Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Any suggestions on bending "T" molding for the doors. I did it but I had my heart in my throat every inch of the way. Would heat make this stuff more pliable? From a heat gun, NOT a torch. Any suggestions. My sharpest radius is 19", much less than the 12" max they suggest.

Happy Trails

Len

If you are talking about aluminum T-molding, there are many posts about annealing (heat) the aluminum to make it more pliable around a radius.
The annealing process softens the aluminum so that it will cooperate with the radius. Patents, the slower the better.

Len,

If you you want to bend it, you have to notch the "leg". Even with plastic T-edge we have to notch the leg to go around a tight radius.

Chris C wrote:Len,

If you you want to bend it, you have to notch the "leg". Even with plastic T-edge we have to notch the leg to go around a tight radius.

I did not 'notch' anything. Just bent it around the radius of the door and used a rubber mallet to 'persuade' it to conform!

Don't get me wrong, I DID get it to work! Used a small wheel and a rubber mallet to talk it around. I was just wondering if anyone else had heated it to make it bend easier. I don't have any left or I would try it.

Happy Trails

Len

I'm getting ready to attack this soon. I have 2 diffrent thoughts. First is to bend the t-mold around the door and attach it to the outside of the door, making contact to outer skin. Second is to fit it to the inside of the door opening and having the door contact it.

Not sure which would be best. I do think it would look better on the inside of the door opening.

I'm open to any ideas or thoughts.

Len, if it is dead soft "T" then heating it is not going to help you...after using both the dead soft stuff and annealed stuff the dead soft works better and gives a more consistent bends....annealing is tricky, getting it hot enough, to truly anneal it, means being only a few degrees short of melting temperatures. After doing a bit of annealing, I found the best method was to use a very light coat of "candle" soot and as it disappears...MOVE THE FLAME
madjack

hey all,
may be a dumb ? but do they make t mould in steel or would it be to much to ask for?

Didn't have to notch, Kerry? That's great. I'd have thought T-edge wouldn't bend into it's leg without it wrinkling so much as to be unusable. Oh well, never claimed to be an expert!

The stuff looks great but I'm not used to spring back in a molding like this/that. I fastened it as I went but I'm sure if I took it off it would not be the shape of the door. I cut a 1/16" notch in the door, placed the lower leg of the molding in it and talked it around then removed it and fastened it to the door. Rolled it , pounded it and only when fastened will it hold the shape. I'm just afraid of it coming out at a later date, at an inopportune time. Will this stuff assume the shape. It is fastened properly.

Happy Trails

Len

hey all,
i guess you could just 45 it and seal it w/rubber or something for square doors or any body got a better idea,wuz thinkin bout the steel so i could weld up the corners for no leaks.

what kind of price difference are you looking at between hard and dead soft aluminum?

rampage wrote:what kind of price difference are you looking at between hard and dead soft aluminum?

Ramp, it is not so much a price diff but an availablity/shipping difference...plain jane moldings can be found most anywhere but need annealing. Dead soft and various specialty moldings can only be had from TD specialty and some RV suppliers, so they cost more(not as much produced...the old supply and demand thing) and shipping can/will eat you alive, especially if you want anything over 8" long
madjack

len19070 wrote:The stuff looks great but I'm not used to spring back in a molding like this/that. I fastened it as I went but I'm sure if I took it off it would not be the shape of the door. I cut a 1/16" notch in the door, placed the lower leg of the molding in it and talked it around then removed it and fastened it to the door. Rolled it , pounded it and only when fastened will it hold the shape. I'm just afraid of it coming out at a later date, at an inopportune time. Will this stuff assume the shape. It is fastened properly.

Hey, Len!

Basically, you did it the way I do it ... except when I take it off after the initial bending, I walk it over to an exposed tire & wheel, slip the inside leg of the "T" into a narrow bit of tread, and GENTLY & SLOWLY add some more bend to it where needed until it fits the radius on the door fairly well. No worry 'bout springback tension then! Yes, it IS a slow and deliberate process, but the results are worth it. And hey, after all, we ARE on Teardrop Time, right ... ;-} ;-} ...!

CHEERS!

Grant

If you buy the right molding, you don't need to notch, heat, pound with a mallet, or burn your house down to get it bend without kinking. All of our molding is extruded for us in the dead soft state. We regularly bend our door tee molding to a 6 inch radius without any kinks. No fancy bending tools, just take your hands and wrap it over the door, and screw it in place.

It pains me to see a nice homebuilt teardrop with hammer marks all over the tee molding to hide the kinks.

Happy Building!