Assembling the trailer.

With the various parts painted it was ready for assembly. The base of the trailer was a problem that I found difficult to address. My first thoughts were to use the same wood as the sides of the trailer. But this would mean having six planks laid side by side, probably not evenly. They could not be glued together, successfully. I then thought about plywood. But this gets damaged easily when the thin veneer is scraped. So I finally decided on two layers. The first layer was plywood, cut to fit tight against the sides. The second layer was a sheet of mild steel, again fitted against the sides.

The thin mild steel sheet was primed and then painted with two coats of metal paint. To seal the sides to the base I used quarter round section wood. Wood screws were used to tightly fit against the sides and the mild steel. Silicon sealant was also applied to the mild steel before it was covered by the wood trim.

re-painting the trailer parts

Once the framework had been prepared and primed, the metalwork was coated all over with metal paint. This included the mudguards, wheels, and framework. I chose silver and gold metal paint and I think this looks good.

I bought Ronseal Metal Paint. But I could have chosen Hammerite paint which is very good. I also used a paint brush to apply the paint. Some of you may prefer a roller. Both are good. A roller leaves a thinner coat of paint on the metal than the brush. As protection is the aim, I prefer to use a brush for a thicker coat of paint.

Be accurate when painting. Make sure all the metal is covered by paint. Take your time when applying the paint. The overall finish will be so much better if you have made the effort to apply the paint well and it is neat.

Stripped down to the frame.

When I removed all of the original wood from the trailer, I was left with only the frame. The frame showed signs of rust. Mostly surface rust. This was cleaned off with a wire brush, white spirits and then emery cloth. The emery cloth really did the job! I then applied a coat of rust eater all over the inner part of the framework. This was not needed on the exterior of the frame because the original paintwork protected the metal from serious rust.

The photo above shows the framework with a coat of metal primer applied to it. This grey primer was applied twice to really help protect the metalwork. Special attention was given to the holes that were drilled in the angle iron. Primer was put into these holes to make sure there was no bare metal left exposed to the atmosphere.

Finally, a top coat of metal paint was applied over the primer.