This is what I will be using on my KIT rebuild: (pardon the fuzzy image - the bottom part is a reflection)
It is 3/4" wide at the top of the T where Grant's is 1" wide and the leg is 5/8" same as Grant's. I also have some up to 1 1-2" wide with legs up to 1". It does have a small ridge at the bottom of the leg. It shouldn't extend beyond the heads of the screws or spiral nails on the door side and could be ground down on the trailer side if needed.
I just went out to the barn and bent this piece over my knee. It could be made more perfect using the door or door opening as a jig. It might also benefit from relieving the inside of the radius on tighter curves as Grant has demonstrated in a couple of posts. (The thin line is residue of the glazing material but is easily removed by scraping or brushing)
The material was widely used for the muntins and mullions of single glazed aluminum primary windows manufactured from the 1950s through the 1980s and is still used for single glazed storm windows, particularly the round top and eyebrow models which are made with radii as tight as 6". (Muntins are the horizontal and vertical members that separate the individual panes in a window sash. Mullions are used to join two or more complete windows together, either horizontally or vertically.)
I have recycled 1000's of feet of this material over the years. You should be able to locate some from contractors and remodelers who replace the older single glaze windows with modern double and triple glazed units as most of the actual carpenters and installers will save it until they have a load to take to the recyclers. (Depending on the market it brings $.60 to $1.25 a pound and a trailer load once a year makes a nice X-mas fund.) Recyclers also sometimes resell the material because they tend to accumulate large quantities when the smelter prices are low. The one in Denton sets aside a lot of the new or barely used material for resell. You might also be able to persuade the window manufacturers to sell you new material if they have sufficient stock or overage.
The new material will be available in the mill finish as shown and also bronze, white, and almond, both painted and anodized. The used material is generally mill finish but I have seen it in bronze and white. New lengths are usually 14' to 20' long. The used is dependent on the window size, but up to 48" for the muntins and up to 96" for the mullions is common. The muntins will almost always be the 3/4" wide while the mullions are of all sizes. Some of the wider mullion material is scored where you can break away excess strips of width. Some is also angled on the top of the T an additional 15 to 45 degrees for mulling together bow and bay window units and might have some application for those who build with compound roof curves.
Similar T molding is used by some of the modular garden room and atrium patio enclosure manufacturers.
These same sources (manufacturers, contractors and remodelers) also stock and use 90 degree aluminum angle material with various thickness and dimensions ranging from 1/2" x 3/4" up to 2" x 6" in lengths up to 20' that will be better priced than the big box stores if they will sell direct to individuals.
In the past siding suppliers and window and patio room manufacturers were not willing to sell directly to the consumer in order to protect their wholesale customers. There are many in the DFW area and you can easily find out with a phone call. If you do find one that has the material but won't sell directly you might be able to change their mind by explaining its use and showing you are not a threat to their normal trade. If that fails, just visit the supplier's parking lot with a couple of six-packs and chat up some of the installers picking up material for themselves and they might be willing to purchase it for you.
I haven't worked much this last year so don't have a lot stockpiled but might be able to rustle up a few pieces if you can't find it elsewhere.
M C
Posted: Fri Aug 03, 2012 9:25 pm