Where or When Jr. --Paint & New Tow Vehicle--update 5/17/15

[myoung]

Mystery solved. Back when we tested the electrical connections from the 7-pin plug, everything worked except the brakes.

It seemed as if one solenoid was engaging but one did not. We heard no click coming from the brake drum.

Today, Gerald and I pulled the drum from the suspect wheel aided by his 3-ton hydraulic jack. Gerald doesn't just have tools; he's got a 3-ton hydraulic jack. How many folks have one of these industrial grade contraptions lying around in the garage.

Back to the brake. Take a close look at this picture and you won't see a solenoid. However, that circular piece of iron toward the bottom is an electromagnet. Mystery solved. Apparently, the electromagnet rides on the inside of the drum held there by a spring so when the current is applied to it, it really doesn't have to travel any distance at all so there is no thump or click.

This makes me wonder about what is happening in the other wheel. Perhaps the spring is missing or too weak to keep the electromagnet pushed gently against the hub. We'll pull that wheel later and take a look.



We went looking for a defective solenoid but found an electromagnet. But, we should have been looking for an electromagnet, because a solenoid is really an electromagnet.

[myoung]

The big job today was applying a second coat of CPES. Wow this stuff really makes you woozy.

After that, I worked on quite a few small but needed items. Now there is not much left to do until the body is painted.

Here is the safety chain installation. The U-bolt, chain, and connector came in a kit from Reese. Interestingly, they did not include the hook to attach the chain to the tow vehicle. So, I had to get a pair of hooks at Lowe's.


The moveable table is supported by a pipe. Using Gerald's lathe, we turned a support for the bottom of the pipe and later attached it inside the cabinet directly beneath the hole that you see lined with a grommet. There is too much slop between the grommet and the pipe so I'll have to do something to make the fit tighter.


Here's the pipe and a table top rotated over the sideboard.


I had a soap dispenser lying around so I chose to add it to the counter. The bottle is beneath the dispenser plunger.


Here's another look at the galley area showing some of the equipment in place.


Today, our upholsterer brought the finished cushions for the settee/bed.

[S. Heisley]

WOW! That upholstery looks terrific! How will you finish your counter top?

[myoung]

WOW! That upholstery looks terrific! How will you finish your counter top?

Thanks, Sharon. It looks even better in person. I'll cover the counters with Formica either pure white or something that complements the fabric.

Update: My wife and I checked out the offerings at Lowe's and decided that white formica was the best option. So, that's what I will do.

[Cliffmeister2000]

Very nice, Mike!

[Deryk the Pirate]

Looks Great Mike!

[myoung]

Finishing the drawers and cabinet doors has been pending for quite a while. I've purchased all the wood for this trailer from Home Depot, but couldn't find any sized wood suitable for either drawer trimming or cabinet doors.

So, I stopped by Lowe's and was pleasantly surprised to find half-inch poplar pre-cut in short lengths. Rather than adding a thick, solid front to the drawers, I now had the option of adding half-inch by one and one-half inch trim that I overlapped by a half-inch.


I may not put handles on the small drawers, but the large one over the fridge and the pantry both beg for some hardware. I like this type for its simplicity and for the fact that I can hang a dish towel from the handle conveniently.


After a bit of adjustment of the slides and some trimming on my overly tight fitting pantry drawer, it all works freely now.

[Miriam C.]

Great find and use! Your build just keeps getting better!

[parnold]

Mike:

Everything is coming together so nicely! I really like the looks of the drawers and cabinet doors.

[H-Balm]

Following your build is a true pleasure.

Lovely woodworking on the drawers!

[myoung]

My wife has reminded me that it would be best not to have two children (trailers) with the same name. Since our Airstream is called "Where or When" after the title of the song that first played on our iPod when we took the Airstream on its maiden voyage, the new TTT will henceforth be known as "Where or When Jr."

[myoung]

On Saturday, Cliffmeister came by with his neighbor Juan to discuss painting my trailer. We agreed on color, effort, and price so now the ball is in my court to prepare the surface for painting.

Sanding is fun. Sanding is fun. Sanding is fun. (What's wrong with these sentences?)

Once I started sanding lightly the exterior siding coated with two layers of CPES, all the imperfections became obvious. Juan suggested Bondo, but since I already had a large supply of epoxy resin and Cab-O-Sil for thickener, I decided to try the epoxy first.

Sunday morning I mixed a batch of what I thought was thick enough epoxy. But, then it became apparent that the pull of gravity is quite strong in my driveway. Most of the vertical patches ran a bit and the places where I tried to fill voids between plywood pieces, the epoxy just wouldn't hold in place.

Monday, I tried a red single part Bondo designed for small imperfections because most to the nail holes are very small. I also applied simple wood putty to see if that would work better.

Tuesday, the Bondo worked pretty well on shallow holes, but the wood putty was better so I applied it to more holes and imperfections. Also, I mixed another batch of epoxy but this time I made it the consistency of peanut butter (smooth not chunky). The epoxy held in place in the voids this time.

Most of the worst looking imperfections are where plywood panels meet. I anticipated this and created a belt line all the way around three sides. I had planned on trimming these joints with a strip of aluminum diamond tread plate, but had not found a supply at a reasonable price.

Eddie Miller to the rescue. He suggested a place for the diamond tread plate. I ordered a sheet measuring 4x8 feet, but asked to have it cut into several pieces. One 2x8 foot piece will cover the lower front of the trailer and will be bent to enclose and form the tongue box. The remaining 2x8 foot piece will be cut into 3-inch wide strips each 8 feet long for a total of 64 lineal feet, which will be sufficient to form the belt line as well as trim the lower edge of the trailer. Someday I might add the corner trim too, but for the time being, these two strips around the perimeter will cover the majority of imperfections in the skin and create what I hope will be a distinctive look for the trailer.

Tomorrow, Wednesday, more sanding before applying a third coat of CPES. Then on Thursday, I'll give the entire exterior a once over sanding with fine grit paper to make it ready for Juan's magic. I'll have to get started early because the forecast high is 94 on Thursday and I don't want to extend into Friday when the high will approach 100 degrees. Sounds like an April Fool's joke, doesn't it?

[myoung]

While waiting to hear from Juan about when he will pick up the trailer for painting, I keep doing little projects.

Today, Gerald helped me dry fit the windows. I purchased interior frames that I thought would simplify the installation. Unfortunately, the windows themselves are designed for a much thicker exterior wall. So, later I'll just frame the interior side of the windows with wood trim. It should look okay.

I finally found material to make the door fronts on six cabinet openings. It's sort of 1/4-inch MDF or pegboard material. Its major virtue is that it is flat.

So, here are the doors in place.




A while back I bought a digital volt meter on eBay for $1.00. The shipping from Hong Kong was $4.00. Then I spent three hours fabricating this cover and the hole in the electronic panel. Good thing my labor is free.

[YuGun]

Very good.. Have a good change of your build i wish to you.

[bdosborn]

Mike,

I went through quite a few elcheapo 12v panel meters from eBay before I got the same one you have. It's lasted a couple of years now. You can adjust it by turning a pot on the back so I set it to the same voltage my Fluke meter showed at the battery. You might consider switching it so you can turn it off as it's pretty bright at night.

Bruce