Help! The sky is falling.

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Hello all,

Well I finally finished installing my window A/C in my closet :winter and I fired it up to see how it worked. The good news is that when I went back out 30 minutes later the egg was nice and cool (pretty good for Atlanta in July). The bad news is that the fabric (headliner) has come un-stuck from the roof and is sagging down about a foot:weep . Can anyone suggest what type of glue I should use to re-stick so that when I run the A/C it won't fall again. I will be posting a few shots of the A/C install and the Installation of three windows that I put in (cutting holes in my egg) in the modifications section, hopefully today. Let me know what you all think about the glue situation. Thanks, Dan

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Dan ... can't speak for Scamp's headliner ... but for Casita's carpeting, the procedure is to inject a horse syringe (available at farm stores) full of regular carpet glue behind the loose piece of carpeting ... and then apply force with a piece of plywood and a 2X4 propped in a supporting fashion.

Please note: I've never had the carpet come loose ... just quoting what the factory says is the procedure to fix.

A few years ago, Casita constructed a couple of trailers (and only a couple), using defective glue from a new supplier, so they had to later reglue the carpet to the walls and ceiling.

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Another option is to use a *good* brand of spray adhesive, hopefully one with a nozzle attached (like a can of WD-40 has) so you can slip it thru inconspicious slits made with an Exacto blade.

Remember that Scamp has a layer of Reflectix-type insulation (two layers of metallic foil with bubble-wrap between) between the carpet and fiberglass, so when finished, the carpet should be glued to the insulation and the insulation glued to the fiberglass.

Another option is to pop-rivet something from the inside where the carpet or headliner is sagging (works for even the non-carpeted eggs).

Pete in the RatHaus

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:conf A couple of years ago I had to overlay a headliner on a van with vinyl, and used what an upholstry shop recommended, 3M's "77" Spray adhesive. I followed the directions and the results looked good for a few weeks. When the heat built up in the summer, the vinyl started to come away and sag down, similar to what you describe. What adhesive have you had experience with, and what were your long term results?.:E :E

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Didn't someone use ''liquid nails'' for liner installation?

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Jana - that was Mike Watters

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I used Elmer's and nothing has fallen, but all the reglueing was in
the area where I put a frame up around the fantastical fan, so there
is additional support. Where I used the same stuf "outside" to glue
two layers of foam to the back of the gravel shield, it failed and
I plan to reglue with contact cement.

Pete in the RatHaus

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I used a polyurathane glue called Pro-Bond.
Not sensitive to heat and sticks to everything.
It also grows a bit to fill gaps. Make sure everything is pressed into position after glueing.

You can expedite the curing process by adding a drop of water to the glue before you inject it....

Dynamite stuff.

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I second the 3M 77 spray adhesive idea. Pulled down some of the liner when I did some rewiring in my Scamp and the spray adhesive worked great.
Progressive steps; you can always resort to a more drastic measure if it becomes necessary.

BillH
The K-Bears
:sunny S.E. Colorado

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I agree with the 3M spray adhesive for doing small areas. Larger areas, where the backside is accessible at a seam, would be better served with conventional contact cement. I recently tried the newer Gel type contact cement on the kayaks my daughter and I are building, and was very impressed - it is much easier to spread, and much less messy that the standard liquid type -- it's not all stringy, either.

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Hello all,

Well I talked to a guy at scamp and he said they use the 77 spray on small area's but that he would roll on contact cement on a large area. Mine is huge! It basically starts a the top of the rear window and goes all the way to my vent (which is in from of the closet to the left of the door as you enter) and from the curve at the top of the wall on each side so thats about 2/3 of the total in a Scamp 16'.
There is a 3' long opening on the seam on one side so I rolled on a good coat to the back of the insullation and also to the inside of the fiberglass. I waited 30 miutes per the instructions and went back out to stick it up and it didn't stick AT ALL! The can said porous surface might need 2 coats so I spread it on again (used a whole quart) and waited again and it still didn't stick at all. Dont know what to do now. Someone siad to try liquid nails so I guess I will try that on a small are and see if it works. I hope the contact cement doesn't thwart my attempts with other glues. Let me know if you all have any other suggestions. Thanks, Dan

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Dan - I can't imagine contact cement not working. The only things I can think of:
1) It hadn't dried yet. Normal dry time before contact is 20-30 minutes, but can take much longer if there is not sufficient airflow to carry away the solvent fumes. Even a paintbrush that has hardened for weeks with contact cement on it will soften up in moments after contacting the solvents again. Before the cement has dried, it won't stick worth beans

2) Something in the residue of the old glue neutralized the contact cement. I think this is pretty unlikely, but I'm not a chemist.

I offer these ideas based on the assumption that you used the smelly contact cement, not the water based kind. I've very little experience with the water based, and can't really answer for it's personality.

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Dan:

Did ya coat BOTH surfaces? Sometimes it helps!

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Hello all,

Well I just went out to see what the glue had done over night and when I reached in and touched it it felt tacky so I pushed it up and lo and behold it stuck:thumb . I have it wedged up with some boards and will check back in an hour or so to see if it wants to stay stuck. YES I did put the glue on both sides. I originally waited 30 min. like the can said, then the second time i applied it I waited an hour and it still seemed wet instead of sticky. I then put a fan in the trailer pointing into the opening and went back out about an hour afterwards and it felt tacky so I tried to stick it up then but it wouldn't stick. The can said 1 to 2 hour working time so I didn't think it was going to work. When I went out just now it had been about 20 hours since I had applied the second coat (6:00 pm Wed.)
Anyway it seems to be sticking now so I guess it just took forever to dry to the tacky stage. By the way, I am using the low fumes (water based) because the smelly kind said it would eat up some plastics and the insulation seems to be plastic. Was afraid it might melt the insulation. I'll let you know the results when I check it later. Dan

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Sounds like you're good to go!

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While reinstalling all of the ceiling and side wall covering(s), both foil and mouse fur, aft of the toilet and closet of my Scamp, I attempted to be "Green" and use the water based contact cement. A frustrating waste of time. Followed instructions and coated both sides, pre-cleaned of any loose residue and fiber dust, as stated by instructions. Waited the alloted time and found that a three armed paper hanger would have come up short. Same results for rework with small areas. The coverings came down faster than my 401K. Went back to the tried and true, breathe the fumes and watch the flame, flammable type and had the coverings up and holding within minutes. I assume that us old throw backs to a previous era must use only tools which relate to our ability, Fx.