Alternatives to aluminum trim??

[doug hodder]

Ira I got your regular e-mail today and fired one back to you...I just found this post of yours...I think your best bet is to overhang the roof the thickness of your side framing....seal it up well underneath, then apply the side framing....You should be able to get wood to bend to the radius of the exterior of your trailer....Make sure you get something that has really straight grain, and no flaws...Rip it down to 3/16" or so and try to bend it...If it won't quite go..don't force it, soften it up using boiling water poured on top of it while wrapped in a blanket..or ideally a steam bending tube..Don't use wood like poplar...too soft..I know that you can get-r-dun with mohogany and that might give you the contrasting wood look you want....Just some ideas....Doug Hodder

[cracker39]

Scooter,

Are those little blocks going to be a permanent part of the finish or are they just tempoprary to use to curve the trim? I still haven't decided if I will use any aluminum trim or just seal the plywood edges good before painting the whole darn thing. If I do use alum corner trim, it will only run from front to back joining the side edges to the front, back and top. My front and rear horizontal joints will all be using my spar technique of making angles curves protecting the plywood edges and won't need any trim. That technique is in another thread I started last week

[IraRat]

Ira I got your regular e-mail today and fired one back to you...I just found this post of yours...I think your best bet is to overhang the roof the thickness of your side framing....seal it up well underneath, then apply the side framing....You should be able to get wood to bend to the radius of the exterior of your trailer....Make sure you get something that has really straight grain, and no flaws...Rip it down to 3/16" or so and try to bend it...If it won't quite go..don't force it, soften it up using boiling water poured on top of it while wrapped in a blanket..or ideally a steam bending tube..Don't use wood like poplar...too soft..I know that you can get-r-dun with mohogany and that might give you the contrasting wood look you want....Just some ideas....Doug Hodder

Got your mail, Doug--and thanks! (Welcome back!)

The roof is already up, so forget the overhanging idea.

Couldn't I take that 5200 stuff (I heard it's fantastic too), seal the "crack" very well where the walls meet, and then install my side piece of ply cut to the curve, and overhang a top strip of trim on THAT? If I use enough 5200, or use it properly enough, wouldn't that be a good enough seal, with wood trim on top of THAT?

[Scooter]

Scooter,

Are those little blocks going to be a permanent part of the finish or are they just tempoprary to use to curve the trim?

They're permanent. Looked like it needed something there, kinda naked w/out any trim. The overhang is wide flat aluminum bar from Lowe's, still gotta undo and caulk underneath it, then screw it back.

[february1966]

Could someone give me a quick 101 version of what "annealing" consists of? I know it involves heating the aluminum to bend it, but does that mean on the trailer while its being installed, how hot, etc...

[madjack]

... here is a link with most all the info you need for annealing succesfully...
madjack

[doug hodder]

Ira...did you already put strips on the roof at the edges? If not, overhang them to cover the edges of your side framing..That's what I did. My sides are 49" and the alum. is only 48. that's where I used the aluminum strap. That is what is overlapping the maple framing....The aluminum had a bead of 5200 under neath it. Also, I would make sure that you use stainless screws on your exposed surfaces....You live in Fla. and that could be an issue...also for anyone using oak and having an exposed screw....stainless won't bleed into the wood like a steel screw will, the tannins in oak can be brutal on a steel screw...I would not use the 5200 just as an adhesieve....I would use epoxy to affix the wood, and use the 5200 to seal...go easy on it as it wants to squish out and the 5200 doesn't wipe up well on unsealed wood...you'll end up with white stuff in all the grain..ps takes about 5 days to cure.....Just my experience....Doug Hodder

[IraRat]

Ira...did you already put strips on the roof at the edges? If not, overhang them to cover the edges of your side framing..That's what I did. My sides are 49" and the alum. is only 48. that's where I used the aluminum strap. That is what is overlapping the maple framing....The aluminum had a bead of 5200 under neath it. Also, I would make sure that you use stainless screws on your exposed surfaces....You live in Fla. and that could be an issue...also for anyone using oak and having an exposed screw....stainless won't bleed into the wood like a steel screw will, the tannins in oak can be brutal on a steel screw...I would not use the 5200 just as an adhesieve....I would use epoxy to affix the wood, and use the 5200 to seal...go easy on it as it wants to squish out and the 5200 doesn't wipe up well on unsealed wood...you'll end up with white stuff in all the grain..ps takes about 5 days to cure.....Just my experience....Doug Hodder

Thanks, Doug. No, I haven't done anything with the strips yet. I just finished the last coat of roof varnish.

Don't think I'm going to use any expensive lumber for this--want to try using this ply I have. I'm BROKE!



I keep asking my wife, "WHY do the kids need new clothes and haircuts before school starts in 2 weeks?" But she won't answer me. She also ignores me when I cry, "But, HONEY! I need to buy some hatch spars real bad!!!"

So this weekend is going to be a puttering around and working with what I have weekend. And I have an extra piece of ply laying around that may be good for SOMETHING.

I also have a sheet of flakeboard. So by the way, do you think I can use that to close up my galley frames, if I'm going to install formica or another material on top? You know the stuff I'm talking up--chunks of wood glued together.

[doug hodder]

Ira, just make sure that you seal up the edges of the ply you are using...it will come apart pretty quickly if you don't, fill all voids too...Doug Hodder

[cracker39]

Ira,

I've used flakeboard for interior projets. Mostly for utility shelving and even for sheathing utility shed walls under siding. It holds up as well as plywood if it doesn't get wet...then, it comes apart. It isn't as pretty as plywood, but if it will be covered with something else, it should work. It isn't much cheaper than plywood though. There are hundreds of new homes going up across the street from me and they are using flakeboard for the roof sheathing. Now, I don't know if I would use it there.

[IraRat]

I think I changed my mind, Doug. But I might change it again and still use the ply:

I must have spent an hour on the phone yesterday with Zago, the manufacturer of that flexible moulding "stuff" that replicates wood and that you paint or stain to your taste.

Someone posted about this product a while back...someone else said that it wouldn't hold up to UV...Zago's specs and its usage demonstrates that it will (especially since you finish it yourself)...and it looks real easy to work with.

Here's the link to their site, a LOUSY site I admit, but anyway:

http://www.flexibletrim.com/products.htm

Here's a link to the configuration I'm thinking of for this edge, #304 on this page that includes other configurations as well:

http://www.flexibletrim.com/zago_9_02.htm

It's rounded, can be painted black to match my frame and black porch lights, and it looks easy to work with.

So Zago tells me that my local Lowes is a distrubutor.

I call Lowes' millwork department and they tell me I'm nuts and that Zago's name doesn't come up in their computer.

I call Zago back, and Zago tells me the Lowes guy I spoke to is a total moron, and that they carry this #304 (maybe, depending on Lowes inventory), or if not, that I can custom-order it through Lowes anyway

Okay--you win, Lowes. I give up. I won't be making an attempt to buy this product through you. And besides, I really want to hold SOMETHING in my hand before making a purchase decision.

So Zago also gave me the name of a small building supply distributor near me, and told me to ask for "Gary." They said Gary knows all about their products and can help me.

I feel like I'm buying moonshine in 1931...it is indeed becoming THAT ridiculous. Plus, it's a REAL supply house that's only open Monday to Friday, 7AM to 5PM.

And Dale, thanks for the confirmation on that flakeboard. I thought so, especially since it's going to be used in the galley under the hatch, it can be waterproofed, and it will be covered ANYWAY.

I am BROKE, and I have to use every square inch of suitable building material that I now have on hand to keep going.

Why couldn't I have been born rich instead of good-looking???

[cracker39]

I'd be interested in seeing that flexible molding. I'll check with our local Lowes to see if they have it. With the curves inside my trailer, I wondered where I'd get molding that would bend easily.

With all the building going on across the street, I raided one of their trash piles yesterday and picked up some 8' lengths of flakeboard, from 12 to 20 inches wide that were thrown out. I'll use them for shelving in my storage shed I plan to build soon. I can see that I'll be getting all of the scrap pieces of lumber that I need for small projects. When you can scrounge it, why buy it.

[lmh222]

Hello - I've been looking for flexible trim also so I was really happy to find this post - I had actually been planning to try to soak the regular wood moulding first and then try to bend it - Thank you IraRat for saving me that frustration!

Unfortunately, I contacted Zago and their basic corner shape (I think it's 3/4 by 3/4 L-shaped) is about $6.50 PER FOOT! That was to order directly from them though. Ira, have you checked out the Lowes prices yet? I am curious to hear how much they are charging for it.

I found this other site: http://www.millworkproducts.com/ that carries flexible moulding by FlexTrim (http://www.flextrim.com). I'm still a little nervous about buying it when I've never seen it or tried it out. Still, it is only $1.88 through this company and it is aparently stain-grade oak (So, do they use oak chips with a resin bonding material?? all I know is that it said "oak - stain-grade"). It MIGHT be worth trying.

Anyone out there have any experiences with flexible resin-based moulding??

Ira - any thoughts or progress on your search that might be helpful? I am feeling pretty broke now too so I really wasn't planning to spend a fortune on moulding. Still, I do want it to look nice and I think that a nice stained wood will look better than aluminum.

Lindsey