Building my own fridge

03_troopy · Guru

RE: Building my own fridge

BTSV_Berni · Senior Member

Bolts.....I meant bolts ! biggrin

Another long day is done. The goal was to get the basic box finished with all sheets in place. Started at 6.30 and just finished. All square and all good for +/- 1 mm .
Cleaning of workshop is nearly finished and all traces will be gone in the next hour. Big Grin

Now the box only need a final coat of Epoxy to keep the moisture out and the inside to be done properly. The 45 degrees angles will be done later too. And the small gaps will be closed too to keep the crawly crunchers out of the box.

It's impressive how much Epoxy I was using with all the thin seperate sheets. Had 3 Litres and about 0.5 Litres are left. Hope, this will be enough to finish this job but to be honest..... I don't think so. Rolleyes

Regards, Berni

BTSV_Berni · Senior Member

What a nice day Smile . Have done nothing. Went out for a barbie with a few good friends and gave my apartment a final clean after I came back home. Now a lot of long working weeks including weekend work are waiting and not much will happen with the fridge.
Will patch up the small gaps, put the 45 degrees angle in and give it a final coat with epoxy outside in the next 3-4 weeks.

I will also think about the other parts of the project like outer housing, top lid (where I have a plan already), position of the compressor unit and location for best and most effective air flow.

So please don't expect too much progress and new pictures. As soon as it goes forward I will be back. Think, it might be an inspiration for other guys who have the idea to build up their own fridge.....no matter what cooling equipment they use.

Building up your own fridge is not done on a long weekend or two.
That's for sure Big Grin .

Regards, Berni

BTSV_Berni · Senior Member

Time to go further a bit. Every day one side of the insulation will be coated
with epoxy. Hope, that the epoxy I have left will last for this part of
the job. Doesn't look like. Not exiting enough to make pics.

Regards, Berni

BTSV_Berni · Senior Member

You are right. Rolleyes . A post without pics is next to useless. Big Grin .
So I coated this side (bottom) and closed the gaps with epoxy glue. A plastic spoon was very helpful to make a smooth finish. Not that I'll ever see that again in the finished fridge but it helps me to improve my skills so that later on the visible work will look good.

Regards, Berni

BTSV_Berni · Senior Member

One side a day .... what a nonsense. Big Grin

Just finished the third side. Today it's bonding very quick. With a bit of luck I'll get the fourth side done.
The side with the hole for the pipework needed a bit rework. Don't want to bend the pipework to harsch so I was sanding a bit to make sure that it will bend smooth and soft. Easy quick done. Then coated and ready to go.

Lucky me I didn't have to go for Arvo-shift today. Night shift next week wil be bad enough. Confused

Regards, Berni

oldbobsbus · Guru

It is looking good Berni...

So long as you use a pipe bender on the pipework where possible it will be fine...

oldbobsbus · Guru

It is looking good Berni...

So long as you use a pipe bender on the pipework where possible it will be fine...

oldbobsbus · Guru

It is looking good Berni...

So long as you use a pipe bender on the pipework where possible it will be fine...

oldbobsbus · Guru

It is looking good Berni...

So long as you use a pipe bender on the pipework where possible it will be fine...

oldbobsbus · Guru

How do I remove all the repeats becoz my server was playing trix..lol

BTSV_Berni · Senior Member

Overtime night shift cancelled due to funny circumstances. Yeeeehaaa.

So I took the chance and went to boatcraft directy after I clocked off, had a 2 hr nap in front of the gate, and then re-stocked my gear.

Back home it was time to make up the 45 degrees angle and the pictures will show you what I was talking about and give you an idea how it will work later on.
So sanding and rasping was the main topic. I'm pretty happy with the outcome. Would have been perfect if I would have been able to cut the angle before but my limited equipment didn't allow me to do it.

Used the brush to wipe off the dust regularly to make sure that I stay with my rasp / 240 sanding paper where I want to be. After all the vacuum cleaner did the final job.

At the end I gave it a coat with Epoxy mixed with TPRDA and as you can see, a lot of uneven is gone. Will be very good with the following coats.

For tomorrow the plan is to sand the internal part, make everything smooth and paint the whole thing over the next week. Afternoon shift is perfect for that. It prevents me from rushing through this job.

Kind regards, Bernie

BTSV_Berni · Senior Member

The whole session of making it white is very time consuming and rushing only makes it bad.
So I have to take the time to do it right.The first bits with white pigmented epoxy are done and I made a few new experiences.
At the beginning it was a disaster and I thought that this will never come up good but after
changing a few techniques it is looking better.

The white epoxy is unforgiving. You see every little stuffup. Thin layers are the solution.
Started with thick ones at the beginning and it was impossible to keep the runners under
control. And for now I think that it is the best idea to start with the top section and not somewhere
as I did.
Level the 45 degrees angle is essential. No way to get an even coat if it stands upright.

Regards, Berni

BTSV_Berni · Senior Member

And further it goes. I'm happy so far with the top section and the angles. Final sanding and thin layer shoud do.
Before I go for that I decided to do the side corners first to give it a smooth look and then do the inner top section.

Looks a bit like graffity done by someone completely outminded. Rolleyes

Regards, Bernie

SnowT · Guru

Bernie..

Love the fridge build..

Are you west system to seal everything up..
and adding the filler's..?

if you are how are you getting the color into the epoxy..?

Juergen

BTSV_Berni · Senior Member

I'm using the stuff from boatcraft pacific. Boatcote Epoxy. There you find everything you want to know.
Copy www.boatcraft.com.au into your browser .

Regards, Berni

oldbobsbus · Guru

Do we have any more progress pix Bernie..

BTSV_Berni · Senior Member

The last ones I've posted today are.....the last ones. It takes ages. Thin layers, turn it around and around, more thin layers.
I thought that I can start with the top lid at christmas time, but it doesn't look like to happen.

Have time enough anyway.

Regards, Berni

BTSV_Berni · Senior Member

Graffitti starts dissappearing. Slow, but steady. Smile

Regards, Berni

oldbobsbus · Guru

It is really starting to take shape now Berni..

Hows the door/lid coming along ??

BTSV_Berni · Senior Member

Hope, that I can start with the top lid after christmas. Maybe.... hmm .

With this weather at the moment it is curing very quick so I get 2-3 sides done

a day.

Regards, Berni

BTSV_Berni · Senior Member

It seems, that the top lid will be started at christmas. Doing the final touch of the top section right now and

it is coming up good.

Regards, Berni

BTSV_Berni · Senior Member

Top lid started. Due to storage reasons the sheets were bent like bananas. Had to work with dirty tricks again to keep them straight while the epoxy glue in between is curing.

Regards, Berni

BTSV_Berni · Senior Member

Today it was time to get started with the middle part of the top lid.
Pictures show you what I've done. This thing turned up as a pan cake too as you can see (the gap) so I had to go and use dirty tricks again.
The idea is, to keep it flat and even with the water bottles and making up an epoxy matrix to keep it that way after the bottles are removed.
Hope I can apply the second "matrix" layer today but the humidity is on 250thousandmillion percent and it takes ages for the epoxy to cure.
I'll see......

Regards, Berni

BTSV_Berni · Senior Member

As you can see on the pictures the gap is gone. Waterbottle technology was doing the job again.
Just prepeared it for marriage, which should happen in the afternoon.

Regards, Berni

BTSV_Berni · Senior Member

Beautiful weather for a marriage.

Bride and bridegroom were dressed up to perfection
and the wedding rings (a few more than usual) were ready to go.
Finally the witnesses made sure that this bond will last for ever.

With tears in my eyes I have to let the couple go for today
and continue with the side walls inside the box.

Regards, Berni

BTSV_Berni · Senior Member

Forgot the last update picture.
Top lid needs a final coat on top and the sides need to be done.
But it is looking pretty good.

Ran out of epoxy. Time for a longer break. Will spend the time to think about the outer housing to make it look like fridge/furniture.

It will go further in about 4-6 weeks. I am a bit sick of this epoxy stuff too biggrin .

Regards, Berni

BTSV_Berni · Senior Member

Yesterday I went to a few cabinet makers and plywood shops that should have been open regarding to their websites, only to find notes on their doors that they are on holidays and will reopen on monday.
Should have called them..... Confused .
So if I'm in a good mood tomorrow morning I'll try again. I have a pretty good idea now but I think that it will be better to let someone make it who knows how to. It will be part of the interior that is visible so I want it to look good.

To make sure that I don't become bored I had a quick look at the compressor unit to find out if the cables are long enough to put the controller where I want it to be. They are not...... Rolleyes , which was not really surprising me because it might be a challenge to put an extra metre cable into to this little thing. Not much space inside. And why should they do it anyway ?

So the next 1-2 weeks I'll make up a maintenance friendly solution with plugs and sockets from Hirschmann http://search.jaycar.com.au/search?w=Hir...&view=list . This is very reliable stuff and used in the industry without any dramas. A job without the "joys of epoxy" Big Grin yeeehaaaa .

Keep you updated.

Regards, Berni

oldbobsbus · Guru

Looks like you will have some fun rewiring that control panel Bernie..
Have fun mate..

BTSV_Berni · Senior Member

Naaa, I will not rewire the control panel. All I'll do is add some plugs/sockets and extend the cable.

Have done stuff like that 25thousandmillion times and it always came up very good.

Will not touch the control panel. You will see it on the pictures later.

Regards, Berni