The Teardrop Effect

Much has transpired recently.  I had quite a violent allergic reaction yesterday that delayed progress on the jPod but today was a bit better.  I put a new filter in my ventilator and went to work.

Pocket holes hold the bulkhead together

Since it has been hard for me to be outside, I’ve been fabricating some parts for the jPod in my wood shop.  I built the bulkhead which will separate the galley from the cabin.  I chose to use pocket holes for this.  I have built several pieces of furniture using pocket holes for 4-5 years and I like their strength and ease of use.  Maybe I’ll post some photos of some of my furniture on here sometime so readers can see what can be done with pocket holes.

I finally got my shipment of marine paint from Wholesale Marine.  The order was perfect and right on time.  Props to that company (I have updated my review of them on Material Suppliers).

This is somewhat depressing because it means I'll have to do a lot more sanding.

First thing today, I used the Interlux 202 stripping agent to remove the residue from the fiberglass.  Fiberglass leaves a film on the outside as part of the curing process.  That film must be removed before sanding or sanding will just press it into the fiberglass and not really remove it.

Then Senior Management and I sanded the sides down again (2 hours with both of us and it is very nice).  Then we raised the walls (many more photos on Body: Exterior).  It is actually starting to look like this trailer could happen.  The moment the walls went up, people started walking up the driveway to chat with us so our work was a bit delayed this evening but that is part of the process.  The teardrop effect has already taken hold of observers and it is turning into a good way to meet people.

Tomorrow, I plan to wire the walls, skin the insides of the walls and start putting in the roof spars.  I have been working steadily on the jPod but a lot of the work isn’t obvious (sand, epoxy, sand, epoxy, sand…..) so it is nice to have a day when major changes took place.

Comfortably Numb

Pink Floyd had no idea that “comfortably numb” be my state while building a teardrop trailer.  With enough epoxy resin in the air, anyone will be comfortably numb.  They say to use it in a well ventilated area.  Yet they also say to keep it dust free.  So the garage and 3 blocks around smell like epoxy (I think…unless my brain is messing with me).  Even though my wheat allergy has got me all messed up and in pain, I don’t care as much.  Actually, I’ve been wearing a mask to keep the epoxy fumes and the airborne wheat out of my system.

Senior Management and I have put three layers of epoxy on the walls.  It doesn’t look like much work but each layer represents about an hour of sanding between layers.  Between the two walls, we’ve done 6 layers.  Six hours of sanding.  Sanding is one of the most mind numbing activities on the planet.  However, if one takes the time to do it properly (with patience) the final product will be better for it.  So patience is the game.  Patience with my wandering mind (due to boredom and epoxy fumes) and patience for epoxy to cure.

In all of this finish work, I have found the best way to apply fiberglass epoxy in smooth even coats.  It is a hard plastic smoothing tool (one made for paint so it won’t melt in the epoxy).  It has three different lengths to spread with and smooths all surfaces quite well.  I’ve tried a squeegee, a tile grout float, brushes, and rollers.   All of those tools seem to bend too much or leave funny patterns or lines.  This scraper won’t bend, can leave lines -but with practice not very large ones, cleans up well, and cost me about $1.50.

Once the last layer of epoxy is cured, I’ll need to prep for the marine paint.  This is an extensive process (which I have outlined on Body:External).

The best way to spread fiberglass epoxy

Today, there are any number of things I can be doing. I can cut roof spars, make the bulkhead, or cut the counter top out for the galley.  All of these are critical structural pieces to hold the walls up.  I also have some doors to make at some point.  We’ll see how I’m feeling.

I’ll also keep singing a song that I have stuck in my head:

“There is no pain, you are receding.
A distant ships smoke on the horizon.
You are only coming through in waves.
Your lips move but I can’t hear what you’re sayin’.
When I was a child I had a fever.
My hands felt just like two balloons.
Now I got that feeling once again.
I can’t explain, you would not understand.
This is not how I am.
I have become comfortably numb.”

Cured

It has been a few days since my last post.  Much has happened.

Senior Management and I got the outside walls skinned, filled all of the holes, and put the first layer of epoxy on them.  I also put a thin layer of polyurethane on the inside of the walls.  The walls are wood and wood expands and contracts according to temperature & moisture.  Since I am not at the stage where all of my finish work is done, my side walls and bracing have been expanding and contracting some.  From making furniture, I know that if one side of a piece of solid wood is finished and the other side has nothing, it will likely crack.  Plywood is more durable but just to be safe, I put a thin layer of polyurethane on the inside of the walls.  It has helped with the expansion and contraction issues.  Plus, it could be an added moisture barrier.

We skinned the outside since we are using exterior grade plywood (which is rough) and the luan skin is smooth.  We chose exterior grade ply because it doesn’t give off nasty gasses.  Ironically, the interior plywood does give off those gasses and isn’t good for us to breathe.  Since we are building this as a means to escape breathing problems (among many other reasons) it just made sense to use exterior ply.  However, one of my neighbors found interior ply that is safe on the Internet.  So next time, I’ll use that.

Senior Management and I filled the holes made by my staple gun with Bondo Body filler.  Earlier in this process I tried just a simple epoxy based putty (Elmer’s) which is made just for wood.  The label said it would take 3 hours to harden.  In reality (and in 80 degree weather) it took more like 6 hours.  I wanted a fast dry time and Bondo is about 6 minutes.  Senior Management used her career skills of making dental fillings and mixed up the Bondo quickly and well.  She was really good at it.

On the teardrop forums there has been debate about Bondo and its use on wood.  The Bondo Body filler says it can be used on wood, aluminum, concrete, & steel.  I also called Bondo and asked the company rep about the product.  The only problem that they could foresee was if the wood around the Bondo got wet and swelled.  Bondo doesn’t take moisture like wood and it would likely create some damage.  Since we’re using fiberglass epoxy as a coating, this wood will never see moisture (I really hope).

The epoxy was fun.  I mixed up a batch and had about 8 minutes to spread it over the entire wall.  I learned several things:

1. 8 minutes goes fast even when you’re working fast
2. epoxy really really stinks
3. Don’t always follow the epoxy mixing directions

Once I had the epoxy coating the wall, it quickly started to harden (luckily, I had worked fast enough).  However, it also started smoking and was too hot to touch.  I think the combination of the hot weather outside and the epoxy mix caused this reaction.  As much as I hate my garage and would gleefully roast a marshmallow over it as it burned to the ground, I moved the trailer & curing side out of the garage in case of fire (mostly because my floor grinder is in the garage).  I fixed a tarp to the front of my Jeep to keep the curing epoxy in the shade and eventually it cooled off.  Next time, I think I won’t put as much hardener in the mix as they recommend and see what that does.

I spread the epoxy (as recommended) with a foam roller.  That process was awkward and left some lines to sand out.  The roller also pressed some bubbles into the surface of the epoxy.  I can sand them without much trouble but I think I’ll try a squeegee next time.

One coat on and more to come

Today, the plan is to do a few more coats of epoxy on the walls and start cutting and building parts in preparation for raising the walls up on the trailer.

After seeing the epoxy on the walls, I can see why some people prefer a natural wood finish for their trailers.  It is beautiful (even on luan!).

Linked Up

I have updated my favorite teardrop links page.  There is so much information out there it was hard to slim it down to just the bare essentials.  I hope these links are interesting and helpful.  I may add to the list more in the future.

Today, I plan to keep fiberglassing.  It is a messy and smelly job but it will look great.  I also plan to order my marine paint for the final coats.

Getting Warmer

Yesterday, I awoke feeling good (7 straight hours of sleep!).  This is a rare event because of the wheat allergy.  Usually, I am awake at night with itching, a migraine, breathing problems, or stabbing pains.  A good night of sleep is often motivating.  It is just one more reason I am glad Senior Management and I are building the jPod and working on other ideas for dealing with the allergies.

My hurricane hinge came yesterday from Grant at Lil’ Bear Teardrops.  You can see photos of it on The Galley. He is a great merchant.  The hinge was shipped in 5 ft of 2″ PVC pipe.  No chance that it would get damaged.

I purchased some electrical components yesterday and researched my finish options.  I stopped at West Marine in Spokane and asked a ton of questions about fiberglass finishes.  I have decided to epoxy the outside and then paint over it with a marine grade primer and paint (read more on Body:External).  Senior Management also worked on a design for a graphic on the side of the jPod.  We want it to complement the color of the finish we choose for the outside of the trailer.

I finished framing the second wall and insulating both walls yesterday.  This means it will be a warmer trailer in cool weather and cooler in hot.  It was a very productive day.  At one point, a gust of wind came and knocked over my walls (which I was sanding).  Luckily, one of my clamps sacrificed itself to spare the walls damage.  The clamp took a pretty good beating.

The first major casualty

Senior Management and I put the first coat of epoxy on the bottom of the walls (where they will rest on the trailer). I’ll also undercoat them before gluing and fastening them to the floor of the trailer.

I plan to patch, sand, and start the epoxy on the walls today.  Senior Management pointed out that it would be easier to do it now (when the walls can be horizontal) than once they are permanently fastened to the chassis.  This is why she is Senior management and I’m Middle Management.

I’ve been framed

Today is a good day!  It is always a good day when it rains because it cleans all of the airborne wheat out and I can breathe (No dust mask for the first time in almost a month).  It is also a good day because we got one of the walls completely framed up.  See all photos on Body:External.

Sunset as we finish framing a wall

To finish the framing of the right side, Senior Management and I had to determine some general features of the Galley.  I made a very rough drawing of the galley and we framed it in according to that drawing (the drawing is found on Galley).

Since we decided to skin and insulate the insides of the walls before putting in the roof spars, I need to finish my electrical diagram for the jPod quite soon.  This way, we can wire the walls up before we put the roof together.

Many teardrop experts have said that a builder must always be thinking ahead.  I echo their statements and think that it is almost necessary to have the entire process figured out (in general) before starting.  I am glad that I spent as much time planning as I did.

We have had a lot of curious neighbors stop by.  There were very few visitors until the sides started to go up.  Now it is more than just a trailer and something to watch with interest.  It is also fun to chat with everyone who stops by to share ideas and ask questions.

Today, I will work in the garage.  It is tight but not too bad.  It floods like crazy and is basically rotten through but it hasn’t fallen over yet (I wish it would).  I plan to finish framing the other side and start insulating.

Oh what a great day!

101 Things I Love About You

Well it is a new week and time to resume work on the jPod.  Yesterday, Senior Management and I celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary.  I had made some plans for the day to treat my woman out.  We ended up doing some of them.  She actually wanted to work on the jPod together for part of our celebration.  How much more could I love this woman?!  So we did some work on the jPod.

I undercoated the trailer while Senior Management sanded our plywood joints down.  We worked out a final design for where the doors and windows will be and then cut the holes for them.  We also started the internal structure.  You can see pictures of our progress on Body:External. We need to finalize some details for the galley (mostly where to put supports in the walls that we will tie in to.

After some work, I took her out on the town and we celebrated properly.

Senior Management in the doorway

Today, I hope to get the sides put together with their internal structures and ready to start the ceiling spars.

Legally bound

Today was inspection day and the trailer passed.  It is now licensed and street legal.  This will make getting additional supplies easier.  The officer inspecting the trailer was impressed with how beefy it is.  I have put some final statistics on the Chassis page.

The walls are cut out.  I have put some photos of this on the Body:External.  The only thing that Senior Management and I have changed is the top of the galley.  It seemed that the angle was too sharp as it approached the top of the trailer.  We cut a second curve into that hatch.

It is pretty clear that I am the son of an engineer.  I created a scribing jig to make the curves of the trailer.  It keeps the pencil perpendicular to the plywood and is amazingly accurate.  I even put a screw in the end of the board to hold the pencil steady.  It worked great.

My drawing Jig

The backside of the Jig

Screw holds the pencil – Nerdy huh?

Making the Curve

Nose Curve done 18″ radius

Drawing the Galley Curve

The floor is officially done and seems to be serving its purpose well (I haven’t fallen through yet).  We plan to attach the walls soon.

It is our anniversary this weekend so we’ll take some time off to hang out together (I think we’ll do a triathlon tomorrow -Romantic huh?).  6 years have flown by and we still like each other.  It must be a good sign.  Plus, we can work together in many ways…even on the jPod.

The Lurking Beast

I had great plans for yesterday but not much happened.  That lurking beast (work) needed some attention so I did my website development thing for about 10 hours.

Senior Management and I did get the floor on the trailer and I got some paperwork taken care of for tomorrow’s inspection.

Today, I got my temporary transport license to transport the chassis to be inspected by the State Patrol.  Once, this process is over, I am tempted to post all of the steps required to get a home-made trailer licensed and titled in the state of Washington.  In my planning for this project, I never found a good resource on this.

I plan to cut out the walls today, do a last minuite inspection of the trailer chassis to make sure it will pass tomorrow’s inspection, and perhaps work more on my electrical schematic.

The Cycle

Yesterday I got quite a lot done (although it doesn’t look like much).  I went through the cycle of painting the bottom of the floor four times with Rust-oleum and then putting automotive undercoat on it.  It turned out quite well. I have added photos of the process to Body:External.

I also finished a wiring issue I had with the chassis and replaced the wire nuts that came with my light kit with splice clips.  The clips are much more secure and reliable.

I started diagramming the electrical for the body.  I’ve had it in my head but I need to get it on paper so when I start wiring I won’t screw something up.  When my diagram is done, I’ll post it.

Last night, I went to enjoy two of my other passions.  Bicycles and photography.  My neighbor (and one of my former students) is on a race team.  He is quite a good rider (avg about 25 mph).  He had a race last night and I went and shot about 500 photos.  He was in the same race as someone who I will have as a student this coming school year.  My future student actually won the race and changed categories to Elite.  It was a fun night.

Crit ride

Today, I have some paperwork to finish for the chassis inspection on Friday, I’d also like to start cutting out the profile in the wall pieces and putting in the wall framework.  We’ll see how it goes.

Hammers and Hoses

I am having a pretty bad reaction to the airborne wheat this morning and I’m feeling sluggish.  It is time for lots of medicine and something to make the medicine work faster.  That means it is Hammer Time.

Hammer Time

The jPod build had its share of surprises yesterday.  We got the floor all glued up and drilled for bolts to the chassis and I glued up both sidewalls.

At one point, I chose to go to lunch.  Since I was hungry and it was 92 degrees outside, I took an hour for lunch.  When I came back, there was a sprinkler on the neighbor’s lawn that had soaked all of my stuff.  The trailer floor was soaked and warping, one of the walls was soaked, my router sat in a pool of water with my clamps and a saw.  Luckily the chassis is completely ready for weather because it too was dripping.

I was a bit peeved (understatement).  I shut off the sprinkler and let my gear dry out.  No one lives in that house right now and there are people taking care of the yard.  I let them know what I thought of their plan to water the lawn (“good it needs it”) and then what I thought of their plan to water my router (“[insert what you would be thinking here]“.

The good surprise is that I straightened the floor and it turned out good (after its watering) and it even fits the chassis of the trailer perfectly.  Excellent.

I’ll test my tools today.  I left them out on the hot concrete to dry.  I also plan to start painting the floor, route some countersink holes for my chassis-to-floor bolts, and draw my profile out on the walls.  At some point, I need to sit down and do a bit more diagramming for the electrical aspect of the trailer.

Hopefully, today goes better than yesterday.  If it doesn’t, someone is going to get hit by an actual flying hammer and then I’ll have some more medicine and coffee.

Traffic

My blog has seen a dramatic increase in traffic since last Thursday.  This is because I finally exposed myself to the largest forum of teardrop builders in the world.  Welcome to all of the mikenchell viewers.  This forum has been invaluable in the planning of the jPod and I thought I’d share it with the world (find my thread here.  I am the greekspeedoman – long story).  To give a small example of the activity…

Last Thursday night I had about 75 hits on this blog.  This morning (Monday) I have 1,032 hits.  These tear droppers are serious and I am happy to show them the project they helped inspire.  Now for something completely different…

Yesterday, I glued the floor together.  You can see the latest on Body: External.

My mother, Senior Management, and I found a tear for sale in Spokane and went to see it.  It was really worn out, bent frame and pretty frightening inside.  The owners have been storing their motorcycles in it and it is trashed.  Now I have a goal: Make a trailer that is better than that one.

Some of the Mikenchell people have been asking for my drawings of what I think I want the trailer to look like.  I have posted the external body drawing on Body:External and my final chassis drawing  on Chassis .  This is the plan that Senior Management and I have discussed and come up with.  It may change but this seems to be the definite direction we are going.  There are many drawings out there that are made with CAD.  I wanted to do that but I also want to build a trailer.  You’ll have to be conent with my drawings.  The only drawing that is to scale, so far, is on the Body:External page.  To bait your interest, here is a preliminary plan for the jPod (it is not to scale).

Milestones

I finished the Chassis today.  I got the lights hooked up and working on the first try and put all of the hardware, that didn’t need painting, on.  I need to tie up the wires and I am done.

Washington State Patrol called today to get a trailer inspection done next week.  I am very pleased with their turn around time (much faster than I expected).  So I have a bunch of work to do before I can have it inspected.  You can read more about this inspection on the Chassis page.

So…On to the Body.  I’m taking tomorrow off and then I’m right back to it on Sunday.

Loaded & Progress

I bought most of the wood for the basic trailer and brought it home.  I am pleased that I could haul it all on or in the Jeep without the back end of the Jeep sagging too much.

Loaded with all of the wood for the basic trailer

Today, I finished painting the chassis (4 coats).  I decided to put 5 coats on the fenders since they each stick out 9 inches on either side of the Jeep are are likely to take a beating.  I also decided to undercoat the fenders.  I put in brackets for the lights and plan to wire it up tomorrow.

It has been really windy today (50+) and there is a lot of wheat in the air so I have called it a day, taken all my drugs, and put on my dust mask for the evening.

Toys have arrived

I got a big shipment of components today (Pictured).  It feels like christmas and it also feels like I have a lot of work to get done.  It looks promising that the trailer chassis will be completely painted today and wired for lights.

The new order from Poorman's Bargain Barn

I purchased a switch and some 10 gauge wire to wire the Jeep so we can charge the jPod while we drive.  I need to find a time to run those wires.

It is about 90 degrees out right now and almost too hot to think.  I plan to weather out the heat inside by doing some research for our up coming anniversary (6 years).  If things go well, I will decide what Senior Management will get as an anniversary gift.  This time may also let my body recover from being outside in the wheat-toxic environment.  Two birds with one stone.

This and That

Yesterday I shopped for all sorts of supplies.  I live an hour from town so I wanted to get everything I’d need at once.  When I start my build of the Body, I don’t want to have to worry about supplies. I also think I have figured out a way to make my Jeep hubcaps fit on the wheels so I purchased that hardware as well.

Our Green Bluff Strawberries

I was a bit delayed yesterday because Senior Management and I decided to go pick strawberries.  We picked 25 lbs of berries and followed it up with some milkshakes.  Then I had to do all of those normal tasks (change the oil in two cars and two lawn mowers etc).  I got one more coat of paint on the trailer last night.  It looks good.

Today, I hope to get some more housework and yard work done while I paint the trailer again.  I also hope to have the trailer lights on by the end of the day.

Building has begun

I finally made a blog of this project.  It is -in part- to document the process like many other people out there have done and partly for my dad.  He is currently riding his bicycle across the United States to raise money for American Lung.  This blog can be a way for him to keep up on the progress I may or may not be making on the jPod.  If you’d like to help sponsor my dad’s trip, his site is found here.

Mom came out to see it today.  She liked it, which is good.

So far, I have finished all of the welding on the Chassis and plan to put the chains and lights on it and paint it today.  I may also start the floor.  We’ll see…