We took an overnighter to Denver the other day. Mostly to get out of Dodge for a minute; it's been a long time since we've gone anywhere. But also to check out some used camper parts, check some fabric stores for the upholstery stuff, and came to realize we'd be there on the first day of the 61st Annual Colorado RV, Sports & Travel Show. Then DW saw the travel pamphlet of the Mile High Flea Market, so we hit that on Friday too, before coming home.
I'd been in contact with Laura at 5 Star RV. She's the used parts guru. Yup, she had an additional original light lens available (it happened to be the one without concentric circles, like my other two in the Galley and Greatroom, so it got used on the under cabinet over the dinette, and the extra got put away), and a used FantasticFan Vent. As it turned out the fan had a cover crack and a crack in the housing plastic, so we decided to go new after all.
The folks at 5 Star RV are really helpful. They aren't as easy to get to as some of those super stores along the Interstate, but they've been there forever, have lots of used parts, and are actually a dealer for Northstar, Adventurer and Eagle Cap campers! And they really seem to care.
Make sure you stop by their show display today (Sunday 3/5/17 - last day of this year's show) if you're going, where they have quite a selection of Northstars, and I think one or two Adventurers and an Eagle Cap.
While looking over their place out in Henderson, we wandered their big warehouse of small used parts. I was also looking for metal, or stick-on "systems warning labels" to put on some of my extra metal plates for specifics I was missing, like the water fill labels, and to extinguish pilot lights when fueling, etc.
One of the service men I asked, said they didn't sell them, but they had a few metal ones, from when they used to build campers, and he brought me out a selection. He gave me two. What a gesture!
Here are my labels.
The two new ones (black labels) from 5 Star RV are for fresh water: a supply, and a connection. Those go on my two separate spots for water. They look different though, so I'm using them in a slightly different fashion. I'll post that up later, along with more details on the originals. The other water one about sanitizing is a sticker I had thought about using on one of my extra metal tags, but won't have to now. It came with the new gravity fill hatch.
Here are my window cranks. Quite a variety. Until I find other reasoning, I'll be using the originals on Lil' Queeny, with some adaptation here or there. Also posts to come later.
But note the flashlight. We had just been talking about getting a Mag Light brand, 3 D cell battery length, for hanging over the entry door in the camper. New, they are about $42. But we found this used one at the Mile High Flea Market for $8. Check!
And I've been starting to go through some more odds and ends, pulling stuff off my shelves.
Here are extra sink and stove parts at left, the new light lens (which looks the best out of all my lenses), the entry door assist handle, the fridge "hold closed" pin. I have several small containers of screws and stuff. All being looked through now as we start getting final items put up on the camper, here in Finishes and Finishing. This thread will start receiving some entries associated with that stuff, which might fall into various other categories as well.
You might have noticed my shelves of coffee cans. Here's an example of one of them. I was looking for some tiny brass screws I knew I had, from a collection given to me by an old friend in the late 80's. The collections have just grown since then.
But I found what I was after, and had to use my Dad's tiny pocket screwdriver (he did fine electronics work back in the radio era before computers). And after prepping the label, got ready to put it up.
This label was originally nailed through the plastic laminate and into the wood wall in front of the overhead cabinet on the stove sidewall. It was hard getting out the nails (brads) without damaging the label. And that surface is tiled now.
The label is for all butane appliances (like the light), not just the stove. Where is a logical place to put a single warning label? By the matches of course! And in this new spot it is very visible, which is also part of the display desire!
Yeah! That's the ticket!
Now the screw for the fridge "hold closed" is simply one of the camper door hinge screws. And a little brass washer (from the tiny washers coffee can), to finish the look and hold the chain away from the wood surface a little, kinda control that chain swing - if you know what I mean.
In travel mode...
And in "beer-thirty" mode.
So that's a taste of the fine tuning finish items to come, in between still major main sections to do. This is the fun part.
