Opinions wanted on my fender design

[Ira]

(Tom, I just came back from laughing my a** off after reading your latest Commandments post.)

Why the heck I didn't think about just going into the frame is beyond me, but I would have to take a look down there. That's spring hanger territory, with a LOT of steel to drill through and very tight spaces to tighten stuff.

I considerd mounting them to the frame. I even bought a set of mounting rods to do just that. However, the spring hangers and and bolts were in the way. There was no clean way to mount them to the frame.

You mean I may have been right? That CAN'T be right.

[Mitheral]

Yeah--I'll get lucky with ONE fender, and the other will look like a Salvador Dali painting. (I have no culture--those paintings look weird, right? Or am I thinking of Picasso?)

What do you guys think?

Only a really wide eyed guy is going to be able to tell they don't match

[angib]

I'm concerned about exposure of the side edges of those top skins. (They won't take the dye like the other surfaces.) The easiest way to do it is just to lay them on top of the fender sides, and the heck with those edges being exposed. The other way to do it is add a little blocking down off the edge of the sides, so I could lay the skins in there and the edges will be hidden. For me, I think this latter method would be real difficult, cutting that skin to the right width, but who knows? I may get lucky.

What do you guys think?

At that corner, one piece of other will have its end grain exposed:


I'd think you're better off with the 1/8" ply end grain exposed - at least it's not facing upwards trying to collect water.

Finally, I don't have ANY kind of clamps that will handle holding the top skins down while the glue sets. How the heck do I do it?

You may need to use some of the new high-tech IPMCs (Individual Permanent Metallic Clamps) to connect the parts together at this point while the glue sets. After it has set, drive the IPMCs below the surface and apply some colour-matched wood filler.

If your local Home Depot claims not to know what an IPMC is, they may use the alternative names 'nail' or 'brad'.

Andrew

[cracker39]

Ira, if you don't have a brad nailer, you should get one. At $19 on sale at HF, even it it isn't the best, it'll do a lot of jobs for you like brads to hold the skins on the fenders. A brad nailer usually puts the brad head below the surface, and is a very small hole to fill. I use my old Grizzly brad nailer a lot.

[Ira]

Ahhh..so now I have to decide between buying a brad nailer or an IPMC.

Very FUNNY, Andrew!!!

19 bucks? Is it electric, or do I have to buy a $200 air compressor for it?

LINKS! I NEED LINKS!

The Crab is sending me to the poorhouse. I don't even want to DISCUSS what it's done to my sex life.

[cracker39]

Sorry, it's air powered. I thought you might have a compressor.. I guess the IPMC will have to do. As far as clamps go, use a couple of ratchet straps. You might have to put spacers under your bulkheads to bet the straps to pull the ends down, but it would probably work. I going to use them to pull the 1/4" skin around the front curve of my roof.

[Ira]

I'm lost:

I thought an IPMC was Andrew's joke for a brad.

[cracker39]

Or a nail.

[angib]

Is it electric, or do I have to buy a $200 air compressor for it?

This type is air-powered:



You take a breath, swing and the IPMC goes in. And, just to check, you do know that you use the 'chisel' end to strike pins held between your thumb and first/second finger, without hitting yourself, right?

After the glue is set, you'll need one of these - the end is cup-shaped (concave) so that it locks onto the end of the nail/brad/pin (possibly not all these names translate from British to American), so you can drive it well below the surface without leaving a hammer blow mark on the surface:



An electric nailer will do the first part of the operation, but you still need these strange objects (they're called 'hand tools') to do the sinking-below-the-surface bit - if you did it during the first step, you would drive the brad/pin straight through the 1/8" ply.

Andrew

[asianflava]

You have to be really good to use the pointy end of that hammer. The other thing is called a "Nail-set" here. You can drive the nail below the surface, putty over it, and hide the brads.

[Mitheral]

For those not wanting to develop the skill you can get tack hammers (similiar to this 20oz framer from Lee Valley) that have integrated nail holders.

Using a cross pein tack hammer isn't all that hard though. Two hints: make sure your thumb and finger aren't over lapping the head of the nail. And look at the nail not your thumb. With a little practice you'll be able to hammer where you are looking.

[cracker39]

I have an old professional model tack hammer that is one of the good ones with a magnetic end to hold the tack (bought for upholstry work). But for manual brads or small nails (an inch or shorter), I hold them with a small needle nose pliar and tap them in with the tack hammer.

[cracker39]

PS. For wookworking, I like to use the pneumatic brad nailer. It sets the brad head beloow the surface, with a small hole made by the driving piece to be filled and sanded smooth.

[Ira]

I went to HD yesterday and they had an electric nail/staple gun (Arrow brand) for $30. They also had one for $20, but they DIDN'T have it. (They had the sticker.)

Maybe I'll pick it up this week, but let the games continue:

Andrew, I took my wheel clearance measurement today and at absolute minimum, it's 6 1/2". Very hard to really see because of the curvature of the rubber. I looked at where 7" would be, and that looked good. But I also measured the existing fender, and it's 7 1/4" off the wall.

Decisions, decisions. (Probably doesn't matter, because if I mark it for 7, I'll probably screw up and cut it so it measures 7 1/4. And vice versa.)

Also, since my axle is mounted below the springs, it doesn't appear that I'm going to have to notch the inside sides.

Finally, I spoke to a friend of mine yesterday and he recommended staining or dying the parts BEFORE I assemble them, because any glue won't take the stain right. Do you think this is necessary? I really don't want to do it this way.

Well, that's enough TD for now. I took off work to get my measurements and to celebrate the day. It's almost 11AM, so let me get started.

[Mitheral]

Finally, I spoke to a friend of mine yesterday and he recommended staining or dying the parts BEFORE I assemble them, because any glue won't take the stain right. Do you think this is necessary? I really don't want to do it this way if it isn't really necessary.

Some glues will seal the wood. Any that seeps out of a joint and isn't cleaned immediately can lead to blotchyness of a stain. You are going to have a lot going on it might be a good idea to prestain and not have to worry about drips.