Thrifty Alternatives ..Building Foam Campers

[eaglesdare]

foam dust


don't laugh, it really wasn't finished yet as far as the shape went. that weird part that is sticking up is gone.


that is me, trying to get both pieces to match. i did a lot of sanding on it also.


so if the weather is good tomorrow, i will try to cut out some spars. it has turned out to be a lot smaller than what i had planned on. but this will give me my first experience and i get start to foumulate my plans for a second build.

[Wolffarmer]

I see the teardrop inspectors have already showed up.

Talk about wind....Last thursday just before dark had a nice wind blow through here. Blew some shingles off my house. Cement tiles actually. The house was rocking, reminded me of living in my trailer house.

Now i gotta get up there and put tiles back and put what few extras I have left in. See how big a hole is left and hope I can get some replacements. They are only about 55 years old.

It didn't blow any of my trees down or major limbs off. didn't bother the pole and sheet metal shops any. Did blow some corrugated iron off an old shed I want to tare down anyway.

randy

[eaglesdare]

oh isn't that funny, the moment you start on something how all the inspectors appear? that red head was just one of several. the cat and dog both couldn't take it anymore and had to wander off.

wow, sounds like you got some wind!

[GPW]

Eagle , That looks Wonderful !!!
I see you got the large bottle of Gorilla Glue . me too ... You ever use it before ??? There are a few tricks to using it !!! Let me know if you already know them ...

Yes, foam in the wind is really difficult to manage , even more so than ply ...like a sail !!!

[eaglesdare]

no i haven't used it. i remember you said to spray one side with water and then the other piece gets the glue. that is all.

i was wondering how much glue should be put on? so yes any tips on using it will be appreciated.

i got the glue out and the spray bottle yesterday before cutting the shape, at first i was going to do the box, but the shape won, so i won't be glueing yet.

i have maybe 5-6 tearjerkers coming down next weekend. i am so hoping for nice weather to get the rest complete. with all those hands we should beable to get a lot done. the canvas part might have to wait if its not warm enough though.

and thanks for not laughing at my shape. hehehe it does look ok in person. its mine, i made it, i'm happy, thats my story and i'm sticking to it.

[GPW]

You need to apply LESS glue than you think you'd need ... it expands (foams ) like crazy , and if you put too much it will ooze out all over the place .... On a 2" surface like that , I'd just run a
bead down the center and spread it out thin and thoroughly with a stick ... then LIGHTLY spray the other surface with water and join them ... I use packing tape to hold everything till the glue activates... (couple hours) and on a seam you can even run the tape outside the seam to help control the foam ooze... You may want to test all this on a piece of scrap foam ... just for a bit of practice ...

[CARS]

Foam, wind, and weight... I am glad this came up. I had thoughts racing through my head the last couple weeks. How light is too light???

I've seen semi trailers blown off roads before when they were empty. They still weighed a couple tons I am sure. (although catching much, much more air)

How's a 500 lb. tear going to fair???

[eaglesdare]

You need to apply LESS glue than you think you'd need ... it expands (foams ) like crazy , and if you put too much it will ooze out all over the place .... On a 2" surface like that , I'd just run a
bead down the center and spread it out thin and thoroughly with a stick ... then LIGHTLY spray the other surface with water and join them ... I use packing tape to hold everything till the glue activates... (couple hours) and on a seam you can even run the tape outside the seam to help control the foam ooze... You may want to test all this on a piece of scrap foam ... just for a bit of practice ...

it looks like we might have another semi nice day today. so i will go out and use some scraps of foam and test it out. thanks

[eaglesdare]

i am going to be sealing the bottom of the floor today. that is my goal for this day. but i need to know what to seal with? i do not want to use the black goo.

so all i have to do is go to lowes and pick up a wood sealer? or am i looking for varnish?

and can i seal just the bottom for now? we are bolting down the floor today, hence why i have to seal now.

[parnold]

The advantages of goo, or undercoating type applications is that they are slightly flexible, and less likely to chip off, or be damaged by dings created by road rocks.

I used a mid grade undercoating on mine from an aerosol can. Easy to apply, and dried pretty quickly. If you consider undercoating, don't buy the real cheap stuff.

This is the stuff I used.
http://www.evercoat.com/productDetail.aspx?pID=55

[GPW]

Cars, good question !!! I never had a trailer so light before
Guessing by the time I load it up with all my stuff , it'll be a LOT more than 500# ... and I don't intend towing it down the road at 85 mph either... Being such a small and low profile , I'd think it wouldn't be as affected as a HUGE area semi trailer... Don't know for sure, will have to test that out , or hear from others who have ultralight TDs...

Eagle just seal the bottom with the cheap Min/poly mix <10 bucks ... put a couple coats , and be sure to leave a bit of exposed ply on the edge so you can overlap the canvas/fabric under the floor and attach ... as shown on the model ...
Par's idea of a spray undercoating would be easy ... just leave a margin for the fabric/glue... and you can always spray over that later as it will be painted too ... That's why I proposed the idea of building on some blocks/horses, and bolting the shell to the trailer after everything was finished... Much easier , especially since you'll have so much help .... I'd recommend for now , let hubby bolt it to the floor , check the fit , then remove it to work on / build ... Build it the way that's comfortable for you ...

[eaglesdare]

hubby did some kind of spray stuff on the bottom yesterday and has bolted down the floor to the trailer now. he says we will use some kind of undercoating later. he says we can just put it up on ramps when we do more sealing on it.

that is all the work we will do on it til the tearjerkers come down this weekend.

today i go in for the surgery, so i am out of commission they say for 6 weeks. although i plan on having the camper campable by april 15th. we are going to a gathering.

gpw...keep up the work and i'll check back in as soon as i get back from hospital sometime tomorrow.

[GPW]

Eagle , good luck on your surgery ... We hope to hear from you soon !!!

[eaglesdare]

thank you so much. i am home, surgery went well [as far as surgeries go]

thank god for vicadin.

its looking like we might be having another good weekend for our tear raising.

nothing new on your end gpw?

[GPW]

Eagle , Glad you're back !!!!

For me , as with all simple projects , things do get er, complicated !!!
Got all my stuff ready to glue together, but can't build it in my studio, unless I re-arange Everything and move my 2000lb. vintage letterpress.. which is like moving stones for the pyramid ... My alternative is my shed (outside ) , but before I do that , I have to put down some washout as a floor , cause' it floods now when it rains ... grrrrrr!!!! Ether way is a Large job before the Simple job ... Working on a solution !!!