Outer skins

[Gizzmo]

Thanks everyone I will definitely read through the builds that you guys sent me. Don't worry I'm very teachable and that's why I came here to learn from the people that have done it before
I am probably getting ahead of myself here because it's probably in the links you guys sent me but what do you do for the inside them. Does anyone leave it just exposed foam?

[KCStudly]

I think Eagle (Eaglesdare, the foamie moderator) has some unfinished areas on the inside of hers, and she has... what is it?... 3 seasons under the tires.

[Mary C]

I plan to use glue and maps, cloth, paper and paint and what ever I can use to decorate the walls with. I plan to just have fun with the inside!!! Maybe some pictures from magazines of spectacular places I want to see. There have been a few pictures of places on this forum I just wish I had a printer...............I will see some of those places!!!!

Mary C.

[Gizzmo]

I noticed on Eagledare's TD inside she had the boards running from side to side and went around them with the fabric how did she get it so tight. She also mentioned that she would've put the fabric on the inside first before assembling how in the world would you do that? It would be easy to do on the sides but I don't understand how you would get the curve on the roof if you did that. Am I missing something?

[Mary C]

Well I think someone tried that once decided it didn't work to easily on the inside curves. Now I will address the fact that the cloth got tight. canvas is an unbleached, unsized (no sizing is used in the manufacturing of the material , that means it will shrink. I highly recommend that you try a piece of your canvas shrink values. take a piece two inches long put it on a piece of foam try meat trays from the meat dept, they will give you a few for experiments if you ask. anyway wet the material with glue carefully mark the ends of where the material with a edge of a razor blade. let it dry check the marks for the amount of shrinkage now for every two inches you place on the larger roof or sides it can shrink that much. for every two inches. if it is 4 ft wide then you can expect that it will shrink 24times the amount the two inches shrank now you may not notice shrinkage at first but the surface, the amount of moisture in the material and how much excess glue that is between the surface and the canvas , the drying time and how you spread it out and how you really stretch it by rubbing the wrinkles out will all have a factor on it but some shrinkage is quite possible which is why you mentioned how did she stretch it like that, Sorry that is my background in material analysis and determination of fact results used in crime forensics.

where did that come from???????

Mary C.

[Roo Dog]

Gizzmo,
For interest only, ours be steel clad, glued to ply.
RD

[Gizzmo]

Hey Roo Dog
Got any

[Roo Dog]

Gizzmo,
Some pics as requested.
I have a heap of build pictures.
RD

[KCStudly]

Perhaps she was referring to wishing that she had done the side walls before putting them up, thus minimizing the amount of work that was/is needed on the inside(?).

If you have been following Grant's current build, he is using an interesting technique of building the shell off of the floor, allowing him to roll it on its roof and sides while working on the inside. His is a traditional build using the plywood skeleton method, but the idea could be translated to a foamie. On a foamie you might want to include some temporary spars across the bottom to keep the canvas from sucking the bottoms of the side walls in when it shrinks. Here's a link to Grant's build in the General section.

[GPW]

JMHO, it’s so much easier to do the inside skinning while still in the parts stage ... We did that for Foamie #1 and all we had to do was add the inner reinforcing strips and paint ... Easy !!! ... er’

In our case , old bed sheets ...

[Gizzmo]

JMHO, it’s so much easier to do the inside skinning while still in the parts stage ... We did that for Foamie #1 and all we had to do was add the inner reinforcing strips and paint ... Easy !!! ... er’

In our case , old bed sheets ...

WOW this isn't getting any easier the more I read the more ? I have Ok here goes
1. I don't. Understand how you could line the inside without the inner reinforcing strips. Are they not nessasary to bend the foam around and hold in place while the glue dries?
2. GPW- I was reading the big thrifty and you mentioned using thin grey cardboard love that idea not much weight really strong and. Easy to cover with canvas I am going to run an experiment with it to see how good it really is. My ? Is; where do you think I could find big sheets of it?
3. When one wraps canvas around the sides and roof there is always a seam, how do you guys take care of that? Do you just sand it until it is smooth enough to paint or is there some sort of filler or leveler that you use and then sand? Or, do most of you just keep the seam close enough so you can cover it with trim? If so what if I get a wrinkle?

Thanks
Gizzmo

Ps Roo Dog your TD look s super nice

[GPW]

“Inner reinforcing strips “ ... What inner reinforcing strips ? We added ours Later , before painting ...

Gray cardboard , available in many sizes and thicknesses.. I got mine from the local Art supply store , and Utrecht .com (gray chipboard) .. It loves foam , sticks well with TB2, makes a nice hard surface. Pretty Thrifty too ...

To seam or not to seam ? that is always the question ... Seams are just a part of Foamie' construction... the signature of the breed... Can’t avoid seams , but you can plan them out for a neat appearance ... Done neatly , they are Not really noticeable , nor do they detract from the appearance... actually (artistically speaking) it gives the trailers more a “vintage” flavor ... from a more mellow time long ago when everything was mechanically fastened and hand assembled, and not just smoothly molded from Plastic by computers ... The painted canvas , seams and all, belies the fact that the majority of the Foamie structure is all Modern materials (foamed plastic) ... Those wanting an ultra smooth seam appearance can fill and sand as much as necessary .... Just “body work” ... take it as far as you want to ... just sayin’ ... the simpler the finish , the simpler the repair.... especially if you’re gonna’ drag it through the woods ... camping ...


Wrinkles... They “happen” ... just have to deal with it .... usually by dampening the canvas and stretching , you can cover a compound curve with minimum wrinkling .... sometimes you just have to cut the wrinkle out as a V slot and fit it back together (butt join) as smoothly together as you can ... Just folding the wrinkle in , saying you’ll sand it out later doesn’t work worth a (your word here) ... Covering is unhurried work ... take your time , fit everything carefully and it will be Beautiful ... and be sure to allow for shrinkage .... My canvas shrunk 2” over a 10’ run ... Surprising seeing the glued canvas shrinking away from the intended seam ...

[GPW]

... and , as we know, trim and a snappy paint job disguises many seams and imperfections... ....

[KCStudly]

I recall someone sanding a little wedge shaped trough in the foam the depth of one canvas thickness; that way the seam was more flush when it overlapped. Too much effort for my taste. I will concentrate on keeping a nice even line and use the glue trick to get a nice crisp cutoff.

[GPW]

Another thing to consider .... everywhere you have a seam , you have an overlapped “Doubling" of the canvas, acting much as a “reinforcing strip” ... the wider the overlap, the stronger the seam is ...the stronger the whole area ...