December 14-19 at Red Cannon Expedition

 

It has been another week of hard work and fun here at Red Cannon Expedition (RCE)!

Every time I think we are ready to complete a component of this project I realize how little I know about what it actually takes to create one of these vehicles. There is and unfathomable amount of work that goes into each and every step of the process. Though I am helping primarily with the build process, I am constantly reminded of the hours of planning and strategizing, along with precision thinking and implementation that takes place when creating this work of art. Just when I think we are about to finish one aspect of the project I am brought back to reality with a new to-do list of things to be completed.

This realization was brought to my attention once again on Monday morning when, after spending extra time waxing the upper section of the top of the Jeep, Dion reminded me that we need to do ten coats of wax as opposed to just one. Though I thought we were ready to get started fiber glassing on Monday morning, I pulled out the can of wax and got to it.

I spent all day Monday waxing on and off to complete a total of ten coats of wax on the upper section of the Jeep topper.

When I got to the shop on Tuesday morning we pulled out the other sections of the jeep that needed to be prepared for the fiber glass. This consisted of two additional pieces of the body: the back door, and the top of the cab of the jeep where the topper rests.

^The top of the cab of the jeep where the topper rests.

Tray, another employee of RCE, took the door and I took the top of the cab.

Tuesday then consisted of repeating the process we had done on the top section of the topper with our different pieces. By the end of Tuesday I had my piece stripped of extra paint (which took a surprisingly long time to get off) and had begun sanding with 220 sandpaper.

On Wednesday morning I finished sanding the piece fully, as well as the post sanding cleaning process: compressed air to remove particles, dry rag and compressed air to get the rest, and a full wipe down of diluted alcohol.

Having stripped, sanded, and cleaned the piece, I was left to do the ten wax coats in the afternoon on Wednesday and the morning on Thursday.

Thursday afternoon was devoted to a crew meeting to instruct us on the procedures and safety of the mold (fiberglass) process, as well as developing a plan for the order in which we would create the molds. After learning the process and brainstorming the options we decided that we would begin with the upper part of the topper (the biggest piece) and then do the smaller pieces.

On Friday morning we got suited up and began the fiberglass process. Having never dealt with a material like that, it was challenging for me to get the hang of spreading the fibers. We were using fiber strands that the gun would chop up and shoot out onto he resin that we previously applied and it was hard to spread it evenly.

^Dion and I were excited to start fiberglassing!

On Friday afternoon we completed the first layer of fiber glass on the upper portion of the topper, only five more layers to go!

         ^Fully suited up, respirator, and protective eye-ware. Safety comes first at RCE.

^The initial jell coat goes on before the resin coat.

         ^The morning session of fiberglassing, done in two different sections.

^In the afternoon after the two sections had a chance to dry we added the third connecting section and did a partial second coat on the front portion.

Saturday I spent my morning writing my summative paper on my RCE experience which can be found here: https://lilithshoemaker.wordpress.com/2015/12/19/internship-summery-at-red-cannon-expedition/

During the fiber glassing I was aware of how strong the VOCs in the resin was and we decided that this is where we wanted to start with our sustainability. We are currently researching the options of sustainable resins for further fiber glassing projects. The main alternative that is currently being used un sustainable fiberglassing is epoxy resin. Epoxy resin is said to have insignificant emissions from abrasion and/or chemical decomposition of components which could endanger human health and the environment.

Some of these epoxies such as SuperSap claims to have a 50% reduction in emissions of the standard chemical resin.

We want to further this research and buy a more sustainable product for our next project

Here we have completed another very successful week at Red Cannon Expedition, the final week of my internship. Please check back with us next week for further updated to our project!

 

Internship Summery at Red Cannon Expedition

Green Vehicle Retrofitting

19 December 2015

Red Cannon Expedition

Red Cannon Expedition (RCE) was founded by Dion Kranz and his wife Jen. After 17 years of experience in the car audio and custom vehicle fabrication industry, Dion decided to start RCE to create the first off-road off-grid recreation vehicle that could park in the city, and rock crawl through the desert. This expedition vehicle is called the Darien, and Dion has decided to custom build these vehicles for people to purchase.

As a fourth year college student studying sustainable living I had the opportunity to intern with RCE for a month, working four hours a day, five days a week, and two hours on Saturdays. This opportunity taught me so many things and rather than showing me exactly what I want along my career path, it gave me the perspective I needed to know some key things that I do not want for my future.

The main realization I came to this month that clarified what I want from my life and my career was that I did not want to work in an office setting. At RCE we are in an auto shop, and it is the most amazing work environment. Having to go from my internship to my actual job, which is university admissions at MUM, was almost torture. All I wanted to do was stay in the shop, working hard, and moving around, but then I would have to go into the office, wear nice clothes, and stare at a computer for two hours. RCE taught me that for me, hard work in an active setting is much more enjoyable and rewarding than a desk job. Everyday I woke up looking forward to the day and the work I would get done, and dreading the two hours that I had to sit at my desk. The most profound thing that RCE taught me was that if you are doing what you love, you will never have to work another day in your life. This is the biggest lesson that helped clarify my future and potential career path.  

The second realization that I came to in my time at RCE was how important it was for me to be able to think critically and have space for problem solving. Dion was an amazing mentor, guiding me through the learning process of each step in the build process, but not telling me what to do. He would give me the information and then leave me alone to figure out the best ways to do each thing that needed to be done. This is important to me because I felt that I had room to think, analyse, and try different things to make something work. This taught me how important it is to be able to think for myself in my work environment, and not just follow given instructions. This also taught me the importance of working with a supervisor that encourages new ideas and personal expression. In just one month working at RCE I was able to bring new ideas to the table and brainstorm with others how to best go about getting everything done. This independence is very important to me for my continued intrinsic motivation to work towards any goal, including that of a career.

My third major realization this month, regarding my future career, was the importance of the people we work with. These are the people with which we spend the most time, and should therefore be people you can communicate well with, and who share similar goals, values, and views of the world. The main importance is that we are around people that, even if you don’t share these things with, are open to everything you stand for. Everyone at RCE was willing to hear my passions and would work with me to see how my passions could improve the company. Having passion for sustainability, they asked if we could work together to come up with a sustainability plan for the company, as well as what they could do at this moment to be more sustainable. These people cared about what I cared about, and shared what they cared about so that together we could be a part of a business that was greater than the sum of the employees working there. Having such a supportive atmosphere, and being surrounded by people who are genuinely passionate and care for what they do, and who they do it with, is what I want out of a company I make my career with.

In just one short month I learned how fun work can be. I learned that working in an office is not for me, independence within a workspace is necessary for my happiness, and the people who I work with need to be intrinsically motivated to make the company the best it can be. I learned many other things as well and hope to continue to find what works best for me and what I want out of a life career. I was offered a longterm position with RCE and I quit my job with the university so that I could continue to explore and learn in this work environment. RCE showed me what I was missing in all the jobs I have had before, a family working together to reach a common goal, in an exciting creative environment.

December 7-12 at Red Cannon Expedition

It has been another full week here at Red Cannon Expedition (RCE).

We are just about ready to begin casting the preliminary mold meaning this week we finished the major part of mold!

Monday was devoted to securing the bed for the solar panels. I learned how to use a router and cut all the edges of the solar bed. I then filled the corners with body filler to create a smooth finish. This was very challenging because the body filler is not thin enough to make a truly smooth finish and it is very difficult to sand small corners. After fighting to fill the corners for over an hour I found the trick of applying acetone just before the applied body filler hardens completely. This thins it just enough to run your finger over the corner and create a very nice smooth finish. After finding this trick I chiseled out the mess I had made earlier and started over again. This time it only took about 30 minuted to complete all four corners without any additional sanding needed. The rest of the day was spent sanding the solar bed and adding the first part of the water catchment system.

^Filling the corners and a before picture without the solar bed in place.

         ^Solar bed in place.

With the added water catchment section there was an additional 12 corners that needed filling when we started Tuesday morning. Filling the corners got easier every time I did it, and I ended up filling all 12 corners in only an hour! The rest of the morning, afternoon, and Wednesday morning was spent filling the pinholes, gaps, and cracks in the solar bed, and sanding it all even with size 80 sandpaper.

         ^One of the corners and edges I filled.

         ^The 12 other corners that had to be filled.

Wednesday afternoon and all day Thursday was spend sanding the entire upper of the top section with 220 grit sandpaper by hand. It was necessary to do this by hand because we were not shaping anything, and we wanted to make sure to maintain the current shape. The hand sanding was only for cleaning off the entire body to prepare it for the casting process.

On Friday I thoroughly cleaned the upper of the top, first using the compressed air to remove particles, then a dry rag and compressed air to get what particles were left. Then I wiped the entire thing down with diluted alcohol. After a much needed lunch break I hand waxed the entire upper of the top portion. It was important to take my time through the waxing process as this is the final stage before it gets cast. I ended up spending two hours meticulously waxing until the whole thing was shining and smooth.

         ^The sanded, cleaned, and waxed upper section of the top.

On Saturday morning we met with the PR company that is working with RCE. We talked about the progress on the side of social  media, and how we might get more costumers with different outreach strategies. We ended the meeting by creating a social media plan for the next month.

I am very glad I was included in this process because I am gaining a feel for every angle of having a business as well as the importance of the business aspect, not just the build aspect.

As a team we have began researching alternatives for sustainability within the business. We are looking into alternatives for fiberglass and are especially interested in a company that is currently making surf boards out of recycled foam blanks and bio-resin epoxy laminates that have equivalent strength, durability and superior flex properties. Fiberglass is said to be sustainable due to it being easy to make and less environmentally damaging than using lumber or metal. But is society making a bad thing not so bad? With more research we will see what the long term implications are of fiber glass and if there are other options with the potential of being more efficient with less environmental impact.

We have a vision of producing a product using hemp based materials as that is becoming a more readily available resource, with high yields and quick growth rate. It is in the current stages of testing for automobiles so given the results this is something for us to consider.

Again it was another very successful week here at Red Cannon Expedition, please check back with us next week for further updated to our project!

November 30-December 5 at Red Cannon Expedition

This week at Red Cannon Expedition our team was working hard on the shaping the upper piece of the top section of the Jeep.

It is hard to imagine just how much work goes into each and every inch of this Jeep. I really had no idea the amount of time, precision, and craftsmanship was necessary for a project like this.

The reason that this task is so time consuming lies in the work required to make a product that not only runs well, but is aesthetically pleasing and easily reproducible for each customer.

So this week was devoted to creating the initial mold in which we can then cast, creating a mold for easy reproduction. This mold will be used for every Red Cannon Expedition vehicle that comes out of our shop in the future, which is why the perfection of this process is so important.

This week we began the finishing stages of this process which means that we had already created the initial shape out of foam, covered that in Body Filler, built up the areas to create the curves, and did the initial sanding. Though that took a good while to do, the finishing is an even more intense process. This process involves mostly sanding, moving step by step to finer sandpaper, and precision application of Body Filler to fill any pin holes and cracks that might have occurred in the process

^On the left we see that the top is removed from the jeep with the upper section of the top still having some foam exposed. 

As an intern with very little experience in an auto shop I am learning and working with very basic skills as well as picking up key ideas and tricks of the trade.

On Monday I learned how to use a small round power sander for the finishing process. I also learned how the number on the sand paper dictates how fine the grit is, the higher the number the finer the sandpaper, and the smoother the finish. A handy trick I learned for filling holes was to spread the body filler with a razor blade so that I have better control in smaller areas.

We began finishing the front, progressing to finer and finer sand paper and making sure the curve on the top of the front was even. I would sand, add Body Filler, sand, and so on until I was using 220 grit paper which is the finest needed for this project. I worked through this process Monday and Tuesday totaling about 8 hours spent finishing the front.

^Here the front portion is just about finished, just needing a few rounds of fine sanding.

On Wednesday I began finishing one side while Dion (Owner and CEO of Red Cannon Expedition) began finishing the other side. This process was such a great learning experience because I could copy his techniques as well as ask questions. He helped me understand how to line up the curvature correctly and let me complete my side alone. This was more challenging than the front because I was no longer dealing with a flat area but a curved area. Because the power sanders we were using were flat it was imperative that we kept them moving as to not grind down any spot too flat. This was a big challenge for me but I ended up finishing it in the same amount of time (about 8 hours) as the front because I was beginning to get a feel for the art of it. This is what my Wednesday and Thursday was devoted to.

^Above is the completed side done all by myself! You can also see part of the untouched corner (bottom left).

Having had a great week we began Friday morning with the front and sides completed. The next step was to match the corner lines on the lower portion of the top to the upper portion of the top. This was an immense amount of work because we not only had to add body filler to create new lines, but the lines had to be totally symmetrical and match the lower portion perfectly. This consumed our whole day on Friday but after Dion and I spent four long hours sculpting, sanding, and buffing, we had completed both corners.

         ^We had to add to both the upper and lower pieces of the top to better sculpt them symmetrically.

         ^After adding we began shaping the two section together to make sure they matched perfectly. This will be especially important when the vehicle is finished and painted because the shine the pain will give off will give away any inaccuracies in the design. 

^Here is beautifully finished corner!

         ^Finished front, sides, and corners!

Saturday morning was spent communicating with our current investor and reporting our progress through this week. Everyone is very excited to have the Jeep finished so this in an important aspect to the company and furthering its growth. Through pictures, videos, and constant communication we can assure that costumers are fully aware of the build process, and just how much work goes into making the vehicle perfect before they get to take it out and play.

Though Red Cannon Expedition has a long way to go before it is a totally sustainable company, we are doing the best that we can at this point in reference to sustainability. Sustainability is of the utmost importance to the business and everyone here is dedicated to moving more and more to a fully sustainable system. Being socially responsible is very important and we are in the process of creating a sustainability plan as a team.

Currently our vehicles are as eco-friendly as possible and we are constantly brainstorming ways to be even more environmentally friendly and sustainable. We use only locally sourced wood, low VOC adhesives and paint, as well as organic textiles. As a company we monitor: energy and water use, vendor relationships with materials, potential product improvements, hazardous waste disposal, and expending our recycling program. We use locally based suppliers and provide generous entry level wage compensation to strengthen our community and the relationships within it.

We also want to make sure that there is the least amount of disturbance to the environment by our vehicles when they are in use.

The sustainable features of the Jeep specifically include a water catchment system with a 30 gallon holding tank, two actuated solar panels with a 2100 watt capability, a 2.5 gallon air tank, a gas heater that uses .07 gallons of gas per hour at full burn (cleaner, warmer, and cheaper than propane), and a cassette toilet (adding no water and creating less waste).  All of these features help insure that our costumers are not abusing the areas they explore, but rather using the natural resources of that area while enjoying the environment.

 

All in all it was a very successful week here at Red Cannon Expedition, please check back with us next week for further updated to our project!

 

Welcome to Red Cannon Expedition

Welcome to Red Cannon Expedition

We are a relatively new, family business, located in Fairfield Iowa.We specialize in retrofitting regular vehicles into off-road, off-grid, recreation vehicles.

Our team at Red Cannon Expedition has been working hard on our first project of re-retrofitting this Jeep JK Unlimited Rubicon.

As we get into December 2015 we are bringing the project into the final stages of work. We have been planning, testing, and implementing to get to this point and now we are working hard to get to the finish line.

The next two weeks will be devoted to completing the top section of the Jeep. To do this we removed it from the body and rigged it lower to the ground so that we can work on it easier and with more efficiency.

^After removing the top sections of the Jeep we are ready to add the body filler onto the existing foam and begin the final shaping process.

^ Dion, owner and CEO, is training new people to help with the final stages of this retrofit on the first Red Cannon Expedition project: a Jeep JK Unlimited Rubicon. After removing the top two sections of the Jeep, we are building up the top most piece. After forming it out of foam we use body filler to build it up and create the perfect shape!

^After some hours of work it’s beginning to look nice, more work is still needed to make a polished effect ready for the costumers.

^ Without the top sections of the Jeep it’s looking pretty bare. Here you can see the driver and passenger seats covered in plastic to keep them clean through the building process. 

 

We hope to provide a product that you can do just about anything with. Wherever you are, whether you want to go rock crawling through the desert or park in the city for a nice day of shopping, this Jeep will allow you to do it while always having the comfort and convenience of home with you.

Red Cannon Expedition, welcome to the family!