snail powered
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Posts posted by snail powered
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On 2/14/2016 at 10:35 PM, linda s said:
So sorry to hear about your health issues. Hope you make a complete recovery. Your a very smart and creative lady and have made tons of interesting and useful posts here that certainly have helped others on this site. We are all looking forward to see the completion of your Sunrader.
Linda S
Thanks Linda. Fortunately I was very lucky and the cancer is completely gone with only surgical treatment and no chemo or radiation required. It is not a type of cancer likely to ever recur, so this year two 6 months checkups and after that just an annual one. I ended up with only a very minor amount of damage to my vision from the retinal issue I experienced. Cataract surgeries were also a success. Just a bit of lack of energy left but that will resolve itself quickly once the weather dries out and warms up and I come out of Seattle's hibernation phase.
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Our old dog passed away this fall. My friend has missed having a dog very much so this month he got a new dog, a red poodle. While he looks small now it won't stay that way for long as he is the standard size poodle not a toy. The photo was taken on the boat, it will be a while before the weather is nice enough for him to come to the motorhome yard. He can't go where other dogs are just yet as he has to wait a while longer to finish getting all his immunizations.
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On 2/7/2016 at 1:25 PM, Derek up North said:
That would simply lead to 2 massive threads with good stuff lost in them.
I'd just like to encourage people to group all their 'fluff' here (oil changes, beer drinking, etc) but start a separate thread for more 'meaningful' (hard to define) accomplishments.
An example that comes to mind would be Karen's Sunrader 'build'.
One of these days I will put together a web page about "Karin's Sunrader build" ....oh wait I already have a posting about most of that on my own blog and it is likely I will keep adding to that same posting for a while yet as I don't want that blog to get over run with motorhome yak yak
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I have not done any significant work on my Sunrader since August of 2015 due to health issues. Had 5 surgeries and a couple of other procedures between September and the second week of December. Significant vision issues which had me half blind from July through December plus surgery to get rid of cancer. As a result I was on restriction for bending, lifting, blah blah blah until last week. So the only thing I have been doing recently for my project is collecting a few supplies.
Today I went to Rockler and found some plastic touch latches that are not supposed to pop open from bumps in the road. They are likely the very same ones as many RV stores sell and easy to find on Amazon as well. But I was in the neighborhood of Rockler, dropped in mostly for amusement and found they did had two sizes of them. I want touch activated latches to avoid having a lot of knobs and handles as in such a small space those can catch on clothes and leave bruises too.
The other day I bought some of the plumbing fittings. Soon I will go and buy some PEX. So basically this section of the forum is a pretty good place to post my minor forays of shopping because they are certainly not worthy of a page of their own.
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On 2/11/2016 at 1:21 PM, Totem said:
hmm you should scan all those and get a 3d printer and just print them. less risk of exacto injury.
Silly guy Totem, I don't cut them by hand, I use a CNC machine to cut them. I also don't need to scan them as I design them in a 3D Cad program so I already have a 3D file of them.
We do have a 3D printer here at the workshop. It will be handy for making bits and pieces for my Sunrader should the need arise which I suspect it will.
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"Help"
I'm in the middle of replacing the tension springs on my RM461 freezer door'
how do I set the tension to keep the door shut tight?
I doubt there is any tension adjustment so I suspect it might be a case of improper installation.
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Just be sure to use an extension cord that is rated for the heavy load an electric heater puts on it. Also after having the heater plugged in for around 10 minutes feel the plugs at the connection between the heater and the extension cord and also where the extension cord plugs into the wall receptacle. If you feel heat there you need to upgrade the plug ends on the cord. If you feel heat at the wall receptacle it will also need to be replaced. Unless there is a very good grip on the tangs of the plugs at these connections you will have a risk of fire due to the heat that will be generated at those locations from a poor quality connection when running an electric heater. You can have a super heavy duty cord but if those plug ends are not making a tight connection you are still at risk for fire. In older buildings and older motorhomes you should replace any wall receptacles that do not engage a firm grip on plugs.
Seeking out an electric heater that has specific wattage settings is a good idea for travel in a motorhome. Some of them might have several specific choices for wattage such as 600, 900 and 1500. That way if you get into a situation where running at 1500 watts is tripping a breaker you can opt to run it at a lower wattage and still be able to use it to generate some heat for yourself. Or you can choose a lower wattage for economic reasons or for night time use. I purchased one of these marine electric cabin heaters. http://www.amazon.com/Caframo-Deluxe-120VAC-Performance-Heater/dp/B002EIM6SA It has a very low profile which minimizes the tip over risk and having a pair of rambunctious Siamese cats as well as a puppy around and my own clumsy feet the low profile was important to me. It also has overheat protection and even an anti-freeze setting that will come on at 38 degrees. West Marine also sells this same heater in the color beige but at a higher price unless they are running a sale on it. But you can also find small ceramic disc heaters that have specific settings for several different wattage and even some infrared dish heaters that have that type of heat selection.
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just getting ready to replumb my '80 rader, it's plastic.
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The company that makes the replacement gasket material you plan on using will have a set of instructions for the installation either in the gasket material package or on their website. They will also likely have a specialized installation tool available to help with the job. Once you know what gasket you might may be able to find a step by step video for it on that company's website, possibly also posted on youtube.
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A Mr. Clean Magic Eraser sponge does a great job at quickly removing oxidation and black marks from the fiberglass shell without the use of any chemical cleaners other than good old car wash soap. But be gentle with the sponge a lot of pressure is not needed, and you don't want rub right through the gel coat. You can rinse then wax after that. There are some people who like to use multiple applications of a good quality acrylic floor wax shine finish. You can buy it by the gallon at Home center stores and also at janitorial supply stores, lots of brands to choose from but be sure it says "acrylic". There are others who prefer to wax with the more traditional oil based waxes that can be used on fiberglass.
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You can hire the work out to various types of people but first of all you need to know what direction you wish to go so that you get what you want for the best price.
The Sunraders and the Chinooks have something in common with each other, they have a fiberglass shell. Those shells were laid up inside of a mold. In order to remove the shell from the mold the sides had a slope to them as well as radius at the corners.
The efficient way to build cabinets for them is to create a face frame to which you attach some type of door or some other type of restraint for holding in the contents. There really is no back to the cabinets as that is created by the shell itself. The top of the cabinets is formed by the counter top which is secured to the shell or else held up by the end panels or dividers of the cabinet. The bed is created in a similar way but instead of a counter top you will have boards which support the seats. If you need to create an end panel that is exposed and needs to follow the contour of the shell then just make a template out of cardboard for that plywood shape.
If you are not a great woodworker and/or want to keep the weight down and strength up you can create a face frame from aluminum angle and pull rivet it to join the pieces. Simple plywood panel doors will look nice with an exposed aluminum face frame. You can also pull rivet hinges into place if you wish to do so or else bolt them to the frame. This is a pretty simple way to frame in the cabinets, you just measure and cut to length. Minimal tools needed, an 8 inch power miter saw with a carbide blade for cutting the aluminum to length, a drill motor, a metal file for smoothing cut edges and rounding over edges as needed, a drill motor and a rivet puller. You can have a cabinet shop cut your doors, counters and the boards below the cushions to size from sheets of plywood. That is a minimal labor cost compared to having the whole cabinet fabricated by them.
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There are standard gasket materials available in the RV industry that are used on pull outs.
You can also purchase small specialty awnings that are used specifically over pull outs.
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Boy Karen you sure do some nice work!
John
Having decent technology in the way of 3D CAD program and pro quality cutting machine helps a lot.
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hurry up as this one will be gone very quickly unless the price was a typo. Its a working 3 way fridge with what looks to be little to no rust on the rear.
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I took my 89 sunrader 18ft to a mechanic that advertised they specialize in motor homes. I was experiencing a very rough ride when going over anything other than smooth roads. Figured I needed shocks but they told me my tortion bars where bad and need to be replaced. Naturally I did a search after I got home from getting the quote and couldn't find much on the Internet . Unlike shock issues with our RV's, tortion bars don't get mentioned a bunch. Any one out there can shed some light?
just a heads up about why you might not be not finding a lot of information on the subject. It could well be because you are using the wrong spelling for the word.
The word is spelled Torsion with an S rather than a second T.
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those are cool. You need to put an object next to them for reference. Hard to tell just how small they are.
I did put an object next to them for scale, as I stated the boxes shown in that photo above with the gold houses are 1" x 1" wide and 3/4" tall
here is another one of the sets of very small scale cardstock buildings. I have average sized hands, about a men's medium in finger length
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Scroll down the page and read the section about gravity and slope of the drain lines. Of course if you are parked on a slope you can also induce a situation where the sink won't drain properly.
http://www.rvdoctor.com/2001/01/recreation-vehicle-waste-management.html
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I already have a Z scale train and that is the scale I design the buildings in. I am just showing the smallest size available in this photo. Well relatively in Z scale as they are more in the line of being related to glitter houses and not super realistic as would be more desired by the model railroad hobbyist. That group likes photo realistic, not toy like.
They are cut with a blade. The blade is too fragile to handle cutting plywood and blades are not inexpensive.
There is a laser cutter here at the workshop but I am not going into the plywood ornament business for a number of reasons. Besides you are not factoring into that figure that the shops are putting a big markup on everything they sell. I would not be even close to getting 10.00 for one of them. By the time I deducted expenses my labor would pay less than minimum wage. But more importantly my passion is for designing architectural objects and I don't enjoy doing graphic designs. Plus the cardstock buildings keep me pretty busy during the holiday season, I have sold more than 7,000 of them in the last few years. I do not want to work full time, I am retired and like having the spring and summer pretty much off to work on other projects as well as just enjoying the easy pace and nice weather.
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These are some of the tiny homes that paid for and support my Toy Home. You will need to enlarge the Thumbnail to see them.
It's Boxing (up) Day for the ones I assembled for my 94 year old mother for her Christmas gift. There are 39 unique buildings that I am sending so I had better get back to work on it tonight.
This is the smallest size I cut, I call it the Micro size, its 1:336 scale. The gift boxes they are inside of are only one inch wide and three quarters of an inch high! I sell them as unassembled, precut kits in my Etsy store.
There is a hole in the base for inserting micro sized LED lights.
Having a vinyl cutter is pretty fun and a nice retirement income generator. I even made the gift boxes with it.
Happy Holidays to everyone and wishing you a lot of great adventures in the New Year.
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why? .. please explain... mine is toast. i can open it with any key.
Take it to one of the old school full service locksmiths. Its worth seeing if they can fix it.
The person who started this thread did that and it worked out for her.
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You could get creative with ropes and create a net system that drapes over the roof. Then hang the lights from that. No holes needed but I would anchor the rope to the luggage rack to keep it from shifting side to side. White clothesline will be plenty strong enough and invisible after dark.
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they sell little suction cup hooks for hanging lights. They are in the Christmas light section. Mostly used on glass but should work if you have a smooth finish on your siding.
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great job on the carpet and dash touch-up
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Took advantage of a cyber Monday deal for email subscribers at Online Metals. I got 30% off on the aluminum angle I needed to finish up my new cabinet framing. That was the best price so far this year! Lucky for me, Online Metals is located in my neighborhood so I don't have to pay for shipping.
Now I am ready for the next work session
Brio, our new puppy
in Pet Zone
Posted · Edited by snail powered
Nope, just a teak and holly pup deck
The head on the boat is a wet bath with fiberglass floor so that is where the pee pee pad goes for now until he gets older and can go out onto the regular outdoor deck.
Brio and his new siblings...big bunny and spotted pony. He needed some other "puppies" to pile into and beat up on. He came from a litter of 11 so did not really know what to do with himself without a big fuzzy pack to hang out with. Thank goodness for thrift stores; lots of inexpensive but good quality stuffed animals to choose from that were a good match for size.