crazy RV ideas
- This topic has 12 replies, 10 voices, and was last updated Aug 19, 2009 at 4:48 pm by
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Having returned to the irrational idea that I want an Airstream trailer, and focusing on a fixer upper, I am now toying with the idea of an Argosy (a cheaper cousin of Airstream) that I could paint. Thinking about painting the entire trailer in a brook trout color scheme. I see strong potential for a mix of hideous and ridiculous but then again maybe it would be excellent like an Abel reel on wheels (but without copying Abel’s design).
I like the rainbow trout Airstream on tv, but I am imagining something with a complete paint job rather than a few strokes of color.
I might mess around with trying to superimpose a brook trout’s skin on a picture of a trailer while killing time this weekend.
Any ideas about the difficulty of such a paint job? With the custom work I see on some motorcycles, my guess is that there is someone that could make it look right.
Aaron –
Do you have artistic ability? I’m basically seeing a couple ways you could do this. #1, you could get a screen-printing company to make you a full-sized skin-transfer which you would heat-shrink onto the body and then gel-coat or something to waterproof. That’s the professional way to make the vehicle look cool, and it has the advantage of being able to stretch over the windows (those sections have little holes punched so you can see out a la a screen).
Of course, no Airstream could ever look as cool as a Ford Windstar.
#2, you could do the transfer yourself, school-teacher style, with an overhead projector. This would be hellaciously difficult outside, but you could probably rig it up in a dark garage. To do that, you would just design the paint job in miniature in advance, print on transparency, and project onto the body of the trailer, to be painted (by numbers!) by hand later. Labor intensive? Yes. Probability of looking like crap when you’re done? High. Possible? Yes, but you might need painting experience to pull it off.
I guess option #3 would be what I would call the Redneck Mailbox. Basically, intentionally go for a rustic look and paint it on there pretty thick. On the plus side, when you get done you’d have a perfectly livable trailer if you wanted to put it up on blocks in Branson, Missouri.
If you get an Airstream, I would focus on renovating the interior first, then get someone professional to paint the outside. Besides, painting an Airstream is like painting a DeLorean: only the Saudis do it.
Zach
You could however go with the Tarpon paint scheme and still not desecrate the AirStream name too badly,, just a thought. If were going to paint my vehicle like a fish I’d do a big manly fish anyways.
There is a really easy solution for getting the huge mural onto the side of your RV. 😉
Basically, find any image you’d like to see onto your RV (even wrapped around). You can use photoshop or something on the original image if you want to get an outlined drawing (think paint by number). It would be more interesting if you ran it through one of the effect filters first for whatever look you like best. I don’t know how to get the outline easily, but have seen it done, and I think it’s just a one click deal.
Then, Google “free mural software” and take your pick. The idea is to resize the image however you want it for the RV, then use this software to split the ginormous image up into 8 1/2 x11″ tiles that you can print with your own home printer. They’re numbered for easy ‘reassembly’. Then just snap some chalk lines for the general orientation on your RV, and start taping the tiles on. If you screw one up, just reprint that number tile.
Now you have to transfer those ‘paint by number outlines’ onto the RV. I know there’s a better way, but the first thing that comes to mind is that once you’ve got everything up taped or glued like you want it, remove one side of any tile, temporarily place a piece of carbon paper behind it and just trace the lines with a pencil. Then onto the next tile.
Use the original image as your guide, paint by number! I would highly suggest getting someone to spray some UV blocking clear coat over the image when you’re done. Else the sun will whack out your colors in no time. You could just rent or buy a cheap spray gun for this part, but be sure and get high quality clearcoat with UV. You don’t have to be a pro to do the painting or spray the clear. Just halfway try to keep it from running, and keep the clear fairly even and you’ll have a truly awesome piece of rolling art.
I’m going to be doing something similar on the unfinished inside wooden walls in my shop. Except it’ll be burned in with a soldering iron (I guess that’s the same as a woodburning kit).
Aaron,
You may have seen these already…..Adventure Trailers are popular with the offroad folks.
http://www.adventuretrailers.com/trailers.html
haha go for it.
Once again, Zach teaches us with example. hilarious.I vote DIY spray bomb.
Or abandon the idea and spend the money on outfitting the entire top with solar panels.
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