The Ultimate DIY thread - Ubuilding (Pics)
Hey all, There is another, albeit smaller, side to this whole RV thing - those crazy folks who build their own for whatever reason. Whether you've scratch-built it from the ground up, assembled a kit...
Forum Discussion
westend, thanks for the fan-fold foam idea. I checked at the building supply yesterday but apparently it's a US-only product. I will be going to Seattle to look at a boat in a couple months, so I'll see if I can stock up then.
For small lightweight panels, it looks like just the ticket. I also found out that the thinnest panels they can get are 1" unless I go with the beaded styrofoam, which is available in 3/4". Unfortunately, the latter is awful to work with if you're sanding because the beads roll off rather than sanding to a smooth surface. So for now, it's back to the segmented-cone shape.
That spray adhesive is great stuff. The biggest problem I've found is that most products that do their job well also have solvents that eat the foam. I will definitely be using that to glue the upholstery to the headliner.
Most recently, I've found that polyurethane glue (Gorilla glue) is without a doubt the best glue I've tried for bonding this stuff. It's cheaper and quicker than epoxy (no mixing) though I do need to keep a spray bottle of water handy to wet one of the mating surfaces.
Another interesting tidbit: this link was shown to me on another forum.
Apparently, the US military is looking at foam boxes covered in bedliner compound for packing boxes. After this build, I was thinking about doing a shotgun case this way for the boat - it would protect from impact really well and have enough bouyancy to float. Of course, it would be a one-hit wonder like a bike helmet, but it's cheap enough you could build quite a few for the cost to buy a single decent commercial one.
For small lightweight panels, it looks like just the ticket. I also found out that the thinnest panels they can get are 1" unless I go with the beaded styrofoam, which is available in 3/4". Unfortunately, the latter is awful to work with if you're sanding because the beads roll off rather than sanding to a smooth surface. So for now, it's back to the segmented-cone shape.
That spray adhesive is great stuff. The biggest problem I've found is that most products that do their job well also have solvents that eat the foam. I will definitely be using that to glue the upholstery to the headliner.
Most recently, I've found that polyurethane glue (Gorilla glue) is without a doubt the best glue I've tried for bonding this stuff. It's cheaper and quicker than epoxy (no mixing) though I do need to keep a spray bottle of water handy to wet one of the mating surfaces.
Another interesting tidbit: this link was shown to me on another forum.
Apparently, the US military is looking at foam boxes covered in bedliner compound for packing boxes. After this build, I was thinking about doing a shotgun case this way for the boat - it would protect from impact really well and have enough bouyancy to float. Of course, it would be a one-hit wonder like a bike helmet, but it's cheap enough you could build quite a few for the cost to buy a single decent commercial one.
