davek
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Post by davek on Feb 10, 2016 21:57:44 GMT -8
Thinking about taking the sides loose on my trailer to attempt to tighten them up and get rid of some pillowing. Any tips on taking the fresh staples out? Some of them are subsurface. What are the best tools for digging them out?
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Post by vikx on Feb 10, 2016 22:37:17 GMT -8
I use a medium pic (automotive: Snap-on). Tap it under the staple head and pry with a backer to protect the siding. Sometimes a tiny pick, then move on to the larger, more robust tool. Another handy tool is a horseshoe nail puller. A little rare, but they have a sharp little nose... That being said, is there any way to add tasteful screws to the siding? Reason being, aluminum tends to shrink/swell with temp changes. If you've done the build and it's bulging, I would do some serious thinking before loosening the skin. Even if you do that, it might not get rid of the problem. Our friend Mark is thinking about adding screws because of the burbles in the siding in hot sun. Many vintage trailers have screws in the siding, either stainless and/or painted: Very difficult to see: Works for me.
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davek
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Post by davek on Feb 11, 2016 22:18:00 GMT -8
Thanks for the input. I have considered adding screws to hold the sides flatter but am afraid that I will wind up with pillowing with dents around the added screws. Also thought about gluing the sides down but would be worried that I could never take them off again. I am now thinking about leaving it as is but going to see how bad it gets when I put it out in the sun when our weather hits the high 70s this weekend. Should probably leave it alone as I am the only person who is ever going to give it a second thought. Here is how it is as of now. This one makes it look a little worse that it really is Tried so hard to keep the sides flat but I think it was to cold to get good results.
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Post by vikx on Feb 11, 2016 22:59:38 GMT -8
One of your problems is that the skin is smooth. So much easier to notice any minor ripple. I think with this kind of siding, it's common to see imperfections.
Yours are very hard to see if you can live with them. Heck, Flyte Camp's new prototype has ripples. And it's brand new metal...
Next trailer, consider skin with a pattern. You're doing a good job and there's really no perfectionist fix.
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nccamper
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1962 Forester- 1956 Shasta
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Post by nccamper on Feb 12, 2016 5:50:52 GMT -8
"Many vintage trailers have screws in the siding"
My 62 Forester came from the factory with side screws. Even our 64 Shasta 1500 and Airflyte have a few screws and I added a few more to smooth out the skin. With that said, smooth skin is unique. I agree with vikx, leave it alone if you can live with it. I would wait until the windows and door are back in place before adding screws.
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