Cat Fur Gone! Is the Wall Structural?

[fusedlight]

Well, I've got 99% of the "Cat" fur that a PO*2 put on a bunch of the fiberglass surfaces. I'm slowly using Goof Off to get the adhesive removed. That's working great* other than a couple of spots where it looks like some sort of epoxy cement was used. After all the gunk is off and the surface lightly steel wooled The Dot is going to put on some nice epoxy paint to match the new cushions (replaced the leopard print monstrosities that the same PO*2 put in).

I know the wrought-iron twisted support next to the range top are structural. Is the panel dividing the dinette and back structural too?

GcB

*I'll be waiting until it's a bit warm to finish this. Even with the door and a couple of windows open I was a bit woozy after working on a couple of square feet of wall. It's too cold (33F) to put in the big exhaust fan...so I guess I'll just have to wait until next week when it's finally supposed to warm up.

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by fusedlight

I know the wrought-iron twisted support next to the range top are structural. Is the panel dividing the dinette and back structural too?
GcB

Gary I cant say one way or another but as you have a really big roof AC I would be very very reluctant to remove anything from the trailer that currently runs from floor to ceiling as it would be a good bet it is giving some added support.

[Otters]

I've read a lot of threads about the structal necessity of the twisted rods and agree with Carol. However, many people have sucessfully modernized or updated those rods and changed them out with other structual supports. Do a search and see what others have done. Tap plastics has a spiral clear acrylic rod that I thought would be an interesting change. Don't really know the strength but thought about checking out puting 2 or 3 of them in place of the metal rods. But then since I'm going for more of a vintage look, I've come to appreciate the look of the metal supports. Here's the Tap link. Spiral Rod Extruded Acrylic Bar : TAP Plastics

[ruscal]

Gary,
Yes the wing wall does carry roof and cabinet loads.
Russ

[fusedlight]

Ok. Looks like I'm going to have to pop the thing off to her at the cat fur stuck behind it and then reset the rivets. I do not have kind thoughts for that PO.

[Donna D.]

Have we ever seen any interior pictures of your trailer Gary? How about sharing... how can we appreciate the work you're going through when you post final pictures. And, you will post those won't you?

[fusedlight]

Geez, Donna... pushy, pushy, pushy!

I'll pop out to the Scamp later on today and take some snaps.

[David Tilston]

It's our mantra, we like pictures.

[Robin G]

I kinda remember one pic someone posted of a cabinet with the fur attached (maybe from a sales ad?) What a project that would be to remove it all. Can't wait to see pics!



If my memory is correct and I remember the details of this project , I believe this project is gonna end up in the hall of fame of, Glass remodel................ But pretty sure all your hard work is gonna be worth it!

[fusedlight]

The Pictures! Click on 'em to embiggen.

Front Wall:


Detail at Top:


Divider:


Detail showing the Nasty Fur stuck under the flange:


The cabinet...note the obnoxious epoxy blobs:


And, Robin... that guy was ME!

[fusedlight]

As you can see, that "Professional" (is there ever an "Amateur") strength Goof Off does a darn good job. You just need a LOT of ventilation whilst using it. The pain in the neck part is getting the Cat Fur out of the spots where it was tacked behind things like the wall flange on the divider. I've tried to poke it out of there, but I think the adhesive is going to necessitate popping the panel off for a bit and then putting it back on. You can also see that the cases that form the dinette seats have come off of their mountings. I'll be taking care of that, too. Maybe the weather will behave this weekend. Or maybe we'll have snow. Again.

[Carol H]

OMG! do you have any totally before photos???
Personally I would probable take the cabinets and other items that are removable out and clean them up outside. Might find its a lot easier than trying to deal with them in place and avoid messing up the rat fur. Having to replace rivets comes at some point in every fiberglass trailers life (assuming it has them) so if you do those now you will not need to worry about them again for another 20 years. They are actually pretty easy items to replace ;-)

[fusedlight]

It's been winter, and I really didn't want to poke holes in our baby until spring!

[Robin G]

Yup that furry cabinet pic is the pic I remembered....

I guess I could say it wasn't horrible with brown furry stuff, But I just wonder why anyone would do that? hmmmmmmm


Boy, what a undertaking to remove all that! Otherwise the Scamp looks likes it's in pretty good shape. At least from those pic's. The rat fur looks good for it's age.

[Nadine Y.]

have you tried the citrus/soy solvent. It is not a bad choice. doesn't make you lightheaded and stink. Seems to get goo off well. you could try it and see how it does. works well for me.
Nadine

[Eddie Longest]

Gary
Something to think about. You could cover the front wall and side bulkhead with ratfur and save a lot of cleaning effort. When the weather breaks remove remove the cabinets and bases, sand and paint them with appliance epoxy.
Eddie

[Donna D.]

Originally Posted by fusedlight

Geez, Donna... pushy, pushy, pushy!

I'll pop out to the Scamp later on today and take some snaps.

And it pays to be pushy. We get to see the pictures Pardon me for saying so.. but that cat fur is Fugly. It's going to look so much better when you're done

[Carol H]

Gary curiosity killed the cat!

Please tell the reason why they did that!!!! - assuming they told you why...

[fusedlight]

Carol... we drove down to Florida to pick up that trailer. Need I say more? And as to the genesis of that fur... here's what I wrote a couple of months back. Trust me, it's the absolute truth:

I should relate the information I shared with the folks at the recent Egg Rally up in Duluth. The "rat fur" is actually a product of a wonderful collaboration between the folks at Scamp, inner-city churches in Minneapolis, and community groups in Backus, the home town of Scamp. The folks in Minneapolis trap the rats and send the frozen carcases up to Backus (obviously, this is only done in winter!). There, the men in town skin and cure the rat pelts. Church sewing circles then take these finely prepared pelts and use ultra-fine needles and thread to sew them into the seam-free fabric used by the Scamp folks to cover the insides of their trailers. It's truly a win-win-win arrangement! Minneapolis lowers its rat population, folks in a depressed part of the state have employment, and Scamp gets a superior product.

The cat fur is a by-product. Occasionally a feline is accidentally caught up in the rat-catching process (hey... it's dark in Minnesota in the middle of winter. Cats? Rats? They kid of look alike at midnight.). Minnesotans being a frugal sort, "specialty" cat pelts are made available to The Trade for enhancing certain trailers. These tricked-out trailers are more often than not shipped down to the Sunshine State. Buyers down there claim to have "a more developed sense of decorating" than mid westerners. Judge for yourself.

[fusedlight]

Oh, and what's a brand name for that citrus/soy solvent? And does it mix well with vodka or gin?