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Post by oldcarharry on Sept 10, 2015 16:49:20 GMT 10
Hi Every one.....and thank you to the people who share their knowledge on here It is a great resource.
My question is....If I anneal aluminium sail track to make it easier to bend over the sharp curves, will it become too soft to retain the annex bead / rope?
Any other tips on bending sail track? I'm booked in to take my van to the canvas bloke for a annex, but I'm still struggling to get a nice tight bend in the sail track.
A mob called "Action Aluminium"....who have outlets in every capitol....are really cheap for ally extrusion. Forget Bunnings.
Hoping for some quick advice as I have a dead line to meet. Cheers.
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Post by seeshell on Sept 10, 2015 17:05:32 GMT 10
Hi Oldcarharry Having bent our track around the curves of a bondwood, I can say no it won't be too soft when you are done. But when you go to do the bend, to stop the channel from collapsing in on itself thread in some sacrificial rope, and use a rubber mallet to ease it around. Only fix it down when you are well past the bend, and it's well behaved. When you bring it around the curve it has a tendency to want to twist inward or out, and you will need to gently persuade it to remain parallel to the van edge. Depending on the tightness of your curve you don't really need to anneal it, just get the softest available. I think we got ours at Action Aluminium too from memory. Just take it very slow - patience is pretty important!  Also found it useful to slowly spring the end down (in a soft bouncing way) as it was being brought over the curve of the roof - this seems to keep the right pressure and begin the bend without so much pressure that it folds up and fails. Use the roof or body to help you! I stuffed it a few times before I got the hang of it, so can I say, get a few spare bits of channel - it's cheap insurance for when you're doing a job on Saturday, and you break it, and there's no place open.  After you bend it around you will probably have to take it off again (maintaining the shape) and then put some sealant down before replacing it and fixing it down permanently. Good luck, and let us know how you get on. Seeshell |
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Post by seeshell on Sept 10, 2015 17:15:22 GMT 10
Hi Oldcarharry Also one last thing - an awning rail spreader is not a bad tool to have handy for a few dollars. Helps straighten out the channel and make it round again if it gets a bit wonky - just ease it through with a hammer gently.  I think you can get them at Carac or Caravansplus - but you can definitely order them online. Cheers Seeshell |
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Post by oldcarharry on Sept 11, 2015 19:38:38 GMT 10
Hey Thanks Seeshell......I annealed my first bit of sail track and found a bit of rope to thread in. It worked well. As my original length of sail track was a bit kinked, dinged and not looking flash enough for a 10 foot home built....I bought another length from Action Aluminium today. I have an annealed it and I will be forming it over my van shape tomorrow. I am expecting good results. Thanks again.
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Post by oldcarharry on Sept 13, 2015 7:00:31 GMT 10
Annealed with the rope in worked well. I had to gently massage the flat section down on the tight curve.....end result was very good. Thanks.
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Post by hillangully on Jan 23, 2020 19:47:55 GMT 10
Hello! I am just looking at doing this for my 12 ft bond wood and replacing the awning with one I just bought that uses the rail sail. Do you have any photos of the finished job on your vans by chance? It would be good to see what it looks like. Hooroo.
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