Thrifty Alternatives ..Building Foam Campers

[eaglesdare]

sorry about the battery dieing. i hate when that happens.

not to harp on this frame part, as i was with you for the windows/door etc. but the more i think about that hatch, would you beable to pull that off with the same type of "framing" (minor so to speak)? wouldn't the hatch part need a bit more sturdy framing? and if so, then wouldn't the whole thing need to the frame just to support the frame for the hatch? i just went thru it step by step in my head, and i kept coming up with a snowball effect. i know you probably did not understand what i meant, as it was hard to put into words.

you say it doesn't matter about finger prints, as you are going to paint it anyway. is the paint necessary? or will some type of clear varnish work? reason for that question is that i thought during these threads i read where it would be possible to do a scenery on the initial "fabric". a layered type thing, like a decoupage? that is what i was thinking of going with. unless a primer or paint is a first coat and then a layered decompage on top of that. but that is not the way i was thinking.

t2 on foam to hold canvas. then watered down t2 on top of that. this is what i thought was the process. with it this way you could cut up material of your choice and add to the watered down t2 layer. and continue coating with t2. will that not work? or does it have to have that paint?

just to clarify i am not argueing, i really like this idea. but i am also slow sometimes and a stay at home mom/grandma, 11 people to take care of, 4 dogs, 2 ponies and a cat. it is very easy for me to loose track (or my mind)


gosh i wished i had the extra pennies to go shop now! our tv just went south. it will be hard to convice hubby i needed foam and canvas more than he needed a tv for football.

[GPW]

Wolf , that would work !!! That deck paint looks cool , but pricy , but if it actually lasts that long , then it's probably worth it... even if it lasted half that , still longer than me ....
Eagle , all done now ... covering was pretty EASY ... thinking on a large build , a couple extra hands wouldn't hurt , Clean hands that is ... The material on the roof overlapping the sides , went on well without any puckering on the curves.. I'd think a 2" or 3" overlap would be No problem on a large build , more around the floor , it's straight and very easy... It's drying now as the camera batteries charge ... I just laid down the glue , stretched the canvas over the foam and smoothed it out ... wasn't planning on a top coat of glue ... not really necessary as the paint will cover all ... and soak in the canvas better ... You could do anything you want with it finish wise , clear , paint , artwork , whatever.. a primer over the canvas would give a smoother surface ... I'm not worried about that ...
I'd just think of, and treat this as one would with a fiberglass trailer ... same thing basically ... and no reason why fiberglass could be used on this ... So a hatch could be lightly framed and covered ... not much stress on a light hatch ... Board inset for the hinges on each side ... For me , The Sleeper would be stronger as one piece , without the galley hatch ... besides at my age , I'm more of a "grazer" than a cooker .. Natural diet , fruit , berries , nuts, vegs ... All I have to do is make coffee... And I can cook legumes in my solar cooker if I want to splurge ... and it's sunny ... My latest solar cooker is a windshield reflector/protector and a large glass jar ... Elementary ... easily stowed... I can easily make tea or coffee solar too , just impatient for coffee in the morning ...

[GPW]

OK, Covered and dry .... Pics in my album ...
Notice the one side with the messy fingerprints /smudges ... grrrrr!!! Got it right on the other side and the top ...
Also notice how smoothly the overlapping seams were , no puckering around the profile ... although you can see loose threads from the fabric edges ... an occurrence possible with a bigger one too...maybe pinking shears would prevent this ....
I learned a lot from the model ...

[eaglesdare]

that is really cute.

i called around today and no one near me sells large sheets. so we are back to lowes normal size.

[GPW]

Eagle , Thanks !!! I figured since I have my acrylic paints out , might as well go all the way and put a fancy paint job on it ... Got some clear plastic for the windows , balsa wood for window frames.... now all I have to find is a teeny tiny trailer ...

For now I'm going to forgo the reinforcement strips , but you can imagine where they'll go , overlapping every seam ... on the Big one ...
The canvas cloth , even a bit heavy weight for the model worked beautifully ... molding around the edges and such with ease ... I assumed I'd have to make V cuts on the curves, but didn't have to...Nice !!!
Bottom line , I was surprised how EASY this was to make ... no mess , no fumes , save the bits of blue foam sawdust ... Water clean up ... You could literally do this in the living room .... as long as you sanded the foam outside ...

Tonight , It'll get a coat of primer (gesso) tomorrow a mural ... If I have time , gotta' start cooking for Tday ... you know ...

[eaglesdare]

you could always build a trailer. can't wait to see your painting!

[GPW]

I don't think I really want to take it that far ... Just a proof of concept model ... Very happy with the results already .... It's amazingly strong now , just with the outer covering ... proof enough for me to be confident in a Big one ...
Current thinking is, with the wood in the stressed places, wrapped and painted , normal water intrusion would be blocked , and even if it leaked the wood would be still protected... Nothing else to rot... and it would still be Really Light .... oughta' tow like a feather... Can't really think of any way lighter ...yet strong enough to be durable ...

[eaglesdare]

ok this is not a good sign, i must be ocd about this. but i woke up in the middle of the night with a thought. LOL

have you ever made a homemade pinata? i have. and i know how strong they can be. i mean the kids can bang the heck out of them with a baseball bat and they still don't break open. it really takes a lot to get one open and it seems like they fail at a seam part or a part that is an attachment. these things are made only out of flour and water and newspaper. but they are strong! and once dried they hold the shape.
(no i am not building a teardrop out of flour, water and newspaper, but i bet it could be done )

actually i was wondering if the t2 would be acting like the flour/water combo. if you were to remove the foam, would the canvas('fabric') still hold the shape? if so, then i am more acceptable to the strength of t2/fabric build.

now do you think one solid covering of "fabric' would be stronger than cut up strips of "fabric" layered in over lapping layers? (like the newspaper on pinatas).

[Miriam C.]

I think flour is more ridged than TB2 and removing the foam might give you a rubberish balloon. Don't know about the strips though. Would make for an interesting collage...

[eaglesdare]

:D I think flour is more ridged than TB2 and removing the foam might give you a rubberish balloon. Don't know about the strips though. Would make for an interesting collage...

so would you want more flexibility (t2) or not (flour). was just curious on the removing foam aspect or how well th "fabric" would hold shape. in my mind i would think you would want some flexibility, but tolerating the bumps along the way. but i could be wrong.

you would need something either way for the shape, be it foam or cardboard etc. heck you could probably even use chicken wire.

if i had newspaper around here i would play, but i don't even have that.

i have to stop thinking about this, it is driving me crazy that i can't do anything yet. i need to start thinking of thanksgiving and start cooking! that will keep my mind off this topic for a day. (i bet it doesn't though)

[Wolffarmer]

As I see it the foam provides, form, structure, quick build and insulation. The TB II and cloth, cheaper, easier to use, not as much experience. For a true light weight structure we would go with one of several methods of aircraft construction but that would require someone to design it properly, would take longer to build and might use some uncommon materials and we would have to insulate it, not many small aircraft are insulated. The closest trailer i have seen to aircraft construction is the Chummy, I think is what it is called.

just my 2 cents and observations.

Randy

[eaglesdare]

As I see it the foam provides, form, structure, quick build and insulation. The TB II and cloth, cheaper, easier to use, not as much experience. For a true light weight structure we would go with one of several methods of aircraft construction but that would require someone to design it properly, would take longer to build and might use some uncommon materials and we would have to insulate it, not many small aircraft are insulated. The closest trailer i have seen to aircraft construction is the Chummy, I think is what it is called.

just my 2 cents and observations.

Randy

oh i agree! but the mind sometimes goes off in other directions.

[GPW]

Why remove the foam ??? This is a composite style of construction where each part contributes to the overall strength of the structure.. so all parts are "necessary"... You Could do that if you Fiberglass the foam , but that's expensive , messy and just more difficult , for me anyway...

Not being an aircraft designer per se , I do have a modicum of experience on this subject ... http://www.foamfly.com/gallery2/v/Photos/Glen/

Cool look would be a collage/skin of the "Funny Papers" (Comics) ... but you'd have to save them for quite some time ...

Really, after a LOT of thought This was about the simplest (and cheapest) way to build a TD trailer ...

Think about an ice chest (Igloo) , Just foam with a plastic skin on both sides... Pretty TOUGH Eh !!! Same thing here ... Igloo with wheels .... Light , Sturdy , and best of all .... THRIFTY ...

[Off Grid Rving]

my number 2 build is already planned all out in my head.

I am going to build it same technique as a western greenland kayak with the lashed frame and run wires and plumbing and such then skin impregnated over it.

then i'll go inside and spray foam and shave it flat with the framework and skin the inside.

should provide a quick build and last a million years.

[eaglesdare]

no, no...i wasn't saying remove the foam. i was just asking "IF" the foam was removed would the fabric still hold the shape? curousity that is all. (i know it killed the cat) i agree, the foam stays.