who's that knocking at my door?

fella10 · 03-31-2016, 03:35 PM

been wanting to do this for a long time, and on our last trip when we had a night time knock at the door, I was reminded of why I wanted to do it,......I removed the frosted glass on the door and replaced it with a Lexan piece(not plexiglass), .......Lexan because tempered glass can not be cut to size, so I would have to order to size(and hope it arrived correctly sized) and a two week delivery time, ........ my first thought was to use a pull down shade, but believe the blinds have a nicer look, .... we like what it adds to the safety and comfort of the trailer, .......

5picker · 03-31-2016, 03:49 PM

Nice work!

BTW... acrylic and plexiglass are one in the same.
Plexiglass is just a brand name for acrylic plastic sheet.

Lexan (polycarbonate) is different and slightly more break resistant than acrylic and may be a slightly better choice for safety.

fella10 · 03-31-2016, 04:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 5picker

Nice work!

BTW... acrylic and plexiglass are one in the same.
Plexiglass is just a brand name for acrylic plastic sheet.

Lexan (polycarbonate) is different and slightly more break resistant than acrylic and may be a slightly better choice for safety.

it is Lexan, I called it acrylic, because I thought acrylic was better than plexaglass, anyway, its Lexan, used on boats

Bob Montgomery · 03-31-2016, 04:02 PM

Looks great! Who was knocking at your door?

fella10 · 03-31-2016, 04:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bob Montgomery

Looks great! Who was knocking at your door? Did you meet them with a shot gun?

it was a guy we had met when we first arrived at the cg, he wasn't camping just bird watching and begin to make a pest of himself before we left four days later..........

RickChar · 03-31-2016, 08:32 PM

I have also installed mirrored limo tint on to clear 5/32 laminated safety glass and it
works well, as nobody can see in during the day and is limited at night as long as there is
no light directly above the door. Then you can let the shade down for more privacy.

Buck1032 · 03-31-2016, 08:36 PM

I was thinking this thread was going to go South as to who was knocking and you post pictures of a pretty lady outside the door.

Biker · 03-31-2016, 08:52 PM

I had our windows blacked out with limo tinting.

fella10 · 03-31-2016, 09:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Biker

I had our windows blacked out with limo tinting.

our "15" Micro Lite 25KS came with all dark windows except for the two frosted windows on the two doors, and on this clear window I have already put limo tint also, but at night when it is lighter inside than outside, those tints don't give privacy at all,....we use the Reflectic on all the windows at night for privacy and I have cut a piece to fit inside the top half of the screen door frame to block that clear door window also, because, even though it looks nice, at night time the blinds don't do a good job of providing privacy,.......I looked and discovered someone could stand on our steps and see very well thru the cracks of the blinds at night, but the Reflectic has eliminated that completely,......so our privacy is secured and we still have the benefit of the clear window for day time and also night time if needed,...very pleased with how it has turned out, ...had intended to do both doors, but that lady standing outside banging on the door convinced me people don't come to our bathroom/back door,......
she is right sometimes...................

Delco Bobby · 04-01-2016, 02:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fella10

been wanting to do this for a long time, and on our last trip when we had a night time knock at the door, I was reminded of why I wanted to do it,......I removed the frosted glass on the door and replaced it with a Lexan piece(not plexiglass), .......Lexan because tempered glass can not be cut to size, so I would have to order to size(and hope it arrived correctly sized) and a two week delivery time, ........ my first thought was to use a pull down shade, but believe the blinds have a nicer look, .... we like what it adds to the safety and comfort of the trailer, .......

looks nice but...

I was a glass cutter in a glass tempering factory. I cut custom sizes all day, 6 days a week.

Raw glass is cut to size and then tempered. There should not be much of a problem getting the size needed. The only issue is that during the tempering process the glass can change in dimensions a bit depending on how the glass is transported through the oven. Those making the glass will allow for any expected changes in dimension so that the end user will have the correct size of glass.

HOWEVER, tempered glass can break if one of the corners is hit so you have to be careful.

The Lexan, plexiglass etc. will scratch over time so be careful when cleaning it.

Bobby

fella10 · 04-01-2016, 02:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Delco Bobby

Raw glass is cut to size and then tempered.

But you didn't cut tempered glass, you cut RAW glass and then tempered it that's not the same as cutting tempered glass?.....our local glass shop said they did not have the size piece I needed and could NOT cut it from a larger piece of tempered glass, it would have to be ordered to the size needed, .......just like I said before, you can't cut tempered glass.........

rockfordroo · 04-01-2016, 03:07 PM

Nobody likes to take tempered glass, either. I had a tempered glass outdoor table top. We had a microburst windstorm that tipped it over and it shattered into enough glass to fill a 5 gal bucket. No one would take it, not even the local auto glass shops.

Delco Bobby · 04-01-2016, 03:13 PM

I should have been clearer. You can order the size needed and then there is no need to attempt to cut tempered glass. They are probably just stocking some standard sizes and don't want to do a custom order.

Not germane but I have used a belt sander to trim tempered glass. Much skill and experience is required but mostly ones guardian angel supervising.

M&K Hoffman · 04-01-2016, 03:22 PM

It's gotta be a quarter to four
Is it you again coming 'round for more?

Sorry

could not resist. Song lyrics just pop into my head like that!

BTW Rod Stewart "Hog Legs"

Delco Bobby · 04-01-2016, 03:24 PM

BTW, I suspect the glass shop didn't offer to order a custom size due to the pitfalls involved. Perhaps a wise business decision.

The glass can come in with the dimensions not quite right or it could break upon installation. Or maybe sometime later. They may not want you mad at them if something goes wrong.

Beyond all of the above, I would want a more substantial gasket to absorb the shocks that the door gets from all of the bouncing around while traveling.

You a probably better off with the plastic. And when it gets too scratched up just replace it.

Delco Bobby · 04-01-2016, 03:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fella10

But you didn't cut tempered glass, you cut RAW glass and then tempered it that's not the same as cutting tempered glass?.....our local glass shop said they did not have the size piece I needed and could NOT cut it from a larger piece of tempered glass, it would have to be ordered to the size needed, .......just like I said before, you can't cut tempered glass.........

My first job at the factory was shoveling all the broken tempered glass out of the oven. Tons of it.

waianaegal · 04-01-2016, 06:04 PM

I'm in the middle of this very process... door window glass removed, took it to the local glass place... ordered to size, tinted tempered glass. They kept the original glass even after measuring. 5-7 days should be in. Piece of plexyglass taped to the frame on the outside of the door.
Off the road, parked at my sons house, doing some mods to my Minnie Winnie 22r. wish I could add pics but they are on my phone and I'm not that tech savey to send them here. Maybe by the time the glass gets here I'll know how to post pics from the phone. Love this forum even though I didn't buy a forest river. Thanks.

Delco Bobby · 04-01-2016, 06:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by waianaegal

I'm in the middle of this very process... door window glass removed, took it to the local glass place... ordered to size, tinted tempered glass. They kept the original glass even after measuring. 5-7 days should be in. Piece of plexyglass taped to the frame on the outside of the door.
Off the road, parked at my sons house, doing some mods to my Minnie Winnie 22r. wish I could add pics but they are on my phone and I'm not that tech savey to send them here. Maybe by the time the glass gets here I'll know how to post pics from the phone. Love this forum even though I didn't buy a forest river. Thanks.

I hope that works out well for you. See what the glass shop says about the gasket, especially if they do automotive glass replacement.

Delco Bobby · 04-01-2016, 06:13 PM

Now that I think more about this I should state that in cars the windshield and back window were laminated glass. Two sheets of glass bonded together with vinyl in between for a sandwich.

The side windows are tempered.

If legal, it may be more cost effective and easier to get a piece of laminated glass for the coach door window. The vinyl comes in color so you may have a choice.

waianaegal · 04-01-2016, 06:18 PM

Yeah I know the tiny bit of what really looked like caulking wasn't much and there is a lot more room between the interior frame that holds the glass in and the "hole" cut into the door. I will be adding more insulation to the empty space.
For coverage I've hung a spring tension rod above the door hanging a room darkening insulated curtain in front of the door and it just slides to one side during the day while the door is open and being used. While wintering in central New Mexico with temps down to 11 degrees I found that the curtain helped contain drafts from the door steps.
I full time in my little class c but it's only me and the 4 legged navigating pooch. I also volunteer at National Wildlife Refuges. What a life.

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