Thrifty Alternatives ..Building Foam Campers

[Wolffarmer]

After I posted that I remembered that what I was thinking about was a paste that will fill holes and such. The irrigation people call it. PVC in a bottle. Wold work for glue ups where there is a gap.

Bonding PVC to any thing else could be a problem. Might need mechanical means.

Randy

[GPW]

PVC, testing today ... made these ...
http://www.archerytalk.com/vb/attachmen ... 1337557178

It does take significant heat to bend ... Pretty TOUGH ... shoots fast too for a little one ~35#@28” 48” long ...
PVC is looking promising ... more testing ... now it’s off in the woods out back the house in search of dinner ... Maybe I’ll find a frozen turkey ...

[Wolffarmer]

Frozen turkeys??? Dang i didn't think it got that cold in NOLA.



Randy

[KCStudly]

I beg to differ on the steam not being able to soften the PVC.

We have several systems at work that have PVC or CPVC on the chilled water and drain sides of mixer heating/cooling jackets, and Steam/Condensate on the other side. Occasionally these systems get cross connected by operators who don't know what they are doing in manual mode (should have used the process modes that are automated to be idiot proof). When this happens the steam backs up into the PVC and it gets all noodley and saggy. Melts the high point vent check off the vent stack and spews steam into the people space, too.

[mezmo]

One of the earliest Foamie attempts is for sale for $350 or else will be
cut up and scrapped. If any one is interested:

Re: ultra lightweight floating popup camper
by coal_burner » Sun May 20, 2012 9:50 am

BUB still sits in the garage, un-worked on.
the prius i now drive is big enough to sleep 2 comfortably but gets horrible fuel economy (35mpg) towing bub.
if anyone is interested in purchasing BUB to finish, or for parts, i'm hoping to sell him for the $350 i have invested in torsion axle, tongue, LED lights, and plate.
if nobody is interested i'll probable sawzall the body apart and put him on the curb over the course of several weeks.
We may have philosophy and opposable thumbs, but most humans show all the wisdom of starved raccoons. It's amazing that more of us aren't found flattened on the side of our own roads.

coal_burner
Teardrop Advisor

Posts: 54
Images: 65
Joined: Mon Oct 01, 2007 12:08 pm
Location: Berkley, Michigan
Top

The thread is here:
viewtopic.php?f=5&t=19227

Cheers,
Norm/mezmo

[pete42]

PVC, testing today ... made these ...
http://www.archerytalk.com/vb/attachmen ... 1337557178

It does take significant heat to bend ... Pretty TOUGH ... shoots fast too for a little one ~35#@28” 48” long ...
PVC is looking promising ... more testing ... now it’s off in the woods out back the house in search of dinner ... Maybe I’ll find a frozen turkey ...

I'm unable to open site unless I log in????????????
pvc we too used it to cover 30 foot nonsuch sailboat didn't have 116 mph winds but it did hold up well.

pete

[GPW]

Pete , sorry about the Bum link .. So here’s the PVC just for you ...

[wagondude]

Funny thing, I was down in the basement the other day and there next to my heat gun is a stick of 3/4 schedule 40 PVC pipe. Looks like I have another camping/survival project to add to the list of things I have learned from the teardrop community.

Bill

[GPW]

Just a little diversity... All for Fun !!! To some it may be a silly idea , but then so is making a trailer out of Styrofoam ... Thing is , both work !!!
Don’t tell any Boy Scouts about it , or the big Archery companies will go bankrupt and need a government bailout , and we know what they do with the money ...

[pete42]

when it comes to seeing small pictures vista doesn't like to expand them just save them, but from what I see
someone has made a recurve bow from PVC wow neat trick.

glen if they can do that I'm sure you can make a bowed top.

another thread to keep me busy..............thanks

pete

[GPW]

Pete, it sure solves a lot of problems , while keeping the solution Simple and “Thrifty”... Much easier to bend up a dozen PVC ribs than laminate them from wood ... Cheap ... Thinking how easy it would be to bend the square stuff ... Then these would be drilled and bolted to the longitudinal stringers which would be in turn be glued to the Foam , all contained by the skin ... Theoretically!

I have been experimenting on these bows which allows me to not only test the material itself and how to best work with it, and get a little “light weights" exercise too (doctor recommended) .. Figured I’d do my pulling and stretching in the back yard ... might as well shoot a few arrows and have some Fun ... also solves some “Security” issues too, having a stealth weapon to deter unwanted animals (or dinner) ... These PVC bows have shown amazing flexibility and toughness, with the ability to “heal” themselves (when heated) and spring back to their original shape ... Pretty Amazing... certainly worthy of My considerations on the next Foamie build , which is already in the acquisition phase ...

This stuff is downright CHEAP...STRONG... fairly Light... A “Thrifty Alternative” to be sure ... Much experimenting yet to be done ... My immediate thoughts for trailers aside from profile Ribs are PVC doors, frames , windows, Galley hatch ribs , shelf braces ... EASY!!! Nothing to rot, repair ... PVC does not like UV exposure ,not the white plumbing pipe anyway, so you have to paint it ... No problem there... Just a different use for an accepted material used in a different way than intended... Sorta like making airplanes out of Foam or campers

[eaglesdare]

a second great trip for this year. not many pics were taken of the campers, i did take lots of the critters though. so for the few i did take i will post them here for you.
we got an arial view:




grandson catching his first fish. he is 5, and he said "I knew I could do it!"


an injured simba


me catching a fish, yuck


trying to get simba in the boat.


i finally had to lift him up and another gal had to pull his lead.

i'll have to work on him with boats. he just doesn't get this at all.

and that is really about it.

[GPW]

FUN trip eh !!!

[atahoekid]

Every kid remembers the first fish he or she caught. AWESOME! I probably shouldn't bring this up but if you look at the photos, the grandson's fish looks larger than yours... Just sayin'. I guess it could just be the photos... I guess I shouldn't talk. There's that t-shirt that says "fish fear me". Fish laugh when I show up with a rod in hand. I think I've been skunked more than anyone else I know! But here's to that first fish. Here's to many more!

[eaglesdare]

well mel, let me tell you about the one that got away.....