Cheese said:
FWIW...galvanized steel cut with a plasma cutter will rust/corrode because it leaves a naked edge. A bit of humidity, a splash of vinegar, tomato juice, lime/lemon juice, even apple cider will start the process. Also, randomly misplaced salt with a little humidity could start the process. Think 15/20 not 3/4 years.
If this was my project, I’d start with some aluminum sheet.
Very good point [member=44099]Cheese[/member], thanks. Actually it wouldn't matter if it was all sheared, as the corners (where the plasma cuts would be) are going to be welded, and hence the galvanizing burned away. But the top edges of all the walls (which will be sheared) are bare too. I had thought about using aluminum (perhaps one or two notches up in thickness), but then there is the potential fatique problem. Perhaps with the galvanized steel boxes I could clean them real well, especially the welded corners, and spray paint them with Rustoleum clean metal primer, then a finish coat of Rustoleum (probably gloss white)?
Peter_C said:
Should have read this thread sooner. If it were me I would be working with plastics, like ABS. I have a dream of building my own RV in a Transit platform. You can add wood faces if desired, or Corian, but RV's are known for moisture issues. Any exposed metal rusts. Wood warps. Plastic doesn't change dimensions and are unaffected my moisture. Heat could be an issue depending on vehicle location.
Plus plastic cuts with regular wood working tools
Otherwise I would probably buy a pan brake and build everything out of aluminum. Although even aluminum will corrode. Hmmm...starts making stainless seem more desirable. Don't underestimate how much moisture there will be. If you haven't already do your research on things like insulation as it need to be fully breathable. Many are using closed cell spray foam, or Thinsulate.
Thanks Peter C.
Not to go too far off-topic, I should give you a bit of background. The camper is a 2010 Chevy extended van based Roadtrek 190P. A lot of stuff was poorly done by the factory, especially the insulation. So we've stripped it to the bare walls, added an inch of Thinsulate, and covered that with "Low-E", which is like Reflectix, but with a foam rather than bubble core, and is supposed to be more fire resistant. This layer is sealed as best we could by taping the joints and penetrations with thin aluminum duct tape so that it forms an effective vapor barrier - this will keep the relative humidity fairly constant inside in all seasons. I'm also almost totally revising the electrical and plumbing systems; as part of the latter, adding a backup gravity drain system for if the macerator fails. This involved making a custom drain fitting, and so I bought an expensive digital Steinel heat gun and had to learn to weld ABS. It is quite different from metal welding in that you do not get a nice molten puddle that you can move around, but rather a gooey mess that is hard to manipulate - it required quite a bit of going back, grinding out, and refilling to make it water tight. Not one of my better skills (not that metal welding is either), and although it is an intriguing idea, I just wouldn't want to consider making eight drawer boxes this way if this is what you had in mind. Oh, and ABS can be real gummy to cut.
But your last point is interesting: perhaps $tainless $teel is the answer.
Good luck with your homemade camper build. There are a lot of threads/blogs/forums on such things, a whole spectrum from very good to horrible. If you want some links and/or my opinionated advice, please contact me off line.
Paul G said:
I like innovative solutions to problems regardless of materials and I'm very curious what unexpected things come up in your pursuit and how they get handled. I think Cheese is right to be thinking about rust so I'm wondering about painting/coating options. Only experience I have painting galvanized is conduit with house primer and paint, and it's held up well. Other guys here have likely done much more of it if you want to go that route.
As for follow up, if you start another thread please post a link here. That way I'll get an email about it.
Hi Paul G, thanks for your interest. I have painted galvanized steel before, and it turns out that the galvanizing is actually a better base than bare steel; perhaps the surface is a tad porous. I will try to follow through with pictures and links.
cider will start the process. Also, randomly misplaced salt with a little humidity could start the process. Think 15/20 not 3/4 years.
