Saturday, April 23, 2016

SHALLOW DEPTH WALL POCKETS FOR THE AIRSTREAM INTERSTATE

A couple of months ago, I installed a Container Store magnetic wall pocket strip just below our Airstream Interstate's 12-volt replacement television, which also happens to be the head of the bed on my husband's side when the couch is jack-knife'd down for sleeping.
This is the summary pic I posted on Air Forums Small Space Living thread at that time. 
This gadget ended up being the only one I've ever installed for which my husband said, "I want another one."  So we proceeded to create symmetry above and below the TV by installing a second one, with a caveat.
The body curve of the Sprinter was such that we had to cut the length of the second one shorter, as the wall space was narrower at that higher location.  
The wall pocket strip is essentially a U-shaped piece of steel, and in order to cut it without warping it out of shape, we first inserted a chunk of OSB into it, so we could cut it with a saws-all without crushing it.
Hail the action shot. 
The steel has a nice polished texture and the saws-all did create somewhat of a ragged edge, which my husband proceeded to grind and polish down for a neater look.  He also punched a screw hole in the newly-cut end, as there is one on the factory-finished side.  That helped to make it look like it "came that way" instead of being a crude DIY job.

As for the final product, it includes a few additions, also from the Container Store - namely the product called silver mesh magnetic bins, which are also shallow depth and come in multiple sizes.  They have neodymium magnets on the back and are strong enough to stay in place on the steel pocket strips, even on rough roads.
Now we have symmetry - and my main task will be to limit the potential for this to devolve into a cluttered look!
I do like it better now that it is symmetrical, clutter or not.  And having the second one up higher allows for placement of electronic devices closer to the charging outlets.

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