on a foggymorn, Myrtle the bus is born. a 1949 chevy shorty

[the_experience03]

I'mg glad you got the floor up. Scary how deceptive that wood can be, huh?

I think if you were to throw a sink, it would look absolutely amazing. You can get drain kits from most places that sell plumbing supplies for pretty cheap. As for mounting....boy...I don't know....could you back some bolts in as mounting stubds maybe? My only conern with a ceramic sink might be its vibration resistance. If you make it thick to resist vibration, it will be heay which will stress the mounts an awful lot, especially with a full load of water and dishes. If you do figure it out, please please post some pictures.

 

[Ryan Grimm]

I haven't thrown clay in 36 years, since grade school. However, I've been a moldmaker and machinist, and done a lot of work with concrete. In other words, 'plastic' shaping of materials....just not clay.

IIRC, the clay will shrink quite a bit, 10-25%. I recommend try making a couple samples, and get an idea from that.
Since most vanity sinks use a 1-1/4 inch drain assembly, get a cheap plastic sink drain and do some measurements. Then throw a sample drain section (the very bottom) of the sink, and see how much it shrinks when dry, and then again when fired.
If you look closely, you can see how they do the overflow drain as well; the sink is made up of two pieces, glued together with a bit of slip.
Look at a couple sinks to see what I mean.
Then, you can make up a sink (allowing for shrinkage), fire it up, and go from there.

When the sink is dry but not yet fired, you can rub it onto a flat surface (with sandpaper glued to the flat surface) to get the top completely flat (if placing the sink under-counter). This will make mounting it easier later.
If placing the finished sink on TOP of a counter, cut a piece of ply out so the sink sets on/in it. Glue sandpaper onto the ply, and rub the unfired sink onto it to level out the underside of it's lip, getting it flat.

Have you PRICED hand thrown sinks? YE GODS !!! They are HUGE bucks, $400 and UP.
Maybe consider selling them through local shops, with custom work being a specialty. Different shapes, sizes, colors, etc. Go with bold colors (cobalt blue is incredible, so is peacock blue).
Once you figure out the basics of the dimensions for the drain and etc. you could make some real $$$$. All sinks are the same as far as the drains go, they're all just variations on a theme, design-wise.

Nice thing about clay, it's fairly cheap.
Experiment with shapes and volumes of the sink(s). Look at sinks, find a few designs you like to see how they work for you, and work that into your design(s).

 

[foggymorn]

I threw two large sinks yesterday, the problem with big pots is getting them to dry slow enough that they dont crack so we will wait a week and see what happens. I will post some pics if I get one to turn out.I haven't made it to the local home depot yet to look at other sinks. I tend to get into trouble when ever I go to that place! lol Something always seems to call my name before I can make it out the door. You are right about the wood It did seem to be in good condition, but then just poped right up. It will give piece of mind knowing that it is all new and sturdy. Thanks guys!

 

[flyer-SKO]

hi foggy! i have a 59 bus that has the same style floor as you, i have almost torn all the 3/4 plywood out, just one panel left. i have some rust to deal with in the a few spots around the frame and then im going to seal the frame with por 15. was thinking about laying down the same flooring with new plywood, generously stained on both sides. making flooring right overtop of that and insulating underneath with spray foam.

just an idea. i would love to see hear what youre going to end up doing.

ps. tearing the floor out has been a grunt effort


EDIT: just realised this thread is from 2006 =]