The unwritten rule of blogging is one generally don't post more than one blog a day. Rules are created to be broken and so I do as there is just so much I want to catch up. Strike the iron while it is red hot so here is part 2 of the, hopefully more improvements to the JC.
For a traveling habitat I believe in keeping it shipshape as in a seaworthy sailboat I am breaking my rule of not naming my vehicles. I named her Tatyana as in nautical practice.
japanese noren
I always visit the Japantown whenever I go to San Francisco. Soko hardware store is my must stop. I also visit many shops in the shopping center with the Peace Pagoda. I can easily lost myself shopping there a whole day. This time amongst the articles of delight I found is noren (entry curtain) intended for home. Later I had an eureka moment - why not use it as a privacy curtain for Tatyana?
I installed some snaps and up it went. It is great when I want to keep the door open to for the fresh air and yet want a bit of privacy.
cabin divider curtain
This is a curtain that divides the "cockpit" from the cabin. It is something I have done in my VW camper. It has many benefits including security, privacy, stealthiness, ease of deployment, and thermal insulation. Finding a satisfactory fabric can be difficult. I use a good quality down filled throw I have laying around and the size is perfect. It is secured by snaps like the factory curtain for the windshield. Unlike the windshield curtain it takes only seconds to put up. It can also be left on while driving.
The masking tape in the picture is my marked location for a operable window flap I yet to sew. With this I can control the sound system with the remote, and access the Westy control panel.
napkin holder
If you ever travel to Asia, especially SE Asia you would encounter the toilet paper dispenser found in all the affordable eateries. It holds a role of toilet paper for the patrons to use as low cost napkins. I have long admire the cheap chic of the common folks of these countries and I regret leaving Thailand without bringing one back. I found them in SF and Oakland Chinatowns.
You have to uncore the center cardboard form to use it. I used it as a toilet paper dispenser.
pan brush hook - fabricated from a adhesive-backed cable tie anchor and copper wire.
toilet bowl brush
Found this beauty in one of the "dollar stores" in SF Japantown. There are 2 stores in the shopping center that sells household gadgets and houseware cater to the Japanese aesthetics and sensibilities. Most things are price $1.5 to $3. Most of the goods are very well chosen and relatively good quality and many targets Japan and Korea while they are made in China. What immediately stand out is the price labels. Unlike the cheap adhesive use in retail labels they peel off so easily - Japanese consumers would not stand their purchase article come with impossible to remove price labels. Like all the shoppers that went gaga. I must have spent over $50 in the two stores combined.
This toilet brush is made with natural bristle and the curved handle conforms to the curve of the bathroom wall. It is also scaled down in size and mass for our mini bathroom which I like.
more ikea finds
misc storage- EOL
Always struggle to find storage for small and easy-to-loss items. This kid's storage from ikea can be use to stow keys, phones, pen, flash light within arms' reach. The internal pockets are a part of another ikea stationary organizer. Neither are available now.
liquid condiment holders - kids and infant section
For a well stocked kitchen for regular cook on the road the challenge is how to safely carry the liquid like cooking oil, soy sauce, and dish soap. I leant to choose the suitable containers and how to restrain them. I choose dispensers with low aspect ratio and are uniform in diameter so they can easily nested in a bigger container. Here are a set of ikea containers which I repurposed for the kitchen on the road.
I remove the lids and discard them. Next I would cut off the projected hinge tabs to make them nest better.
I keep dish detergent in a plastic dispenser and store it next to the DC main shutoff.
sink drains
I noticed the cheap plastic sink drain immediately when taking delivery of Tatyana. The handle is poorly conceived and slips off one's soaped fingers. Worst I could never make it seal properly. I knew there are better sink drains available from owning a VW Westy. After a lot of online searching I found what may be suitable based on close inspection of the limited product images and descriptions. I knew it was a risk purchase but I went ahead and order 2 sets to cover both bath and kitchen sink.
Here is the side by side comparison of the two. Airstream on left, new one on right.
The new one I bought has a stainless steel strainer basket and a much fuller rubber seal assembly. The handle has a nice profile affording a more ergonomic grip even with soaped fingers. The base assembly is also stainless with excellent finish instead of cast brass with chrome that is susceptible to pitting.
The installation turned out to be nothing of a snap as I expected. The new flange diameter is slightly larger to fit the indentation of the sink for a good fit. The sink indentation also has a slight tapper which the OEM base assembly has to match. I have to use a bench grinder to decrease the flange diameter of the new stainless one - thankful for the stainless construction. I also created the tapper using the grinder - all done by free hand. The new base has slightly longer threaded collar but there is enough slop on the ABS piping to accommodate it.
It was a lot of work but it is worth it for me as I cannot live with the cheap original one in the kitchen sink. I have yet to get to the one in the bath.
Here is one I bought from Amazon.
small tote boxes
Found these nice looking tote boxes in Japantown in SF. Use them everywhere in storage for holding small items organized. They have steep vertical sides so they nest efficiently side by side space-wise; an attribute very difficult to find.
high density foam
I saw this camping foam one day at Walmart for ~$8. I later realize it
would make excellent padding foam to protect the storage side wall from
damage like tool box, generator etc. I can cut them to different sizes. I
use it to pad a big tote box in the storage under the bath. I can also
use it in the storage in the bench seat.
sight level
The only thing I'd ever bought from Campingworld.
No comments:
Post a Comment