Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

I am putting 1X1" 90 degree trim on my hatch and after wasting two pieces due to wrinkling and overall ugliness, I am asking you folks for help. Smoke the aluminum and them "burn off" the smoke? Tried that twice and had the ugglies. Am I able to anneal and bend 90 degree NEATLY? Thanks! John

John,

Are you using a jig to bend the angle around?? If not you need to create a jig that is the same curveature as your hatch and bend/beat the angle to fit it and then put the angle on your hatch.

Are you getting an orange flame just as the black burns off? Also are you smoking both angles and burning them both off cleanly??

You can use the "heat as you go" method.

Put in a vice and put pressure on it where you want to bend. Heat it slowly where you want it to bend until it releases. Heat it only as much as needed to bend it where you want it to bend instead of annealing whole sections.

Be careful. It will not glow or change color before it blisters.

It is kind of hard to describe but I hope it helps.

Sounds like a lot of work to me. Bite the bullet and spend the extra money and buy the correct molding from any teardrop parts house. It's soft like butter and forms real easy. If you don't have the money, save up until you do. My teardrop has some pretty good curves to it and I didn't have to apply heat to any of the molding to form it.

Have a good day.

John, I found it easier by using 1x1/2 90d trim on mine. I found with the 1x1 that I would get the wrinkles on the wall side. JMHO
Cheers
Paul

John, that 1" is going to be atough bend on any but a long raidus...can you cut the leg down to 1/2"???...a couple of questions...did you lightly soot both legs and cook it off or just sooted one leg...are you trying to bend against the hatch...a bending form may be needed...what technique are you using...pulling witha wodden dolly while tapiing would be preferred...tapping on the dolly witha hammer while keeping a constant pressure onit with your hand is the way togo...don't simply pull by hand but use that dolly/hammer combo to form it into place while holding back pressure with your hand...if you use a rubber mallet, you can do the tap thing and tap on the leg as you form the piece....and like I said a bending form/buck may be needed and 1" is still gonna be hard on all but the mildest curves...good luck
madjack

I have a piece of (several) that I can practice on. I think I will try and cut 1/2 inch of the 1x1 piece on the table saw. I had a curved piece of 1X4 that I use a sort of template3 to pound on and I have a 1/4" exact curve but that is too small/thin. Thanks for your inputs, I'll let you know how it goes. John

gage, where is a source of the dead soft aluminum? I've checked sources of supply and cannot find a source. I did get the dead soft for the roof though. It really surprised me as to how easy it bent to fit. thanks, JOhn

John6012 wrote:gage, where is a source of the dead soft aluminum? I've checked sources of supply and cannot find a source. I did get the dead soft for the roof though. It really surprised me as to how easy it bent to fit. thanks, JOhn

Why don't you use the same that you used on your roof? Locate it so it extends over the side walls. And like has been said, 1/2" leg is all you really want and will work.

Have a good day.