Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Steve, Thanks for the primer on AL. I had no idea what the grade numbers meant. we have a Metal Supermarket here in Fort Wayne but when I called them they said they couldn't get 5' material. I'll have to check their website and call them back if they show they have it.

I may have to resort to a trailer repair shop for the wider stuff but I'm going to try to find 5' first. Even if it costs a bit more it will be easier to work with.

Last night I found a flyer for a TD called the "Surry Sidekick" made by Forks RV, Inc. in Shipshewana, IN. I had seen it earlier last fall and talked to the guy that built it. He built it for resale at a base price of $5330. He had some different ideas on construction, some I liked and some I didn't. He used various components from the RV mfg's in Elkhart to put it together. I'm sure that saved construction time but it lacked the "custom" look that many on this site achieve. Anyway it was 5' wide, I'm going to give him a call to see where he got his AL.

goldcoop wrote:Tripmaker-

Is Elkhart close enough?

Here is a great source:

http://www.rvsurplussalvage.com/catalog ... uct_id=419

Cheers,

Coop

I ordered my Fantastic Vent frtom them. I looked on their website but didn't see any trim. I'll give them a call. They are only about 90 minutes from me so I could go pick up from them if they have what I need. That is if they are not under 6' of snow. They get a bunch of lahe effect snow up there almost as bad as Buffalo.

I found some AL in Bristol, IN. It's what the other guy used on the Sidekick Surry I talked about. The price seems right at $1.25 sq. ft. or $75.00 for a 5x12. As it turns out it's colored but aparently he used the reverse side. Question for the AL gurus. Is there any problem using the back side? I suppose mill finish is mill finish but is one side more or less likely to pit or weather? If this question sounds dumb I'm new to this.

Another Alum source option:

http://www.instantmetals.com/

They are in Noblesville. I have not purchased from them, but did get some pricing. Seemed pretty good and easy to work with.

Tripmaker wrote:I found some AL in Bristol, IN. It's what the other guy used on the Sidekick Surry I talked about. The price seems right at $1.25 sq. ft. or $75.00 for a 5x12. As it turns out it's colored but aparently he used the reverse side. Question for the AL gurus. Is there any problem using the back side? I suppose mill finish is mill finish but is one side more or less likely to pit or weather? If this question sounds dumb I'm new to this.

Is the coloring paint or anodizing?

Most likely, the backside isn't as protected.

Copper and Brass Sales (800-926-2600) has all of the 60"X144" .040 5052 you could ever hope to own and they take credit cards. I live in socal and picked mine up at their Santa Fe Springs will call and they did a beautiful job of putting it on a pallet and protecting it from damage. Be aware there is a big price break when you go over 100 lbs so it might pay to order more than you need and actually pay less. IE I bought 3 sheets of .062 for a project I was working on and the .062 was less expensive than .050 due to the price break.

Eric "Gus Marquardt

sdtripper2 wrote: Doug

A novice for sure could use that information so as not to make a heck of a
mess on all that aluminum.

Recap of your process:
It does take two to be there one blowing and the other cutting.
It is a driveway with and insulation ride and blankets and ply on top for
knees.
Taping the line so as not to have scratches while cutting with a carbide
blade in a circular saw.
Sounds like a bit of work but if it saves you the 1.5 times the price of a
5'x12' stock sheets and you would have had to bought two.

Now one more question... if you please:
What was the different treatment on the surface, which covered up any
scratches/gouges that you used

Steve....I've done it by myself, just carry the blower in the left hand when you cut. It didn't take all that long to do, probably 30 min. But some of the materials I have on hand all the time. I use a thick sheet of foam all the time to flop materials on when I cut them out. I don't have to leave them hanging out in the open, unsupported. I can rout, run a circular saw, jig etc...without cutting into the table, just adjust the depth accordingly. For a jig saw, I put the blade in the vice and break off 3/4 of an inch, grind it clean and it won't go all the way through the foam. I work by myself all the time, so have to figure out ways to do stuff.

On the exterior treatment. I used 220 grit on a DA sander on the first tear, I used the same grit on a polisher on the 2nd one. It was a variable speed, didn't suck up air like the DA, as it was electric. I just used 1 edge and scuffed it and overlapped them in a fairly consistant pattern. Just do it so that every sq. in. of material is scuffed and overlapping. You need to work your way down the panel, can't go back and touch up without it showing. If you do, it'll show as an additional layer in that spot. Again, I laid the panel on the foam, covered the working side with a blanket and a sheet of ply so I wouldn't dent it, and just worked my way down the panel. It's not easy stuff to do, but if you want the look, short of coughing up the dough for it, It's an easy way to make something different. The DA sander took about 3 hours to do it all. Of course time was taken out for "shoulder and knee" breaks. The polisher took about 1 hour for approximately the same area. The following photo shows how I cut it, blower is in left hand. doug

asianflava wrote:

Tripmaker wrote:I found some AL in Bristol, IN. It's what the other guy used on the Sidekick Surry I talked about. The price seems right at $1.25 sq. ft. or $75.00 for a 5x12. As it turns out it's colored but aparently he used the reverse side. Question for the AL gurus. Is there any problem using the back side? I suppose mill finish is mill finish but is one side more or less likely to pit or weather? If this question sounds dumb I'm new to this.

Is the coloring paint or anodizing?

Most likely, the backside isn't as protected.

Not sure. I have a sample and both sides look good. I went back yesterday to look at the other Td that has it. After sitting outside for about six months it looks as if it is as new as the sample I have. The sample looks so good I am considering using the red colored side or possibly red on the walls and natural on the roof. I was able to scratch the color through to the Al without too much trouble (about the same as scratching paint on a car) does that mean it is painted not anodized? What is the advantage or disadvantage?