Project Choose Your Own Adventure

[ScottyB]

i've been pretty diseased for the past week so playtime has been replaced with being pale and lifeless on the couch and sounding like i have emphysema.

i still managed to get out this week and put the finishing touch on the axle so i can bolt it down with the new pretty hardware. with it being a "U" channel design, when i flipped it, it meant that the U would catch any rocks/moisture. despite the thick enamel coat, one crack/chip could invite rust and potential structural failure if there's room for sitting water and mud/muck. i wasn't about to drill any drain holes in it either and compromise its strength.

i decided to fill the gap with Loctite expanding foam and will coat it with a cheap and fast latex sealer like DAP Fast N Final (tip taken from backyard foam surfboard makers) to ensure no water makes its way into the foam crevices and stays there. after that, a final coat with more black enamel spraypaint to further seal/protect and make it look nice.

a quick wipe-down and then a masking tape "form" put in place. 2 back-and-forth runs across the axle with the can and it had expanded to this in about 30 mins


after a 24hr cure i went across the top with an X-acto razor saw. very little effort to cut but its a hard foam for sure once its set. no give whatsoever.


i got overzealous and tried to trim the top after only a couple hours because i'm a dumdum and forgot the inside takes longer and i was anxious. the result was a bit like deflating a balloon as you can see. i went back and finished off the can with an second fill in this area and will trim it up this week.