Month: July 2019

I’m working on the final coat of oil-based polyurethane for the cabinet doors, galley hatch, and berth doors as well as various wood filler spots.  I mixed 50% polyurethane (commonly called Varathane – but this time actually is), 50% mineral spirits.  This allows the urethane to penetrate the wood more.  I’ll sand all of it lightly and coat with four or five more coats of water-based polyurethane.

It’s a lot faster if you roll it on and then smooth it out with a brush later.  Rolling with a paint roller allows the polyurethane to penetrate more than with a brush but creates air bubbles and gives a rough texture.  Gently, slowly going over it with the wood grain creates a much smoother finish.

Yes, you can actually put water-based on top of oil-based.  It will typically bring out the colours and patterns of the wood more.  You just have to make sure you lightly sand after each coat.

I’m using an exterior, UV-safe water-based polyurethane.  It’s a little hard to find sometimes, but it’s better than adding expensive coats of UV block coating later.

Now to determine the placement of components in the hatch with the new design (speakers, latch / lock, pneumatic lift mechanisms) – I purchased from Home Depot two lifts, rated to hold 8-12kg, to be delivered within “3-16 days”.  The ones they had in stock were pretty little and thus unusable.  In the mean time, most of it can be framed in.

We used a piano hinge with rubber from a bicycle tire inner tube surrounding it.

I cannot afford US$100+ for a hurricane hinge.  I bought an RV hatch door from a dealer in town in hopes of using that, but it only had six screw mounting points to the hatch portion; not nearly strong enough.  So, this piano hinge with rubber will be good.

more hing pics

  7/3/2019  2:05 PM      4042984 teardrop 1 20190703_140546 piano hinge with rubber.jpg
  7/4/2019 10:10 AM      3429873 teardrop 1 20190703_140555 piano hinge with rubber.jpg

I posted this yesterday afternoon, then my server hit a snag.  I lost this entry.  I’ll enter it again.  It won’t be as eloquently, wittily, or interestingly put as it was before.

I’ve been back at work on the teardrop trailer (teardrop 1).  Floyd and I looked at length at the ribs I created for the galley hatch several weeks back.  I determined that they weren’t usable.

So, we created six new ones.  Now they’re up.  The framework for the galley hatch is up.

more galley hatch rib pics

  7/2/2019  8:01 PM      1690781 teardrop 1 20190702_200109 galley without hatch.jpg
  7/3/2019  7:36 PM      4830186 teardrop 1 20190703_193617 new galley hatch ribs being cut.jpg
  7/5/2019  8:12 AM      3784341 teardrop 1 20190703_193623 new galley hatch ribs.jpg
  7/5/2019  8:06 AM      4073577 teardrop 1 20190703_195637 old galley hatch ribs.jpg