Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

I've been reading the posts on annealing aluminum trim but I have a big question. How do you bend angle aluminum at such a sharp curve without it buckling on one side? This is the one thing I haven't seen any talk about.

It does buckle! The process involves "massaging" those bumps out with a hammer and dollie (heavy block of steel), gently tapping the wrinkles out, then cleaning up with fine scotchbrite pads..I haven't done it on teardrop trim, but have done metal finishing in a production shop as a kid a "few" years back. It's time consuming, but not too difficult.

Do you hammer the kinks out first then take it off and seal underneath or is it two jobs done at the same time? What thickness of trim do you use?

You'll need to do your massaging off the trailer, then seal down once smoothed and cleaned up. Although I did mine in wood, Kuffel Creek reccomends 1 by 1 by 1/8" thick angle stock from the home center. Aneal it, bend it, clean it up! Others on this board have done it...I think!!

Kuffel Creek calls for 1/16" trim. You'd need a really big hammer to bend that 1/8th. I just went through this process. Made the mistake of thinking I could smooth out the ripples after it was applied....now I have to name it the
Wavy Tear.
-Jim

jimslc wrote:Kuffel Creek calls for 1/16" trim. You'd need a really big hammer to bend that 1/8th. I just went through this process. Made the mistake of thinking I could smooth out the ripples after it was applied....now I have to name it the
Wavy Tear.
-Jim

OOPS, Did I say 1/8"?? I guess it's a good thing that I used wood, HUH?

As you bend and hammer it, it will re-harden so you will need to re-anneal it periodically. Experiment with some scrap. Instead of re-annealing with the soot method, apply pressure and heat it until it gives. Practice and be careful because any blistering will cause it to crack. Then you have an entirely different problem requiring a TIG, aluminum MIG or a trash can!

You can make a "throw away" wooden template to bend around. You should be done with it before it burns up completely. Hint: Bend them a little tighter than you will need them. D. Tillery

Thanks, Steve and Jim for getting back to me about this. I made a trip to Lowes tonight and looked at wood and aluminum angle also. I've tried several lumber companies here in town and when I ask if they have 1/8" luan, they act like I'm from Mars!! They told me there is no such thing ( I know better) but one of the guys had an idea I didn't think of. He was a cabinet maker once and told me how he would score the back side of wooden paneling every 1 1/2" - 2" to make it bend for curved surfaces on cabinets. Sounds like a pain in the a$$ to do but could work if the curve isn't too radical. At $11 a sheet, I might do some experimenting with one and see if it will work.
Back to the subject, I still don't see how you can form angle on a curve without it being on the trailer. I guess I'll just buy a piece and experiment with different techniques. I'll try annealing also and maybe it won't be as difficult as it sounds trying to bend it. One more question, I could only find 8' chunks of angle, would a RV place have 10' or 12' sections?

That's the idea I was looking for D. Tillery!! A great aluminum weight has been lifted from my shoulders!

WarPony wrote:when I ask if they have 1/8" luan, they act like I'm from Mars!!
told me how he would score the back side of wooden paneling every 1 1/2" - 2" to make it bend for curved surfaces on cabinets. Sounds like a pain in the a$$ to do but could work if the curve isn't too radical. At $11 a sheet, I might do some experimenting with one and see if it will work.

Hey WarPony,

That's how Frank Thomas built his teardrop out of 3/4" plywood, kerfing it every 3/4" or so. I didn't take a photo of that at the time, I wish I had. It works good for bending thick heavy stuff around a curve.

I used the same technique for bending rigid insulation around a curve.

Mike...