The Roswell A Cometh !!!

[dandan]

as allways,
your comments are welcome.
rgds dan.

[dandan]

hi all,
hope you all got what you wished for over Christmas.
the work assessments are out of the way for another 2 years.
this means i will be back on the build, probably posting more pics early next week.
best rgds dan.

[jdarkoregon]

Thank Goodness, I was having withdrawals

I can't wait to see what you have

John

[dandan]

OK, here is to a new year of building.
only 2 hours on it.
thaughi i would begin by assembling the rear 2 body panels.


going well till i noticed a puddle of water beneath the tig welder.
managed to rupture the water-cooled power cable to the torch !

its a crimped / swaged hose joint which if i repaired, may last seconds or weeks.
hope this is not a taste of things to come.
will source a replacement lead asap. probably next monday.

so i begin to start forming part of the roof.

before getting too cold, calling the welding leads a few choice words & going for a pint.
hope your builds got off to a better start than mine !
best rgds dan.

[DaveandDebbie]

That sucks about the welding lead I'll have one with you

[dandan]

have ordered a new power cable.
will pick it up monday.
costs £30 sterling.
thats half the price of the original whole torch 4 years ago.
may make a guard for the front of the tig set so i dont do this again.

on lates next week with a 6 day weekend coming up so hopeing to make
more progress on it.
this should mean lots of piccies to keep you all ammused.
watch this (cyber) space !

best rgds dan.

[Classic Finn]

Dan Im most definitely wanting to come over to look at your fine trailer when your done with it.

It will for sure be a head turner.


Beautiful Work

Classic Finn

[Jiminsav]

Wow..I'm impressed..you go Dan.

[del]

I just wish plywood would have hooked together that well. Sorry I have missed this thread till now, it is looking good though.

best of luck del

[dandan]

Hello everyone watching.
only 2 hours on it today. got to go to work later.
about 1 hour of it was fitting the replacement watercooled power cable.
now the tig welder is all up & running again.
finished tacking the rear joint together.
then returned to the door sills.

tacked on the easy side bits which will house the gas-struts
then looked at the profile of the upper radius.
there is no way im attempting to develop the blank out.
might have tried it when i was still a sheet metal worker but im just going to scribe cut.

Hope to plough lots of time into it over this weekend.
wanted it towable by the start of May!
May be, May be not.
we will see.

best rgds dan.

[Cliffmeister2000]

I am humbled by any sort of welding. That which do is not the same as what I used to think was quality welding. I am excited to watch your progress!

[dandan]

Advice Needed.

thank you all again for the encouragement.
sorry, no building today. have to work later.

have been turning my thaughts to the windows.
looked at countless websites & have come to the conclusion that 6mm
(thats 1/4" to all you over the pond) polycarbonate sheet is the solution.
have found a company who supplies suitable window rubber surround for a
good price.

another company quoted £250 to supply the polycarbonate
blanks formed in the 41" radius as required.
Yeah, right !!!


found out the method used is "drape forming".
polycarbonate is heated to 325F - 340F, then placed on a form of the correct
radius & allowed to cool.
the radiused form is not a problem but heating the polycarbonate in my oven
at home is. the oven is too small !
would like to avoide making a special oven for the job.

Anyone know if it is possible to gently heat the polycarbonate with a hot air gun
(the sort used for paint stripping) & obtain similar results ???
can tolorate a certain degree of imperfection in the forming. the less, the better.

Your views & experiences on this are very welcome & appreciated.
please let me know if you think im flogging a dead horse !
not that us Brits do that kind of thing to horses here in the UK.
i think it's un-ethical & may be against the law.


kind rgds dan.

[George T.]

Greetings from Colorado Dan.

Awesome build! I am enjoying your progress.

I am not sure what polycarbonate is. I used a product called Lexan for the top window in my teardrop. The window is 5 foot wide and about 16"-18". The radius is 24" . I fitted the window without heating. It is about 1/8" in thickness. I placed supports about 12" apart, laid a bed of black butyl rubber and drilled through the Lexan and into the wooden frame using metal screws with rubber washers.



The window was installed in 2000 and I have had no issues. I used Lexan because it is harder and more scratch resistant than Plexiglas. I clean it with a soft cotton cloth and mild detergent. The reward came on a trip to through Goblin Valley in Utah. Laying in the teardrop with the curtains pulled with the most awesome star studded sky overhead....



Keep up the good work. You are an inspiration!

George T.

[bobhenry]

I formed mine over a couple hot sunny days and used large rachet straps and tightened very slowly waiting for the dreaded "CRACK" Luckily it never came. I heated the nose with a heat gun and it clouds badly. You need overall heat I would think one or two of those 2 headed propane heaters would provide enough but don't get them too close or clouding will occure.



but it is so neat to watch the stars.



for the 1st time in my life , this weekend I watched giant snowflakes land talk about wild.

simple minds are easily amused

[dandan]

Thanks Guys,
like your trailers.
beginning to think conventional teardrops are alot more practical than the
futureistic type.
will find out when i finally get to use this one !


just looked "lexan" up & it seems to be a brand name of polycarbonate.
im impressed George T has managed a 24" Rad in 1/8" (3mm) without
applying any heat.

with this in mind i may be able to go to 3/16" (5mm) on a 41" Rad without
any heat too & hopefully little spring-back.

thanks for the tip on clouding Bob. will be careful if i have to apply heat.
many thanks for your help

gotta go to work now.
trains to drive & people to scare !

best rgds dan.