do a battery operated one on the inside too.

I saw in another thread (I think a non foamie thread) how someone put a outlet receptacle (not sure if that's the correct wording) on the outside and some simple wiring consisting of extension cords inside for various things. Of course this is under the assumption that I'll be in a campground that will have power available. I did build my own really cool hot dog cart so that's given me some confidence in attempting this.

Speaking of hot dog cart, one material that I used on it a lot was corrugated metal. It can look awesome (in my opinion), is lightweight so I think pretty perfect for a foamie project, is about $13 for a 4'x8' sheet and is durable and easy to work with if you have the right tools. I found a pic of a really rustic one (too rustic for my liking) that used corrugated steel for the roof! No kerfing! It looks like it's part of a wooden TD though so I'd have to put some thought into how I'd attach it to a foamie. My initial interest in it though was using it on the sides for cosmetic purposes. I didn't want to cover the whole thing with it but accents here and there like on the bottom half or something. To attach it to the sides I think slipping in 2" wide wood slats into the foam sides might suffice? Of course I would still do the canvasing/TBII on the sides to insure waterproofing.

The biggest question mark I still have is what people do with the inside? I don't recall seeing a lot of projects canvassed but I could be wrong. I think another material (my favorite corrugated steel, hee hee) would look awesome inside. A person could even do the corrugated plastic inside which would be lighter weight and also offer different colors.

Anyway, thank you again everyone!!!!

[djdawg]

I remember now - I think - about adjusting the HF trailer when you're putting it together to allow for wider builds. Something about flipping the axle over/upside down or something and that raises it above the wheels.....off to investigate!