Last Friday was sunny and warm. When I got home from work, I decided to get a jump on my Frostbite work. Remember, I had planned to recaulk the roof this weekend. I started scraping off the old caulk on the room seam and edges and it came up pretty easily. Stepping back to admire my work, I realized that the "roof" actually came down about a half foot on the edges and the seams on these edges were in rough shape. No offense to the previous fix-it guy but it honestly looked like it was caulked by a caveman with his bare hands.
No problem. Armed with my scraper, rubber gloves, denatured alcohol, and some rags, I set to work. I quickly realized that this was going to be much tougher than I initially thought. I decided to improve my arsonal by getting a plastic brush like those used to clean dishes.
A little better but not much.
I increased my arsonal again. I had previously purchased some small wire brushes about the size of tooth brushes at Big Lots for $1. I had much better success. Working diligently, I managed to clean about six inches worth of caulk on the front seam. Unfortuntely, when I checked my watch, I realized that it had taken me a half hour to do this. It was getting dark so I decided to sleep on it.
The next morning I had a better idea.
I opened a large wire brush, again purchased at Big Lots, and managed to double my progress. I had originally gotten these wire brushes so I could scrape the rust off the frame before I painted it. After an hour or so, I needed a break and decided to visit my go-to girl at the local hardware store to see if there was any goo that was stronger than what I was using. I described my problem to her and, as usual, she didn't let me down. She suggested I get one of these:
At $3.50 each, I bought two
The drill is mine. I'm referring to the wire brush attachment attached to it. NOW I was cooking with gasoline! Haha! Man, this thing not only removed the caulk but it shined the metal stripping so that it looked brand new. Yes, it removed the paint also but that doesn't matter as I intend to repaint anyway. I am very, very pleased with the result. Here is a before and after pic of the back end:
Before
After
Now I realize to the "untrained" eye, it might look like I simply spray painted silver paint on the edge but, trust me, I didn't. The metal edge is shiny and new and you can see every groove clean as a whistle. Here is a closer view:
This was no easy feat as I am still working on it. However, I finished the back end and one of the sides yesterday afternoon after work. Here is a pic of the door side of the camper:
Again, I realize to the untrained eye that this is not beautiful just yet. However, if you can picture new, even caulking along the edges and a shiny new while paint job, you will realize that this is just the first step towards a thing of beauty.
I hope to finish removing all the caulk the next couple of days now that I have about 3 hours of sunlight in the afternoons after work. With that job completed, I will recaulk all the edges and seams of the roof which *should* have already been done but, as I've discovered with Frostbite, one thing almost always leads to another.
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