Road Foamie - done for the year

[mikeschn]

Just wondering why you chose epoxy instead of gorilla glue? Inquiring minds want to know...

Mike...

[atahoekid]

Mike,

In some tests that I did for edge to edge foam adhesion, epoxy held better than GG. That and I had nearly a gallon of it for other uses anyway so I went with it. There is actually a product from the "Hot Wire Foam Factory" called Foam Fusion that held very well too but I didn't want to go out and buy one more product.

I know you've also done some tests. Did you get different results? Now my inquiring mind wants to know. I don't recall but then again, there's been so much great information traded back and forth on this topic of foamies, I think I've mixed up and forgotten a lot of stuff.

[GPW]

Extensive testing of foam structures over the past 10 years , on planes, we found the best glue for basic assembly was actually Hot Glue ... Held the foam better (melted slightly into it ), remained most flexible over time , and was Quick to use ... The only problem was you had to have some type of temperature control on the gun , too cold wouldn’t penetrate , too Hot would melt the foam too much ! (very much like welding ) Glue sticks with longer working times were preferred ...
Besides , no matter what glue you use , the skin /sock holds it ALL together anyway ...

Ps. Hot glue does not sand worth a (your word here) , but is easy to smooth out with a hot spoon ...

[eaglesdare]

hmm, now from what i have seen here, from my own experience, hot glue does not last. not in the temps that we had here this year. everything i used hot glue on has come apart.
so far, i have had no problems with the gg. personally i will stick with the gg. (no pun intended).

[GPW]

You need to try a very high temp HG ... regular craft store HG is junk ... It’s all in the type of glue .. Handy for stitching things together while the GG dries ... Just an idea

[atahoekid]

Besides , no matter what glue you use , the skin /sock holds it ALL together anyway ...

That's the thought I used as my final rationale for using epoxy. Though it isn't cheap, I already had some (nearly a full gallon of epoxy) and it would save me having to go out and buy the Foam Fusion or GG. Anyway, I'm satisfied with my decision. I'm sure it won't be coming apart. Sometimes my rationale isn't very rational.

[GPW]

A good many times these days , Thrifty takes over from Rational ... " Use watcha’ got “

[atahoekid]

The last couple of weeks didn't give me much time to work on the Road Foamie, but I did manage to spend a few hours this weekend. I cut the profile on the sides and added the skirts. Right now, they are hanging with double sided tape, but I wanted to see what the Road Foamie would look like with walls up, so I just kinda propped and taped everything in place. Here's the pics.





I'm pretty happy with the shape. Next step is to work on the roof. I need to cut the foam to length and round the edges/corners. Gotta put the spars in too. It's nice to see progress, even though life seems to be getting in the way

[GPW]

Nice Shape !!! Somewhat futuristic ... BIG !!!

[eaglesdare]

i am not sure big is the word, but that looks to me like a huge foamie! hehehe that will be fantastic once its done, lots of room.

[GPW]

To me it’s got a “space shuttleâ€

[millstone]

Man that's a beast. Love the size.

[atahoekid]

Yeah, it's kind of bigger than I had originally planned. It's 12 feet long nose to tail, it's 7 feet wide and it's 6'4" tall. I think that makes mine shorter than Mike's build but mine is crammed in my garage with 8 foot ceilings so I think it makes it appear even bigger. Four things dictated the size.

1) "She who must be obeyed" insisted on a queen bed.

2) That means the bed wouldn't fit between the wheel wells of the trailer frame I bought so the width of the Road Foamie became the outside of one wheel to the other

3) That also means the bed platform sits on top of the wheel wells which creates a lot of storage underneath but also makes it a foot or so taller

4) I wanted a well equipped galley with a beer tap so that means the galley is pretty big

The shape IS a bit different, it started as a grasshopper that I decided to round off since I was doing this in foam. Besides being easy to work with and forgiving if I mess it up, my other favorite thing about using foam is I could be a bit more creative with the design without resorting to exotic methods or materials. The price ain't bad either. Oh, again the situation dictated the shape to a degree. The body slopes from front to rear because I need 5 inches extra space to clear the "fan-tastic" vent that will sit toward the front of the roof and the rear end is just a couple inches shy of the garage door opening but tall enough for the wife and I to sit up.

Unfortunately won't get to work on it again for a couple of weeks since my work schedule this week has me all over Northern Nevada and I go on a long vacation next week. But I'm looking forward to getting my self covered with pink foam pellets as soon as I get back.



Funny thing... Even though I studied and worked as a draftsman for a few years, I rarely draw up full plans except for detail work. Most of this stuff I just run through my minds eye. I still don't sleep well some nights because my brain is too active thinking about the way I want to do stuff and I also stand and look at my build when I'm working on it and think over the process. I've caught myself looking and thinking for 15 - 20 minutes at a time. I've never had so much fun working on a project.

[GPW]

Mel, because you CAN draw , means you can mentally visualize how things go together ... a very valuable skill ...!!!!

The only reason I make quick sketches is to explain to others that can’t visualize ....
Personally , I really LIKE your design ... Roomy , streamline, Light , should be like towing a feather compared to the “standardâ€

[atahoekid]

[quote="GPW"]Mel, because you CAN draw , means you can mentally visualize how things go together ... a very valuable skill ...!!!!

The only reason I make quick sketches is to explain to others that can’t visualize ....
Personally , I really LIKE your design ... Roomy , streamline, Light , should be like towing a feather compared to the “standardâ€