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Building the Greenleaf Travel Trailer


WBrownIV

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For seating I had bought the 50's diner seats/table set. I was not fond of the seat bases and wanted to try to somehow tie them in with the kitchen. Elizabeth had the set in stock and told me she would see what she could do. What she came up with was beyond cool! She drilled out the finger holes and painted them black so it really looks as if they slide!

large.5cefe9a3158d0_seatbases.jpg.4cb92a

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After assembling the cabinets I wanted to install some under cabinet lighting. I ended up using some self adhesive surface mount LED strips from Creative Reproductions To Scale. They are very easy to work with and produce a good amount of light. I installed one on the bottom of each cabinet and wired them to mini connectors so they are plug and play when installed permanently. 

large.5cf0a1af034c1_cabinetleds.jpg.6be5

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2 hours ago, havanaholly said:

Did that eye-popping vinyl come in the kit?

Holly no it did not. I had purchased this 50's diner seating set.

https://www.miniatures.com/3-Pc-Diner-Banquette-Set-P25554.aspx

The seat bases were just blocks of wood painted black. Not exactly inspiring! Elizabeth had this set herself and came up with the idea for the new bases. I removed the original ones and installed these replacements. They made a huge difference:)

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  • 2 weeks later...
2 hours ago, otterine said:

This looks fabulous!  :clap:  So honored to have added a piece to your project.

2 hours ago, otterine said:

 

Thank you Brae! I must apologize as I had every intention of sending you the link. You have created such an amazing and important part of my project! Everyone who has seen it in person can not believe it's 1/12 scale! I really think it will ba a focal point of the exterior. Thank you again!

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  • 4 weeks later...

Ok finally getting back to this after going through my newly purchased collection of dollhouse stuff!

   One thing about the kit I really didn't like is the window frames. This is an example:

m94odx.jpg

I have been putting this task off for awhile but I finally convinced myself it was time:crazyeyes:

For the frame itself I decided to use 1/8th" styrene angle.

 large.5d1fafc1dfa3f_anglesize.jpg.133ac7

I used the original frame as a form to make the new ones. Having to make twelve of these sure didn't sound like fun to me! I made a template for approximate length and the location of the centers of the four corners.

2qk1mxl.jpg

 

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I then transferred the marks onto a length of angle.large.5d1fb0866f0ac_markingangle.jpg.074

I then made the cuts

2pr7c4x.jpg

Followed by two more on each side of the original cut to allow the corners to bend.large.5d1fb1b5535d2_reliefcuts.jpg.ebd0f

After this I placed the frame into original and used it as a template.

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Then I trimmed the excess flush.

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Then I used a small piece of the next smaller size angle to use as a bridge and glued the ends together. large.5d1fb3ce41826_framegluedtogether.j

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At this point I hit a bump in the road. I needed to fill the relief gaps but I wasn't finding anything I was happy with. I tried body filler but the first time the frame flexed a little bit it cracked. I started looking around and came across a product called Bondic. It is a clear resin that cures when exposed to ultra violet light. large.Bondic.jpg.c7b0bc0790b236d1b8197db

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Here is the website:  https://notaglue.com/  . The resin is stored in the black tube and the ultra violet light is on the end.

ibi9nc.jpg

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When cured you can polish, sand, file, tap, drill, paint etc! You basically dispense the resin and shine the light onto it for 4-8 seconds and it's fully cured! I figured what the heck and ordered it. You have to remember it is not a glue but actually has the ability to make something. You apply it in layers with curing done after each layer. The new layer bonds with the previous one. You do have to roughen up the surface a bit. Here is a frame after dispensing the resin.large.5d1fb6dc95232_filledgaps.jpg.f6de5

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After sanding I did notice I had a few imperfect spots on the frame. Wanting these as smooth as possible I resorted to a product plastic model builders have used for years, Pledge Floor Gloss ( formally known as Future Floor Wax) .

large.5d1fb8ef927c6_Future(Pledge).jpg.9

 This stuff is used by modelers the world over. In fact there is a website listing various countries and what it's called there. It started out as Future Floor Wax but has changed names a few times before it became Pledge. It has the consistency of water and can be brushed or sprayed using an airbrush. It cleans up with Windex glass cleaner (ammonia). The uses are many. Aircraft modelers dip the clear canopies into it and when dry makes it look as clear as glass! It can be used as a clear gloss over paint when building model cars, If you put a drop on the instrument gauges in aircraft or automobiles it looks like glass lenses. It also gives a smooth surface to items dipped into it. Basically it's liquid acrylic. 

   I dipped the frames a total of five times each, letting each one dry under cover to keep dust from landing on the wet coating. When dry I dug out my airbrush and set it up.

2wfl308.jpg

I sprayed the frames with Testers Model Master Aluminum. I think they came out fairly decent. large.5d1fbbba13ab6_paintedwindowframes.

I do want to say I did make sure the frames did indeed fit the window holes in the body. Now I can check this of me list and move on to something else! 

   

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1 hour ago, havanaholly said:

Well duh!  I used the kit windows' frames because they looked like the ones in our RV I copied.  Yours are much more like the ones in the unit we have now.

Holly I do worry that my new ones may be a little more "modern" than the period I'm aiming for:crazyeyes: It boiled down to the fact I just did not like the ones in the kit. I could just claim "Artistic License" and go with the flow:) 

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13 hours ago, WBrownIV said:

Holly I do worry that my new ones may be a little more "modern" than the period I'm aiming for:crazyeyes: It boiled down to the fact I just did not like the ones in the kit. I could just claim "Artistic License" and go with the flow:) 

Or your RV owner decided to update the fittings.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Well Now that the frames are finished I turned to the next task I've been putting off....the clearance lights. I wasn't exactly sure how to do this so I started looking at pictures of vintage campers. I started noticing that with the really streamlined ones (think Airstream), theirs were more "bullet" shaped than the simple round ones found on the more boxy ones. I ended up going with 1/4" styrene tubes cut down and profiled to be level when attached to the trailer

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I then located their position on the body and drilled holes to pass the Led's through and glued them on with epoxy.

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The Led's I used were from www.LighthouseLEDs.com  They are called "straw hat" led's due to them being much shorter in length and with a collar cast into the plastic at the base.

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You can see in the photo I sanded off the collar so they would slide into the housings.

I then made up the Led's using Kynar wire. These Led's operate on 2.1 volts DC. Since the other ones I'm using work on 3.0 volts I sized a resister and soldered one to each Led. 

This way I don't have to worry about blowing any up:)

4j1h6h.jpg

I had wanted to simulate a chrome bezel around the Led at the edge of the housings like the full size ones are made. I really had no idea what to use so I headed over to Hobby Lobby. I've developed a habit of going there and literally wandering up and down each isle. In doing this I have been amazed at the varied sub groups of the crafting world. It is truly an extremely large community! I've come across hobbies I had no idea existed! And with that I come across items or tools I would not have found had I limited myself to just a few rows. It was during one of these "walkabouts" where I came across chrome "Jump Rings" in the jewelry making section. SUCCESS! I grabbed some and this is the end result.

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This is exactly what I wanted! I temporarily installed the Led's and did a light check.

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Success! Another item checked off the to do list!

(I must apologize for the multiple posts in the gallery section. Not sure what happened there!)

 

 

 

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