Every Little Bit Helps . . .

A casual remark to someone the other day got me thinking about the best way to allow air in and out through the vents but not to let water (dust is another problem altogether) get through. The multiple layers and the drain from the middle to the outside are the first step. They are based on the principle that the water tends to "bump into"the screen and trickle down rather than fly straight through (unlike neutrinos). I was suggesting that some fly wire in there would be a good idea to stop mosquitoes etc. as well and would help with the breakup of the water when it occurred to me that there is an ideal material for this purpose. Common pot scouring material is perfect - it is basically countless holes held together by some non-rusting nylon - which lets lots of air through but surprisingly provides plenty of resistance to water. A quick trip to the local hardware store for a "bulk" supply and a bit of quick work with some scissors (just keep the joins away from each other) put in multiple layers up to about 25mm thick and it's all ready for a trial.


















I was amazed and delighted to find that I could blow through it almost as if it wasn't there but also spray a garden hose onto it without getting a drop through!!
And I bet the mozzies have a hard time too!!

Realising that now the only thing really stopping me from having a bit of a trial is that leaving the city without a spare tyre is really very silly I decided that I can't put it off any longer but I have to make the mounting bracket. This has been bugging me for a while as to how to make it strong enough while still being "elegant" until it occurred to me that in this case the wheel was hanging off the truck not the truck hanging off the wheel so strength wasn't really such an issue and most of it would be hidden behind the wheel so I should just get on and make something ugly and weak.
Flat bar and "angle iron" fit that bill exactly.























Weld it together with enough weld to hold the Queen Mary together



































drill holes to match the bolt pattern on the back of the truck


















and some more bigger ones to match the wheel


















and make a spare one in case I get a second spare (to be sure to be sure).


















Now the holes in the wheel are quite big to allow for the massive wheel studs necessary to hang the truck off the wheel but way to big for "visa versa". I really think that 16mm high tensile bolts will be more than adequate (after all I'll only be using stainless steel for the other side). They are also tapered each side !!!























So what I need is some washers to fill in the holes and bear on the tapered part (like a wheel nut) to support the wheel without damaging the holes.
Seeing it will all be hanging out in the weather stainless steel seemed like an obvious choice so I fired up the CNC lathe and manufactured some tapered washers to do the job. They go into the mounting plate like so























and into the wheel like so.























The beauty of being able to do this is that while the lathe is working I can go and do other little jobs that don't seem to get done otherwise.

An interesting little item is to apply some grip tape (like adhesive backed sandpaper) onto the front edge of the (as yet unfinished) steps. This suddenly became more important with the advent of winter causing a slip on the step (fortunately without damage to life and limb) and had the interesting side effect of making the steps much more user friendly at night as it's very difficult to see the edge of the step in the dark.


















Next the stove / sink combo can be properly sealed into the bench to prevent any inevitable spills seeping down into the bowels of the cupboards and putrefying.
Again lots of masking tape applied prior to silicone. The main purpose of this is that I like to put enough on to have some squeeze out so that you can see it has created a seal all the way round. The drawback of this is that it then needs cleaning up. My method is to let it squeeze out, give it a wipe all around to smooth it off letting the excess spread onto the tape and then peel off the tape immediately. All the excess is removed with the tape and there is only a thin line left around the edge. Give it a spray with some water and detergent (which prevents it sticking to you) and a last wipe smooth and it's all done, and NO MESS !!


















While silicone was to hand it seemed like a good time to do a few other bits as well.
The handbasin in the bathroom had not been properly sealed in either as I thought it was best to wait until the "drawer" front was attached and sealed as it is easier to get at this way. More tape.


















Same deal then for the basin


















This is one of those weird images where you can't tell whether it's going up or down - but I assure you it's the right way up.























I was also concerned about the door frame as the bathroom will be subject to high humidity and moisture was likely to penetrate under the frame causing it to either rot or twist.
So around the frame too









































Lastly a little job using some adhesive backed velcro used to hold the kicking boards in place. I decided to do this rather than screwing them in place as there is quite a bit of space behind them which could be used for a bit of storage of seldom used items.


















So pretty soon I'll be able to attach the spare wheel . . .
hmmmm . . . the current plan calls for using the motorbike ramp as a lifting device to get the wheel up and down so it looks like I'll have to tackle that too . . .

That Warm Feeling . . .

I really hate not having my "point and shoot"camera. The iPhone has hopeless quality (and I forget to use it because I really only think of it as a phone) and my pro-DSLRs are just a bit too much trouble (and at risk of being damaged) for quick shots while working.

So much of what has happened this week didn't get a photo . . .

The dining table has had some over-centre clips added so that it will not bounce out of position while travelling, but will still allow the table to be removed and lowered between the seats for an emergency bunk if ever necessary.























The switchboard surrounds have been "varnished" . . .


















and then fastened in position.


















Then that horrible feeling again of cutting holes in perfectly good fibreglass and melamine but the gas regulations demand 150cm^2 within 300mm of the ceiling.























I have to find that small flat ducting I used previously and get those light wires out of the way but for the moment they can just get pushed aside while the vent goes in. The eagle-eyed among you will notice the very "unobtrusive" sticker next to the now installed vent cover. The !^%@$@# thing is about the size of a full sheet of paper!!























Apparently "big brother"thinks you will forget how to use the gas stove when you leave the house and and start to live in a caravan so you need a full page of instructions on how to turn the stove on and off so there is even a special sticker for that!























You also need one next to every fuel filler on the vehicle.























It's a bit like mobile phones at fuel stations - I can't find any record anywhere of anyone starting a fuel fire by using their mobile phone at a fuel station. In fact the only time I ever saw anyone ever using their phone there was the pump service mechanic phoning head office for instructions - and he told me to "bugger off" when I suggested he might be a bit more careful!

The only sticker I really wanted was that silver one you can just see (above the other one that I can't be bothered reading but needs to be next to the gas bottle) which is my compliance plate for a gas installation in a mobile vehicle (I wonder if it's different for a non-mobile vehicle?).























And with that one there we pressed the ON switch for the hot water system and it fired up first time !!!! (That's where the warm feeling comes from . . .) So did the gas stove !!!

Unfortunately I forgot to take a photo of the anode in the hot water system. I had to drain the system, to get out some of the plastic from the water tanks that I did not flush properly, out of the water heater - I was really surprised by the amount of corrosion that had occurred just having water in the tank for the last couple of months without even having it switched on. I immediately bought a spare anode and made a note in the operations manual to change it every 6 months not 12 as recommended.

I also had a bonus when the gas tech told me that system can run with gas and electricity at the same time if I want to heat water twice as fast and explained that I would have to "pull that pin out of the switch before you can turn it on". This meant that it had never been turned on and could not have blown out the element as I had previously thought - so now I have a spare one of them too!

Now technically I could just up and go (only as a test of course :) ) except that no spare tyre would be a bit of a risk outside the city so I think that may be the next priority.

Thanks for the kind comments Les. It's nice to know occasionally that here are other people out there :))

Made It . . . .

Start the trickiest job first . . . what has become known as the "flap door!!
Actually all that was needed was some piano hinge , stays and locks.
So; piano hinge in place and stays screwed in also. These hold the door level when open and are probably adequate to hold a few plates etc. when dealing with dinner. It was designed to be an auxiliary bench when dealing with meals etc..


















When folded up the locks are just two circular buttons in the surface. Push them once and they unlock and pop out to make "handles". When the flap is pushed closed they are clips holding the flap in place, a second push and they lock and stay flat with the surface. About the neatest things you can imagine. I would have used them everywhere but the method of construction of the drawers unfortunately makes them unsuitable.























If you look carefully you can also see the "kicking board" under the cupboard. Simple! Cut a piece of laminated MDF to length and width and it's done. It will be held in place with some "velcro" buttons as the space behind may be used for very infrequently used items such as emergency spares etc.

Next some frames were cut from solid Beech and jointed together to nicely finish off the ends of the seats and still leave the electricals accessible.


















One for each seat end


















I'll bring these home and "varnish" them here.

Mission accomplished! All the interior construction bits have been made and test fitted and I'm out of Sich's hair for good (famous last words!!).

So tomorrow a big clean up inside, the last of the gas vents and I can call the gas man to come and do his bit. I still need to do the proper table leg and fit proper clips and such to the fridge slides and other little bits and pieces - but with the gas connected - which will give me hot water and cooking (although I plan to do most outside on a barbeque) I can start planning a test run !!

Feels Like Progress !

Today corresponded with the end of some commercial work and Sich having some spare time for one of his workers whom he (and I both) thought could be best put to good use in assisting me to get some last bits done - so off to his place bright and early!

The pieces I had left (inadvertently of course) in his paint shop had magically been sanded and painted :)

First up were the "pantry" doors . . . #1























and #2























of course it's called a "pantry" but it could end up being used for "socks and jocks" in the end. The one thing that I didn't really find space for was the "wardrobe". I'm not a great deal interested in dressing up; I have to a little of course when I teach ballroom dancing a couple of times a week but that''s not something I expect to be doing in my travels. I mostly wear standard workmen's khaki cotton trousers and shirts nearly everywhere - it's amazing how people assume you are a tradesman and give you trade discount - which around here is worth having as it can amount to up to 50%!! This stuff fortunately does not require much hanging space as it can be folded up - and no one expects tradesmen to be examples of sartorial splendour any way :) . . . but I digress . . .

Next up were drawer fronts . . . opposite the kitchen bench























and under the kitchen bench . . .























I still cant get over the STUPID placement of the power cord for the main (80 ltr) Engel fridge, which I bought before I realised what they had done! It's right in the front and sticking out. I've had a quick look through the grill and it looks very integrated into the unit which means I probably won't be able to relocate it around the back . . . mumble . . grumble . . mumble . .























Then of course fixing on all the door handles . . lovely satin stainless steel and not to obtrusive.























Sorry about the pictures being a bit blurry but I lost my Nikon off the back of my Honda while on a 3 day camping ride recently and haven't replaced it yet so I am using my iPhone!























Next was tidying up the bed frame with a nice Beech facia piece.
Lower the bed down and get everything out of the way so that . . .


















The facia can be attached and everything returned to original
(another piece which magically got polished last week).
Also you can see the start of the table support screwed to the wall.


















This is a "dovetailed" shape which allows the table, which has a matching piece hinged to its edge (so that the whole table can be tilted up from the front edge while still attached to the wall to allow access to the big storage bin in the floor under the table) to also be lifted off the wall without tools and lowered down to fill in between the seats as another emergency bed if ever required.

Then the table was dropped into place using a temporary leg to support the near end. I plan to put two stainless steel tubes down as a proper leg to give more balanced support but I haven't finished them yet and this oportunity was too good to pass up.


















This still leaves a nice amount of headroom under the bed when in it's raised position.
In this photo if you look closely you can just see the facia under the sink and over the fridge has also been installed. It's on special locking dovetail clips so that it can be removed if ever necessary to get at all the plumbing underneath.


















Tomorrow looks like it could be another good day and should see
. the last cupboard door in place
. trim around the seat ends
. "kicking boards" under all the cupboards

Then if I
. get the gas connected
. finish the last upholstery and trim

I can
. think about floor covering
. and then . . .
. and then . . .
. and then I might actually go somewhere !!!! :)

I'm OK Now . . . . .

Had a little "turn"there for a while . . . :) . . . but my faith in the world is restored **

( I got a little depressed when I decided that I needed to do some "real work"to offset rising costs and approaching "end of financial year" bills.)

But like the title says . . .

In the mean time . . .

The gas laws require that there be "big holes" for air to get in and gas to get out should there be a leak. It's a pain in the "PROVERBIAL" but you can't legally get into a caravan park without all the appropriate ugly stickers everywhere.

So this requires one hole up high and one down low, of approximately 150cm^2 each, and totaling 300 cm^2.

I think I previously mentioned how awful the commercial ones are so I had some 316 sheet stainless punched full of holes to make up a face panel and some more punched and bent to make a baffle piece to go inside the wall. The theory is that any water getting past the first grill is likely to hit the second grill and because of the arrangement to trickle down to the bottom and back outside. Well that's the theory anyway . . .

We'll see how it goes in practice!

















The above pieces are siliconed and riveted together to make the assembly described.













Then the part I don't like - cutting big holes in the lovely fibreglass (which never leaks until you cut big holes in it !!)













and right through to the inside as well . . .














This assembly is then siliconed and screwed in from the outside













In the mean time a piece of plain "mild steel" is prepared for the inside. This is not being too mean to afford stainless for the interior as I realise it would look far better but "I have a plan". . .























The back of the outside piece is painted a matt-black so it will not be intrusive behind the grill.
















And the interior piece is painted with "hammertone"to match the door frame and attached to the inside of the door.
















The plan is - I am going to buy a large sheet of "fridge magnet"material and cut it up to match the size of the inside sheet which being made of mild steel will allow it to be attached during dusty conditions while travelling (stainless is of course non-magnetic)

Now there are only the generator ventilation panel (pictured) and the upper gas vent left . . .











(** well, in Les at least, he did comment on my disappearance!
So - just for you Les I will go back and explain the previous post photos.)

Hello? Is there anybody out there ??

I had this bedspread I got in Japan in 1974 and I never really used it - I just liked the design, but now I am looking at everything with "What am I going to do with that when I get rid of everything I can't take with me?"in mind.
So I decided I would cut it up and make it into cushion covers as I just happened to have some cushions on a lounge suite I made in 1970 that also falls into the previously mentioned category.
It suits the colour scheme quite well and it will do quite well until I decide to "lash out" with the $1500 I was quoted for cushions and covers!


















The rear outside panel has been covered with ugly pieces of duct tape covering up the holes I had drilled some time ago for "hard mounting points". So it was time to replace them with the proper fittings.
First the holes needed enlarging, but there are "rivnuts" behind them for bolting into which I did not want to damage - so the pilot drill in a holesaw was reversed so it would be guided but would not damage the rivnut.












The holes were drilled out to the main structural beam and exposing the rivnut.













Next some "buttons" were turned out of stainless 316 with the small end just fitting inside the hole drilled by the holesaw and the length of it equal to the thickness of the fibreglass. This lets me silicone underneath it and then bolt it up tight without crushing the fibreglass creating a good seal and a solid mounting point.















Looks like a case of the measles at the moment but all sorts of things (not least one or two spare wheels and a motorcycle) will be bolted to it eventually.















































Back to the interior . . .
First the table top to go into the seating area under the bed.
A sheet of timber veneer chipboard 18mm thick was cut to size and the two outside corners rounded off to avoid damaged hips etc when walking by.
Some solid timber was dressed to 30mm thick to give a more solid appearance and cut to match the corners (held in place here by "Sich")
















These were glued and clamped to the two rounded corners until set



















and then 30mm x 30mm straight pieces fitted all round to make a nice solid edge.
This can now be sanded smooth and polished for later fitting.


















The pantry and workdesk doors were also tackled in a similar manner, but as they are doors they only need an 18mm x 10mm thick straight piece mitred around all four sides.
Sich, whose workshop I am using for all the woodwork, has an amazing faith in polyurethane glue (the ordinary old white stuff you can buy for all home woodwork) and insists that this glue is all that is needed with just some masking tape providing clamping until it sets - and he allows about an hour for that to happen!! I always manage to find an excuse to leave it overnight before I do any more work on it :)






























Now if I just manage to leave them in the right place in his paint shop they might get "accidentally" sanded and polished by the time I get back . . . .

Amps Rule !!

My scaffold plank arrived !

So did about 2 tonnes of steel from some customers to be turned and/or milled.

It certainly means that not much truck work is being done for the next couple of weeks but hopefully that will help stem the financial tide.

So now I have a cut up scaffold plank and a very solid landing outside the door, and I did manage to fix a small water leak near the pump. Yea!

Also I finally organised (and committed to the expense of) upgrading the alternator from 40 amps to 110 amps so I can cool off the house unit while driving without discharging the batteries. That was done today and it looks to be quite successful. As long as the engine is doing more than 800 rev's it seems to cope with all the electrical demands. This new alternator is an American made variety (NOT Chinese) and is commonly fitted to most larger trucks so there are plenty of them about.

I only have a couple of small complaints.
(There he goes again . . . .)

In the picture above you can see where the mechanical belt tensioning device has been left off. Not a huge problem but it can't have been too difficult to get it to work. Looks like a job for the weekend. I think I have all the parts from the old installation as backup so I hope the original fixture is still among them - maybe I can get it to fit.

The second problem is more serious!

You can see in this photo that the bolt which is the main retaining bolt for the alternator is about 10mm too short !! The nut is a nyloc but it is never going to work without the bolt going all the way through . . . So they have put a spring washer behind it, which sort of makes the problem even worse in some ways. Looks like I'm off to West Coast Fasteners tomorrow to get one the right size. It would probably be OK forever around town, and even if not can easily be repaired, but some of the places I'want to go it could be a serious problem if it fails.

These people were originally recomended for the electrical work but it turns out they do automotive air conditioning as well. Thee has been a small leak showing on one of the hoses to the condenser. These days air con systems also have some dye mixed in the gas so if it starts to leak it can easily be identified. While here I asked them to look at it and by the time we had finished looking it was decided that several hoses needed replacing and the condenser had a fair proportion of the fins damaged and had been painted several times with chassis black paint which can't have made it work any better. So all that was replaced at the same time - none of which was cheap. . . .

So now you can understand why a few weeks work to top up the coffers is in order - even if it does mean slowing truck progress temporarily . . .