Bringing Up The Rear

My awesome helper is back! It was great to have Lori helping me again this weekend, besides a huge help she's my best friend and we have fun together!

Lori worked at dismantling the kitchen area to address the overall deterioration of the surfaces and cabinets; we will be replacing the old, beat up Formica. We need to build a table for the trailer anyway and decided we should match the counter top to the table.

We removed the bunk-beds, the back wall entirely and the paneling on the street side rear...this time I measured the distance between the cross framing on the ceiling that rolls down the rear as well so the framing will be easier to replicate. I will be installing the Birch paneling from the top side so I think the rear will progress much faster then the front did.

I also got a bit of a look at the plumbing for the bathroom....still trying out figure out if there was/is a black holding tank and we are debating the shower.... which will be coming out at least to inspect the floor area more closely. The toilet drain is all cast iron and looks like something you would see in an old house...

We removed the furnace and refrigerator to clean and repair everything as needed. I'll be locating the newer furnace, hot water heater and power converter at this stage (thank you Brittany and Jay!) so I bought a book to help figure it all out... "RV Repair & Maintenance Manual" which received great revues.... we will see.

Second Installment of "Tools Explained"

"Wire Wheel" Cleans paint off bolts and then throws them somewhere under the workbench at the speed of light.  Also removes fingerprints and hard earned calluses from fingers in about the time it takes to say "Oh sh_ _!

The latest "progress" pictures:

I rolled the siding up on the roof, should have just removed it from the onset but have no good place to store it

The corners are the only really deteriorated areas so rebuilding this should go relatively fast

Upper corner on the curb side

Mid section - which is also several pieces of plywood nailed together

Floor looks solid but the lower framing will need replaced...the bumper is coming off, it's bent due to someone attempting to lift the trailer with a bumper jack

Better view of the upper corner

The street side is about the same condition as the curb side

The plywood seemed to act like a sponge - very rotten where as the rest of the framing is in good condition 

Took photos of all the measurements for frame placement AND made a drawing - I R edumecated!

I wonder if the plywood had been sealed with paint if it might have held up all these years....

You get the idea, the plywood soaked up the moisture and saturated the adjacent wood - framing and paneling both

My bestest pal removing some screws on the bunk to get it out of the way

Looks like a much better way to accomplish repairs, next time (HAHAHA) the roof comes off...

She cut the paneling using our very handy multi tool and cutting blade attachment, nice clean cuts - she's awesome and really loves this stuff!

I thought I would find a black water tank here...was grateful I didn't see eyeballs looking back at me!

Look at that cast Iron! The shower pan is just ahead of the drain and should allow good access once removed.

Here's where the potty was - elegant huh?  The shower is an aluminum surround with provisions for a curtain - located just ahead of the toilet area.

This is s section view, it will be interesting to see what is behind the panleling on this side.

Going to modern plastic plumbing should lighten her up a bit....

Lori is taking no prisoners on the Formica removal, kinda hokey the way it was installed really.

Cool pattern and color...too bad there is nothing similar made anymore.... we will be going with Formica Retro "Aqua Boomerang" pattern

It was put up in several pieces for some reason; I'm gonna try to install the new in larger pieces without seams

The Formica is badly stained, has many screw/nail holes from added gadgets over the years and is just too tattered to save

More of Lori's handy work, found and removed all the anchor screws for the refrigerator - which we took out for repair and painting

So here we are as of Saturday November 6th.... The disassembly went smoothly and revealed no surprises...the 1x2 and 2x2 framing wood used is very nice wood - clear and solid. You just can't find wood like that anymore so I bought some reclaimed studs and a planer to make my own....stay tuned for the adventure!.


The street side paneling and shower removal are next.

Trim - The Perfect Miter - Katrina Gets a Shellac'n

Continuing to work solo I trimmed out the front area experimenting with different styles - It took a few tries but I think I have found a winning combination; some decorative and some plain but something on every seam.

It was an unusually warm day in the Northwest last Wednesday the 3rd of November so I bowed out of work for a half day and did a bit of Shellacking.... I've been stressed about matching the color on the various types of wood I used (can't seem to find any Birch other then plywood) plus the old vs. new coloring not to mention the humidity level as the torrential rain starts here in Washington.

I received a really awesome email from my Brother Butch and will be sharing a little of it in each entry starting today.  It really shed some light on the proper use of tools.....

It's called "Tools Explained" here's the first segment:

"Drill Press" A tall upright machine useful for suddenly snatching flat metal bar stock out of your hands so that it smacks you in the chest and flings your beer across the room, denting your freshly painted project which you had carefully placed in a corner so nothing could get to it.

Yup confirmed it for me too - I've been using it correctly all along...

Here's some other tidbits I've learned recently:

• I have a vast and growing vocabulary of profanity; this really comes in handy!
• Do NOT buy Birch at Home Depot! The only piece that de-laminated with the shellac at all was the one piece I bought on a Sunday and HD was the only place open. 
• Apply your first coat (at least) of stain/shellac/varnish before you install your paneling! Especially important for CEILINGS!  I feel like a dummy and do not really like sticky, shellac covered hands.
• Japanese hand Saws are awesome! I was able to cut small pieces of trim without any splintering very accurately - these are a MUST for this type of work!

Okay here are the pictures:

The miter on the edge of the cabinet came out perfectly with my little Japanese hand saw....I know it's no biggie for you veteran wood workers but it seemed like a HUGE accomplishment for the rookie here!

The wide ceiling trim which covers the seams between the sheets of Birch is a rope pattern with the cabinet molding more decorative 

One coat of Shellac shows the great color, Zinsser Amber seems to be the choice....although I did look into buying the shellac flake to make my own LOL, yah I need to do that too!

The trim between the paneling on the walls is plain and looks great - I should have put at least one coat of finish on the Birch prior to installing it - oh well live and learn right? 

The old wood will need some work to get it as nice as the new = I plan to use some sanding sealer and block sanding to get it smooth

The old wood on this cabinet looks great after a through sanding and cleaning prior to applying the Zinsser - the trim grain is not too open so I suspect will take a coat or two more then the paneling


Next: Bringing up the Rear

More details, Ceiling Replacement....

The details up front have taken some time to finish....although I wonder when I will be finished with all the little things....if ever.


We've decided to replace all the interior Birch as best we can without removing the cabinets. We discovered the reason the old and new paneling are so different in color is that this trailer had "Blond" finishing on all the wood - more white looking then blond though - yuk! 


The ceiling piece I replaced most recently took some finagling to get into place and look good.  I also started insulating with the foil-bubble-foil type thermal barrier while the ceiling was exposed.


Here are pics of the progress which took more then a day to complete:

It may not look too bad here but the color of the old paneling would prevent a nice amber glow from the shellac that we are using

You can see staining here - as well as the Formica that we will not be saving as it is dinged, drilled,battered and bruised

Pretty rough around the edges too - Cabinets are fastened from above and below as well as the walls

I installed the blocks of wood around the perimeter of the cabinets as the means to attach the Birch, insulation added too

Here you notice the vent area and how nice all the framing is - all the original framing wood is clear! Now ya just get the knotty bent kindling when you buy 1x2 and 2x2 lumber

More photos of the firring installed for attaching the ceiling paneling

I used my new Multi tool with the wood cutting blade to cut around the cabinets - it worked very well in close quarters

Here is the piece as cut out - I was careful in removal so that I could use it as a pattern

Another view...

And magically here is the new one....I used my ancient Craftsman saber saw and some awesome Bosch blades, 20 teeth per inch for clean cuts on both sides of the Birch plywood 

Another view... I drilled pilot holes on the inside corners to get a nice clean cut with my saw

Here it is installed - it took several tries to make it fit well - a PIA for one person let me tell ya!

Another view....a sneak peek at the color of the Birch with one coat of shellac

It fit very well...I was impressed with myself but admittedly was screaming profanity by the time I put my first staple in...  

This is a good view of old vs. new... we will be replacing all the Plywood and stripping the cabinets too

This is the old rather yucky color of the paneling... that has got to go! Bye - bye now! 

Details and trim

This weekend I was solo again :-( .... My lovely wife is still having back issues so I made her stay home and take it easy (no exaggeration, she was determined to help).

I completed the rebuilding of the front upper storage bin and reinstalled the factory made fascia and mirrors... as always this required several hours of trimming and fitting.  It looks really good and fits well so I'm happy with the results.  I also finished the door frame and jamb; this required ripping poplar to the correct dimensions as new lumber is cut slightly smaller then when this trailer was manufactured;  I have discovered and purchased "reclaimed" lumber for framing the rear areas once I get started so I'll be buying a planer to make exact duplicate dimensions...ya can never have too many tools:-)

I also finished the Birch Paneling on the curbside and started the trim... 1/4" round around the ceiling and 1/4"x1/2" flat trim for all the seams between panels.

The last thing I worked at was the coating of fiberglass resin; the cabinet at the entry had a spot of soft wood I coated. I will be coating most of the framing as well a little at a time...it's a messy, toxic job best completed a "Bite" at a time.

Check out the laminate flooring we found on clearance at Lowe's...killer deal at 70 Cents a square foot! I've read that laminate is preferred over hardwood due to the moisture resistance and durability...

I'm also going to add a couple of new pages; one on all the era correct "props" we have been finding for the trailer that will add to the fun of camping in her. The other is on all the various tools I'm using to do the work; most I've acquired over time and some I have purchased for this project but will be used for a long time to come on future projects...

Here are the photos...enjoy!

Here's the base of the storage bin above the Dinette where I left off....

The other side...

My handy Makita drill driver...compact and has torque enough to drive long screws; also have the impact driver

 

I used stainless screws everywhere; this one is 3.5 inches and secures the storage bin at the sides

Secured with stainless screws at the rear as well

The front fascia required a bit of trimming and fitting

Measure twice cut once right? Measure at least twice.....

Making it fit and holding it in place with extra "hands"....clamps are my new tool of choice

Fits good on both sides...I feel lucky...

Looking good...It was quite cold so the plastic was keeping  the wind out and me semi warm

A reminder of "before"...

"After" with lotsa sweat and cursing along the way!   I attached the top from the roof side securing it through one of the roof trusses - it is solid!

Another reminder...during demolition just over 6 weeks ago!

Now - good progress for working on it mostly on weekends

The underside - I wish all the panels fit together as nicely as this does....

Other side of the bottom.... I just love all that new wood

Before....inside storage bin street side

Ta da! I will be finishing out this area even though this is how it was delivered from the factory back in 1959

The OG mirrors are cool..even dated October 1958!

Mirrors installed - finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel... at least for this portion of the restoration

Getting there a piece at a time...

This next series of photos is the rebuilding of the door Jamb and trim installation

Last week the door frame and trim were non existent

My Dremel Trio worked perfectly to duplicate the trim detail...clamps..... ya can't have too many!

Here is the result prior to any sanding or finishing

A mix of old and new here...getting the finish to match will be interesting....

Flat trim is installed on the Birch where the seams come together

Pretty close to being finished on this side..

A shame most of the wood is covered with Aluminum

Can't wait to see it done....

 This last group is the resin application and some miscellaneous pics....

So I guess you cannot leave resin on the shelf indefinitely after opening.... this cap was a real bitch to get off!

The remains of the can... I won't be saving any left overs!

I intend to coat all of the framing paying particular attention to areas vulnerable to moisture...I am coating the old framing with 2 coats to insure the new stainless screws I bought for the skin and windows fit snugly

The bottom of this cabinet had a small area of soft wood so I am reinforcing it prior to fitting with veneer

The windows were re-fastened with various size screws so I am filling the holes with resin as well

Yeah I wish I were to this point in the process...if I were installing the floor everything else would be done!

The reddish Pine will be a nice contrast to the Birch walls

A close up -