The Hobbit!

Today we got our wood stove! 

Luna was NOT happy about the delivery guy (we've gotten a lot of packages recently), and was wary of these boxes.   I keep telling her it's a good thing that a stranger in a loud truck rings the bell, but she's not buying it yet.  Good guard dog. 

Dan put the stove together last night, and here it is!  Super adorable.  This little guy should heat our entire home with just a few pieces of wood.  Hopefully, we'll be able to hook up the stove pipe from the back and then have the nice flat surface on top for boiling water and cooking! 

Sealing the Sub-floor

We got six exterior grade BC plywood boards to replace the current sub-floor in the Airstream. Dan traced the old boards for the right size and shape except for the very rear one, which he guessed since the original was super rotted. We also picked up some expoy to coat the boards and make them watertight.  This way, should any water get down to the sub-floor, it will run right off the wood.  

This stuff was cool.  It came in two cans, and when mixed, you have about 12 minutes until the chemicals set.  Dan had to switch out the rollers about every 20 minutes.  Once it dried, the boards had this glass-like coating.   

Just a few more pieces to get in place, and then we'll start re-assembling! 

Frame Work

The frame has been out at the welders for a few weeks now, and is ready to come back! All the outriggers are repaired and in place and the frame is good to go.  They did a great job.  

Dan sanded and brushed all the loose rust off the frame first, and then painted on this awesome POR-15 "paint."  It bonds to rusted metal to form a solid protective layer that won't wear off like other paint.  No more rust! 

All done!  Once the Airstream is back together you won't see much of this frame anymore, but now it will never rust again.  

All the better to see you with

Now, on to the windows!  Like everything else on the Airstream, the windows are covered in 40 years of dirt which needs to be cleaned.  Dan pulled off all the ones that open and the matching screens.  Each window had a ring of old rubber weather stripping glued around the edge that was in various stages on dry rot in need of removal.  

We started using a painter's tool to scrape, push, and coax the old rubber and glue off, but quickly realized a razor blade and goo-gone was the way to go.  Then, we rubbed all the old oxidation from the aluminum frame with steel wool to shine it up again.  

The screens were caked in tobacco tar, turning an originally white screen to a dull brown.  So gross.  Once those were gone, Dan cleaned up the frames and then painted them a nice bright white.  We'll put the new screens back in once we reinstall the windows. 

So shiny and clean! 

Cleaning the Roof

It's been a busy two months with weddings, trips, and a final move before we get to call our Airstream home.  While the frame is at the welding shop, Dan is working on cleaning up the outside of the shell.  

Here is Dan pulling out the old vents and other things from the top to remove the silicone sealant someone decided to use.  Once that's done, he'll clean up the worn clear coat from the roof, and the rest of the shell so we can polish the aluminum in the future.