Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

I put the aluminum top on my Cubby and added the alum. angles to 'tie' in the top and sides. I had very carefully annealed the angles and they were fairly easy to get in place. The "problem" is that the side edges of the angle would bow out a bit when the angle was bent, and while I could easily put them down with the big rubber hammer I never could get them perfectly flat. The distortions are minor but the light reflection from these small imperfections make the angle look bad. Is that normal? I am going to live with it I suspect.

I guess that the angles have caused the aluminum to wave or ripple. This becomes more of a problem as the radius gets tighter. You could eliminate the high spots with sanding, but this will not help with the low spots.
Just my thoughts!

I had the same problem when I did mine. Remedy-- 1 block of 4X2 and a hammer. It did not completely remove the bumps and dips but it minimised it to the point that it is hardly noticeable.
Cheers
Paul

Which works easier, the annealed aluminum or the soft aluminum? We are getting close to that part of our build.

Jim Marshall wrote:Which works easier, the annealed aluminum or the soft aluminum? We are getting close to that part of our build.

If you anneal it right, then they are about the same. The deadsoft is alot less work and it is always the same. With annealling, one piece may be softer than another. JMO!

If you are hammering on it much you will "work harden" it and it will need to be re-annealed.

It is a real challenge to get it perfect. You might try bending it tighter than you need it on the first bend. Then open it up a bit as you attach it to the trailer. You also could try making a sacrificial wood template and heat, bend and hammer as you go. Keep a wet rag handy to put out the template.

One thing I found out about anealed metal is........if you bend VERY SLOWLY, it seems to help......

...we made a bending jig, which allows us to work on the horizontal instead of the vertical which makes it much easier...it'll also allow you to use more force with that BFH...bending slowly and hammering whild you bend also will help...dead soft will beat annealed just about hands down everytime like the man said, it is much more consistent...always keep in mind that the point at which AL anneals and it melts is only about an opps apart
madjack

madjack wrote:...we made a bending jig, which allows us to work on the horizontal instead of the vertical which makes it much easier

Got any pics???? We Luv Da pics!

asianflava wrote:

madjack wrote:...we made a bending jig, which allows us to work on the horizontal instead of the vertical which makes it much easier

Got any pics???? We Luv Da pics!

I'll take some next time I am in the shop however it is just a copy of the door that has been thickened to 1.25"s to accomodate the trim...we used an insert type RV trim on the edges which was dead soft and on the galley side walls we used some 3/4X1/4 channel that was annealed and bent easily on the gentler curve...we aslo have a jig to bend the sheet that will go along the side of the side box where it meets the curve of the camper body

Thanks a bunch fellows, I for one really do appreciate all the great information. We are going with the deadsoft approach. Thanks once again for helping me make up my mind.