CANVAS ON ROOFS

[kingy]

Hi All,
Was hard at work in me shed today stripping the old paint off the new bondy and bugger me dead what i thought was layers of old paint on the roof was actually a layer of canvas over the SINGLE skinned ply roof. The ply underneath is in top nick, so now i'm tossing up whether to seal the ply and just paint over it, or go original and replace the canvas. Anyone out there know if there's a knack in resheeting a canvas roof, i'm mainly concerned in the gluing process, and how NOT to get bubbles in the canvas, and what type of canvas they used etc. I'd like to go original as much as possible with this van, so hopefully someone out there is old enough ;D to remember the process. Otherwise i'll settle for a good seal over the ply and a paint
Cheers Kingy

[cobber]

Kingy,

Have a look at the method suggested by Trodler @

vintagecaravans.proboards30.com/index.cgi?board=technicalstuffboard&action=display&thread=1127397267

I thought calico was used in the old days...can't really remember, not old enough

Cobber.

[kingy]

Thanks Cobber,
Probably is calico i found it to be pretty thin for canvas, and Trodlers info should do the trick
Kingy

[Deleted]

Isnt this site just the best.
Cobber... i have strained the grey matter on many occassions trying to remember where i read a comprehensive "how to" to a question posted by someone.
Some of you have the uncanny ability to dig old info up from posts years gone by.
Do you use some sort of search or just use the grey matter to dig up the section and topic

i have a canvas over ply roof on Matilda. its the only part that didnt get touched in the make over. I took one look and realised it was canvas with a coat of paint over. No cracks , peeling or leaks after 52 or 3 years so i backed away and left it as is.

The van i wrecked to use as the base for my TD had aluminium paint over red lead primer then cladded with aluminium. . i think the lead based primer sealed the timber from the moisture and the aluminium paint was used to reduce electrolysis or something between the lead based paint and the aluminium cladding.
Roof had one layer or 2 layers of silver paint then a layer of calico... so go sort that lot out.

Hey it sounds far fetched but i have seen it with my own eyes... and hammer, and axe.

Good to hear ya goin the full resto Kingy. give me a yell if ya need any fittings. i have a bit of a collection if ya chasin anything.

Reddo... off till the 9th January... you could wake up and find me on your front lawn..

Reddoldnomad.

[cobber]

G’day Reddo,
Usually I use the “search” facility at the top of the home page, although it doesn’t always work as well as it did for this search.
On this occasion I remembered that Trodler had done the ultimate thesis on canvas roofs so I just searched for trodler canvas and limited the search to the technical forum over the past 500 days.
If you just search for canvas you could get 500 hits, if you just search for trodler you might get 600 hits, if you search for Reddo you get 10000 hits and the *hits.
Ya gotta give it the right clues or it don’t work real good.

Cobber.

[belinda]

A couple of skinning ideas from the 9th edn. of Keith Winser's "Plans for Australian Caravans" 1963:

"Celastic is the ideal new 'skin' for covering plywood caravans, giving perfect waterproof protection - particularly at windows and joints. Celastic is permanent, light in weight and non-corrosive and can be easily reparied or take any finish - being 48 in. wide, few joints are needed.
It is tough, grey coloured material that is soaked in "Dunk" for five seconds and then pushed into place - after dunking it handles like a wet chamois. When set it can be sawn, cut or filed and finished to any colour"

alternatively you could glue on fabric:

"The roof may be covered with 10 oz. duck glued down with rubber adhesive such as Adfast. This does a wonderful job. Prepare the duck in 6 ft. widths across the van, placing the joining strip at each side of the roof vent.
Now paint a coat of glue the full width of the van and about 9 in. wide, then smartly but carefully lay the duck on, but do not stretch or force it. Lay it evenly with the palm of the hand, and when finished carry on with another 9 in. strip, and so on until the whole is laid.
With this completed it is a wise plan to go over the whole of it carefully with a fairly warm iron. This will smooth it down and remove any wrinkles.
At the outer edge of the van carry the material over and place over it a 1/4 in. aluminium bead or angle. Cut off surplus duck.
At the front and back use an aluminium guttering (easily obtained) to finish off over the windows and the full width of the van. Here also nail on the small angle hood over the windows"

When our van was re-painted the tradesman applied an "Emmerclad" membrane over the original canvas and then a coat of silver paint. This has been fine.