Big Bare Essential - Foam Build

[Tigris99]

not yet. Building the trailer itself right now. I have a lot of designs to work out. The box itself wont be that heavy so removing it wont be an issue, it's the flat form on the ground I'm dealing with right now.

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[LostCajun]

moving along with the getting things ready to build category, thought I would take a stab...at making a perforator...

I have a few old paint rollers, and bunch of old boxes of nails and some glue....how is the depth of puncture going to rate on these?

I am going to add a couple more rows at 90 degrees to ones in the photo....plan to make a test with building something and covering it cloth.

[LostCajun]

I see where I messed up already....I am slow sometimes...I should have an angle on the following row to allow the next row to release? Oh well, I guess that is what testing is all about.

[GPW]

Guys , the real secret is , the canvas shrinks Tight as it ages so the perforations aren’t really Necessary … They’re very Good to have , but don’t obsess obout it … I can’t recall one case of the canvas coming off by itself … and Foamies have now travelled hundreds of thousands of miles pretty much without incident , as to what’s been reported here…

[LostCajun]

Guys , the real secret is , the canvas shrinks Tight as it ages so the perforations aren’t really Necessary … They’re very Good to have , but don’t obsess obout it … I can’t recall one case of the canvas coming off by itself … and Foamies have now travelled hundreds of thousands of miles pretty much without incident , as to what’s been reported here…

I am seeing that....so many ways to 'skin' this cat....

So, in looking for a quick consensus....

perforations: good but not necessary
rough up: more necessary? and good er? Is it necessary to remove the outer label skin, besides for look of the label not been seen?

I am still pouring through all the builds and write-ups on skinning with canvas....

Titebond: under and over.....and I see a handful of ways that seem successful
Gripper: under and over.....seems to work also.....

Wash canvas first.....some do and some don't

Seams.....all sorts of ideas....

Edging.....I am going to test this....I like the idea of a vinyl or metal edge to give some crispness to some edges....and I intend to try vinyl bull nose to give that round over edge.....


I am going to test how easy or how hard it is to 'work' foam edges....bend, build up....etc....what I find that works for me will determine how I make those edges
I am going to see how each titebond and gripper bond canvas across boards, metal and vinyl.....

But, I don't plan of spending a lot of time on any of it.....just a quick peek to see how it works and then jump in.

[me&z]

Clean the foam well before gluing. No dust, no grease, etc.

ghcoe (who has built 2 foamies) recommends using rubbing alcohol to clean the surface.

[LostCajun]

Clean the foam well before gluing. No dust, no grease, etc.

ghcoe (who has built 2 foamies) recommends using rubbing alcohol to clean the surface.

I have some ninety proof, will for sure try that...I have watched....I believe two of his videos....and read some of his builds.....must have blinked when I passed over that....but its added to my checklist now

[me&z]

....must have blinked when I passed over that....

Not surprising. It was in a thread about bubbling.

viewtopic.php?f=55&t=68701&start=225

[GPW]

Cheap 91% rubbing ALCOHOL works a treat to remove Finger grease and surface contaminants , and doesn’t hurt the foam …

[LostCajun]

Cheap 91% rubbing ALCOHOL works a treat to remove Finger grease and surface contaminants , and doesn’t hurt the foam …

I use the 91 alcohol on my electronics projects....which I intend to load up my build with.....a handful of arduino gizmos and a few ham radios....and of course some flashy lights....a few lasers......all useful stuff....

will be working on a foam cutter soon.....pick of 17 variac's to pull that off....and somewhere I have an old weller gun.....give that a 'shot' too....

for me building tools is as much fun as building stuff....

which for some reason brings up one of my original reasons.....or 'justifications' for building a teardrop......

I need to make the rear door large enough....and the floor space large enough....to accommodate a mobility scooter.....(a toy hauler....) so that means a mini ramp, also.....maybe just just two sticks....

[LostCajun]

In the big scheme of things my Duramax GMC 2500HD had to go....330K miles and couldn't afford to make repairs....but, I kept my fiberglass cap....

It has been sitting in the way, right on the side of my driveway, too close to it, and I couldn't see it from the seat of my equinox with it on the ground, clipped it once....

So, I put it up on the soon to be camper trailer....now I said I building double duty.....but....I was holding back....triple duty....

I plan on allowing for a quick change to 'cap' the trailer....well almost, its not long enough to cover the whole trailer, but it is big enough actually a little too wide (but nothing I can't come up with a fix for...so, I plan to use it as a gooder, quality tarp, it will add a little security to things sitting under it, and at least protection from anything falling straight down....if I wanted to...I could even camp in it.

Already have it off the trailer, I was just moving it out of my way.

[LostCajun]

time to play again...

thought I would throw up a few sheets of foam up on the trailer and get under some foam on a chair and get a feel for what size might be attainable really easy, or do I go with the original plan and expand it up and out...









so....time to figure it out, have most of what I need to build it any way I decide....

Loaded with questions, not enough time to even get them said....need to start to start building, we had our first day of fall weather today....probably going to be a short one.

[LostCajun]

Time for some Build Pictures.....right?

NOT.....

I am up to page 112 of the Big Thrifty Nightmare on Foaming Street....

I am like I was reading 'Time Enough for Love' or any of Heinlein's books.....eager to get to end....and then sorry I got there....as I wanted another 1000 pages.....

Biggest question is how does the complaining about how long it is already progress? Instead of how many times can one say how to use TBII on Canvas? How many times can one say.....we are saying too much?.....Blasphemy......words are for seeing....

We had some rain last night.....and when I was ready to go outside this evening to get started....I heard the rain greeting me.....

So.....I have decided to plow through the Big Encylco.....I have two additional pages of notes from tonight already....I wonder how it ends?.....no spoilers

[LostCajun]

just a little bit closer....fits the needs...

[GPW]

LC, in the beginning we only had one little thread , we had a lot to say ( along with others who had a lot to say ) and it all got out of hand before we had a chance to move anywhere else …It was really started as a way of waterproofing wood …. a common problem with a LOT of trailers … water and wood … Not required reading but a History about how this all got started here…

And just to say , in the beginning some people were forcefully insistent that it would NOT work and the whole thing would fly apart at highway speeds … They created a lot of Trouble and tried to ruin everything we had going … Even got me in trouble when I offered a rebuttal …

Thank Goodness, we haven’t heard from any of them in years now … Foam construction now accepted after Foamie travelers have traveled many thousands of miles now ... ( none ever blew up )
The very BEST thing for us is Foamies can Live OUTSIDE (uncovered) and yet do fine …. Mine was Built outside and has lived outside for over 5 years now … with no covering other than the outer skin … Recent renovations corrected original design flaws , now we should be good for many more years ...

You’re doing Great !!! … Just keep planning , because the better you plan ahead , the better it will suit all your needs ... the building is really EASY …and lots of Fun, you don’t need a woodshop or exotic tools to make one … Don’t need a Mac Truck to tow one … All for FUN , Fun for All …