Black lines etc

Rain was forecast for 2 pm so I zipped out early to get work done on the bus. It seems my welding from the other day has warped the back door a shade. It doesn't make any real difference to anything bar it makes the door slightly stiffer to latch.

Over the last few days I've been working on painting the rub rails black since the paint likes to come off them quite frequently, revealing the original black paint. If the grey under the black comes off, it will reveal black. I'm fine with that. As I worked it began to rain so I ended up just doing the center of the rub rails toward the front on the driver's side. The other side I completed yesterday.

There are quite a few paint dribbles but that's nothing major. I'm going to have to go around and touch up with a brush and a paint can. The worst touching up I'll have to do is where I sprayed. Even where I put masking tape, spray paint seeped under the tape. Spray just does not seem to be all that great. I found that when I put the text on the back bumper. My solution was to spray a roller so it had very little paint on it then to roll. When I brushed over a stencil or sprayed over a stencil, the results were very raggedly and disappointing.

Now this rub rail has been hand painted with the lines kept by hand. Sure, I'll slip occasionally and occasionally there will be dribbles but I think that's perfectly acceptable. As I said, I got all but probably the last 10 feet of rub rail completed - that's 3 rub rails per side. There are some on the back end that I haven't yet touched for a very good reason. Those rub rails are heavily coated with Bondo dust from when I sanded the Bondo yesterday.

That's how the back door looks now. I'd hoped to have it all flush but c'est la vie.  What I can do now is to try building up with Bondo to make a rectangular or rounded section around the weld. Perhaps I'll use some half PVC tubing if I can get it to make a form for Bondo. Then I can put more text in the center and make a feature out of the problem and disguise it that way. Maybe a sign that says "Dangerous Cargo Aboard".

This is the Nema 6-30 that I've got installed as my power inlet right now. I honestly do not see any fathomable need for a 30 amp supply. Though I'm wired from the inlet to the box for 30 amps, the cable I bought (because I was being cheap) is 20 amps and the breaker inside is 20 amps (because the cable is 20 amps). Inside I have a microwave that probably uses 10 amps and a dorm fridge that uses probably 7 amps. I have three sockets - one dedicated for the fridge and two other that can switch between whatever items I want to use. I don't have a TV or anything like that. In fact my appliances are very simple - a $30 Walmart Microwave, a $10 electric kettle and an old dorm fridge that was thrown in with the bus. I believe that works but I'm not 100% sure. If it doesn't, it'll get replaced by a cooler. I'm just not a great electricity user.

The above is the new inlet. That arrived today. Checking it out with the plugs on my extension cable, it appears they will fit inside. Thus one day I shall have to head under the bus to switch out the inlets. That won't be today though.

One of the advantages of a straight plug is that if it gets yanked, it comes straight out. With my locking plug, there could be damage to the inlet if somebody yanked it while trying to steal it or tripped over it or I simply drove off with it connected. Another advantage is that 20A extension cords are readily available and inexpensive. In an emergency even a 15A extension cable is usable as long as care is taken not to exceed 15A.