Meet Max...

[AZ_Desert_Rat]

Holy Smoke there dakippen, you keep going like that and you be ready to get that new rig out before you know it!!!
It really looks good and the care in the wiring will pay off; wood joints look great, and again... Great job...

[dakippen]

Making some great progress, the interior is just about done. While I'm out of town, hubby is working on the skin and galley hatch..I now have an over the head shelf, more wiring has been done and lights are in place.

[S. Heisley]

Lookin' Good!

[dakippen]

A lot has taken place the last couple of weeks. Most of the wiring is done, other then finishing off the vent fan, the interior is done including an electric outlet and USB outlet. The door frames have been trimmed out, new doors have been cut and epoxied, the last coat of spar urethane was applied tonite. I think we're on track to be done before Mother's Day wkend...

[dakippen]

Door trim - this was a royal PIA! Didn't realize how challenging it would be to bend the aluminum around the curve, but we got it.

[flyguide]

Bending the aluminum is a PIA. Did you heat treat it first? I took the temper out of all the alum that I put on first

[working on it]

Door trim - this was a royal PIA! Didn't realize how challenging it would be to bend the aluminum around the curve, but we got it.

Bending the aluminum is a PIA. Did you heat treat it first? I took the temper out of all the alum that I put on first.

• I was unaware that heat treating or annealing of aluminum would work for thicker cuts of aluminum, especially the probably inferior grade sold at Home Depot. When I was trying to bend/form my rain gutter/deflector to put around my doors, I tried heating the first piece with a propane torch...all it did was blacken it. I ended up using two extra pieces, after breaking the ends of them. Eventually, I bent the ends successfully, and made them merge into the other pieces. All straight cuts, some bending, no real curves; still took me several hours to get right. I can just imagine the difficulty bending it like you had to, making it conform perfectly to another surface.
• deflector meant to keep highway-drive rain out of seals
• making the upper rain gutter flow into the vertical deflector
• I kept snapping off the interlocking piece
• used a bolt thru the deflector as an adjustable door stop

[dakippen]

Bending the aluminum is a PIA. Did you heat treat it first? I took the temper out of all the alum that I put on first

The second piece we tried heating, but still had problems with buckling. Ended up putting in relief snips along the curve.

[mcspin50]

Hello Max and dakippen,
A belated welcome to the forum. You're making great progress on your build. I ended up getting help finishing mine from a really great couple, Chuck and Carol from Park Rapids.
I agree about the doors. I told myself if I ever build another teardrop, I'm buying the drop-in door/window unit. The simplicity offsets the cost in my opinion.
Hope to see you at a campout this summer or fall. You can come join us even if you don't have your teardrop done. (My teardrop is visiting my son and his wife in Colorado for a while so I'm using my Scamp.) There's a get-together this weekend at Clubhouse Lake NF Campground north of Grand Rapids/Bemidji. The St. Croix Chapter has a page on this website, on http://www.tearjerkers.net, and there's also one on Facebook where people post opportunities to meet up. Just request to join and you'll be approved. We had a fall gathering last year at Sibley State Park which will probably happen again. There's one planned for next spring at Eau Galle Recreation Area near Spring Valley WI. I believe you can reserve a site beginning Jan. 1, 2018, but don't quote me on that. I'm over 60 and my memory gets worse every year.
Take care,