out with the old in with the new

[Overland Hadley]

With that done the lip that the top sits on got a bead of silicone and the top was set on top and lightly screwed down, once it set for a day I snugged up the screws.

What a great way to make a gasket. Never thought of doing it that way, thanks for the idea.

[pods8]

Cool, did you research building a water tank w/ epoxy first? It's not approved under regs from what I've read since no one has studied the long term affects of whether anything will leach but there are some recommendations none the less if you decide to do it to keep folks safer. IE: Make the last coats slightly resin rich (less harmful than the hardener, trying to make sure all hardener reacts), make sure the surface is smooth inside to avoid hard to clean areas for crap to cling/grow, post cure the tank at a elevated temp such at 120-140F+ (use a space heater or such), scrub the cured surfaces with a dish scour pad/soap&water to take off any water soluble blush, etc.

Sorta late comments if not but you can get back into your take since it's a removable lid if you're concerned with anything, just trying to pass on what I've read in the past for your reference and anyone else out there.

[westyss]

I did research it and your list is a good one, I also heard that a vinegar/water solution also help's, but like you stated its the hardener that's the main concern. So the best way is heat and proper mixture,the West System states that you shouldn't change the hardener/ resin ratio. Proper filters are an obvious one too.

Cool, did you research building a water tank w/ epoxy first? It's not approved under regs from what I've read since no one has studied the long term affects of whether anything will leach but there are some recommendations none the less if you decide to do it to keep folks safer. IE: Make the last coats slightly resin rich (less harmful than the hardener, trying to make sure all hardener reacts), make sure the surface is smooth inside to avoid hard to clean areas for crap to cling/grow, post cure the tank at a elevated temp such at 120-140F+ (use a space heater or such), scrub the cured surfaces with a dish scour pad/soap&water to take off any water soluble blush, etc.

Sorta late comments if not but you can get back into your take since it's a removable lid if you're concerned with anything, just trying to pass on what I've read in the past for your reference and anyone else out there.

[westyss]

Next up is the unit I call "Heat Corner" or HC for short.

Here HC sits in pieces having been prepped up with epoxy eagerly awaiting assembly!



Here HC is mostly assembled




with strategic orifices



aligned with one of HC's heating units.




All plumbed up.




At home with fellow heat unit trying his spot out.

[westyss]

What a great way to make a gasket. Never thought of doing it that way, thanks for the idea.

Yep, I used to do that on my oil pan on my suby powered westy too, works well.

[pods8]

I did research it and your list is a good one, I also heard that a vinegar/water solution also help's, but like you stated its the hardener that's the main concern. So the best way is heat and proper mixture,the West System states that you shouldn't change the hardener/ resin ratio. Proper filters are an obvious one too.

FYI: West System has an article on it and does give slight resin rich ratios for their products for this use: http://www.westsystem.com/ss/wood-ep...nk-guidelines/

Carefully metered resin/hardener ratio is critical to any epoxy's performance. In all projects, with one exception, we recommend dispensing and mixing epoxy at the target ratio within our acceptable range. Tank building is the exception to the rule. When mixing epoxy for tank coatings, we recommend a resin-rich/ hardener-lean mixture at the outer limits of the acceptable range as shown in Table 1.

This is because excess resin in epoxy is less likely to adversely affect the physical properties of cured epoxy than excess hardener. When excess hardener is in the epoxy matrix, it cannot fully react with the resin and will become suspended in the mixture. Because amines (in the hardeners) are water soluble, they can potentially leach out and cause odd tastes, contaminates in the liquid, and porosity in the epoxy film, among other performance defects. The maximum resin-rich ratios noted in Table 1 are at the end of acceptable ranges for WEST SYSTEMŽ epoxy. These ratios should not be taken any farther from the target. These maximum resin-rich ratios meet specification to obtain a properly cured epoxy film and to minimize extracts leaching out of the epoxy.

[westyss]

That article was the deciding factor to make a tank with epoxy,
I read between the lines when legally they state they don't recommend their system for water tanks but when you do make a tank do this............................... to make it better, haha! I am more worried about breathing our polluted air than making a tank from epoxy.

[westyss]

Another thing that needed to be finalized was the step storage.






Shoe storage in here.



Its deep and big enough for more than shoes.





This panel will be removable,,,




to access the pump, filter and expansion tank. What a crappy pic!






Then took it all out and strengthened it a bit and gave it all an epoxy coat to tide it over until I can decide what will go on top of the step and the front.






Started to have a look how the bed frame was going to be made, decided to make it in three sections, easily removable if needed.





Just have to start some where and go, drivers side done!





And the three sections all in place ready to be bolted together and screwed to the wall.



Pretty happy with how the bed frame came out, and got it done in a couple of hours too! I think I will install some lights for under the bed with a switch each side at the access doors. Next just look at it all for a bit before I lay the ply down on the frame, do anything that is easy now but hard later.

[Overland Hadley]

Looking good! I like the shoe storage area.

[Ford Prefect]

Wow,

I so love this build.
That lift roof is just amazing! Sure am jealous if your build and skills.

Thanks again for sharing!