Kinking in Aluminum trim

[OkieSailor]

Has anyone used a "deadblow" weighted hammer to do their trim?
A deadblow hammer is the size of a small sledge with a short handle, but the head of the hammer is hollow and filled with lead pellets, when you hit something with it it sort of "pushes" instead of "banging".

[ahjones3]

I was looking at deadblow hammers, but the heads seemed like they were pretty hard plastic. I was afriad they would dent the softened trim. I bought a cheap ($3) rubber mallet at Menards that worked great.
Al.

[David Beckett]

I think I'll try the deadblow hammer. I tried a cheap rubber mallet but there was a lot of bounce.

[exminnesotaboy]

To put the aluminum trim around a galley side table, I heated it with a torch and used a hard plastic(about the same hardness as deadblow hammers I have seen) tent peg hammer to form it. It worked to bend it easily but it did leave little dents. For the second part of the table, I used a super cheap rubber mallet and it worked great with no denting.

[Gene Newcomb]

Say Okie Sailor,
Do you have a teardrop here in OKC? I am nearing completion of mine and just started checking on tagging it.
After 20 calls to DOT I finally got through and spent 20 minutes on hold I found that to tag it as a travel trailer that I built I would need to go to a tag agent for a form to list, w/ receipts, everything I used in mfg and then go to the DOT to get a permit to go back to the tag agent to get a tag.
If it was a non-commercial utility trailer it did not need a tag at all.
Turns out it is a non-commercial util trailer. Have you found the same?
BTW what kind of sailor are you?
Gene

[Larwyn]

To put the aluminum trim around a galley side table, I heated it with a torch and used a hard plastic(about the same hardness as deadblow hammers I have seen) tent peg hammer to form it. It worked to bend it easily but it did leave little dents. For the second part of the table, I used a super cheap rubber mallet and it worked great with no denting.

I don't remember where I got it but I have a dead blow hammer with replaceable rubber tips, one end harder than the other. I've only had it for a couple or three years so they can probably still be found. I've been planning to give it try when I get to forming the aluminum trim, no marks, no bounce.

[Geron]

I have a DB hammer I picked up at HD for about 6 bucks - Made in China. I doesn't have the lead or whatever rattling around inside but it doesn't bounce and it doesn't leave marks. BTW just had this piece of 3/4 x 3/4 x1/16 with one side cut to 1/4" and annealed lying here. Shows what you can do with properly annealed AL. This one bent by hand - no hammer used.

[url="http://www.hunt101.com/?p=276860&c=500&z=1"][/url]

Geron

[David Beckett]

Geron,

I'm thinking you hit the nail on the head with "properly annealed." It seems to me the most important step here is to take your time annealling the trim. I bet my first try was not a proper job, and thus the kinking.

Thanks