A few days ago I mentioned how I might typically handle a multi-item job. You know - take time on the first and learn the job, do each step and figure out the process to use on the rest, then do the rest in short order.
Not on this job. It seems there is more than one needed "way". No doubt each door has a handle, and attaching the handle is the same on each. And so is attaching hinges to maybe half the individual doors (many are not hinged).
But beyond that, each install is almost a new experience in itself, even in spite of my general preference for standard install methods throughout the camper.
That's the long way of saying "this is taking more time than I thought".
But I got a few more doors in place yesterday. Today's post will cover some of the details and differences between areas.
Let's start with the doors I used glue on. If you don't remember, these are generally the smaller units, using plastic corners, and are not hinged, but instead are pop-off doors. This is the glue I used.
And not only did it seep out, but it seems to have foamed!
Here's where it sat overnight. And there was about four spots like this.
I put a fresh edge on the steel scraper and gently shaved the glue off the various surfaces. I think using the glue slightly more sparingly would help next time.
What about door catches? I had one style from Lil' Queeny. I had a different style from the parts camper. I much prefer the Lil' Queeny (1968) style over the parts camper (1966) style. I can find the modern equivalent sold today in each of the three home centers in our town. But I can't find the preferred style.
Here is the preferred style - a single roller mounted to the door, catching on a small plate with a bump, mounted inside the door opening frame. Very clean - very functional. This style is still sold, but not in my town, and not at a very affordable cost (more than a buck a piece is over-priced, if even most of a dollar isn't too much).
Here are some general rules of thumb on this camper.
If the door is a hinged door, the handle is located along the edge at the plastic framing, and by nature requires only ONE catch, right by the handle.
If the door started life as a drawer front, the handle is in the middle of the door, in the wood. If the door is a non-hinged pop-off, it REQUIRES two catches - one on either side due to an absence of hinges.
What that means to the rebuild is this - my preferred original hinged door catches are in limited quantity, but I have just enough for my hinged doors, and no more to use doubled up on pop-off doors.
The original drawers didn't use catches; they used a cut out in the wood slides to stay closed through gravity. So any door that started out life as a drawer front has no original catches. But I had a small supply of the non-preferred catches from the hinged doors on the parts camper. These I have chosen for the pop-off doors just because I have some, I can get the rest I need relatively affordable, and I can get them "today" in town. Plus - they work pretty well in spite of their drawbacks.
What are their drawbacks? The biggest is that they protrude farther out into the door opening and farther back into the cabinet than the preferred style. Here's a shot at the store.
From the supply of catches typically sold at the hardware stores, the preferred style is not there. The two in the middle are plastic housed magnetic - ain't gonna happen. The one on the right is double roller, but with the C-shaped spring clip. I've had that type before and dislike them because the clips stick out too far and the get misshapen too easily.
my chosen (non-preferred) style for the pop-off doors is the type on the far left.
These new catches look identical to the parts camper catches.
So let me show you how I used them. We'll start with the tiny hand-made door for the grey water dump-valve access.
After seeing how the catch fits both the door and opening I stood the parts on the door back and marked them in pen.
I pre-drilled the screw holes.
And fastened the spears.
Then I fastened the catches to the door opening. This was tight work and I used a stubby screwdriver, starting the screw holes with a scratch-awl point.
And here's the completed installation from inside the cabinet. Note how the roller catches extend not only into the small door opening, but mount further back into the cabinet than the typical 3/4" framing depth.
And here's how it looks from the finished side. It pops on and off with a very nice secure snap, but with a reasonable amount of pull. A quite acceptable balance between the two - ease of access and strength of retention - I liked it - in spite of the loss of hand space. I can almost guarantee I'll crack my hand or tear the skin someday on those catches. I'll be on the look-out for a supply of the "preferred style" single roller catches. In the meantime, this is the smallest opening and I think I have an install plan now.
You may have noticed, due to the framing buildup for the shower floor, the wall thickness at the small door is more than the 3/4" of a standard one by framing. The door at the base of the battery compartment is similar, but small cleat style modifications will need to be adapted to the backs of the other cabinets where I'll be using these catches: two doors beneath the dinette floor, two doors in the galley face to access the back side of the water heater, and the two wide, but short openings above and below the fridge.
So then I installed the other larger door below the shower.
And with the shower pan set back in place.
And the hinged door at the fresh water tank compartment.
Without trash cans in place.
And with trash cans in place.
Then there were these three to install.
They go here.
In position to do the one.
Parts attached.
And in place.
Then I set about organizing the remaining hardware to use on the galley side. Many of my handle screws were longer for drawers. The screw reaches through both the drawer front and the front wall of the drawer. I am reducing my drawer use to only two, requiring a shorter screw for most of my remaining "drawer front doors". So if you were unaware of this tool, here's how you use it.
It's just a basic wire cutter, stripper for small wires like used in 12V systems (but I use it all the time to strip wire for 12 gauge residential wiring). This is an old cheap unit. The new cheap units are cheaper and don't last as long as old cheap units. I've worn out one other pair that's newer than this and I still have it, but I always use this one.
Thread the screw into the correct hole on the pliers. Begin in the threaded hole so after cutting the screw you can back out what remains and it will clean up the threads on the screw where the cut occurred. Measure the length to cut off between the end of the screw and the spot where the cut occurs, in my case 3/8". I did the remaining number of screws I needed and saved the rest at the longer length.
So here's the parts and hardware saved out for the galley side.
Today I'll install the extension cleat-like mounts for the remaining six pop-off doors and install doors at two of those spots (the dinette floor). Then I'll probably build doors for above and below the fridge, and start into building and finishing the galley cabinet face.
