Trick To Get Stiff T-Molding To Stay?

srarcade80

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I'm replacing some T-Molding on a particular game and it does not hold by itself in the slot so i'm using a little wood glue. Problem is getting the molding to stay to the form of the shape without bending back while it dries. I've been using a ton of blue painter's masking tape but it still manages to pull out and slip.

Is there a trick to getting this to bend to shape easier while it dries? I was thinking a heat gun- would that cause it to loose its coil shape and help keep the contour of the cab?
 
I use a hot glue gun, but you have to be quick or else it dries before it gets a chance to stick. If you have someone who can help, one of you can fire the gun while the other pushes in the tmolding and it should stick pretty sweet.
 
i've filled slots with bondo, and recut the slots.
 
I use a hot glue gun, but you have to be quick or else it dries before it gets a chance to stick. If you have someone who can help, one of you can fire the gun while the other pushes in the tmolding and it should stick pretty sweet.

I tried the hot glue and it was a mess. Sounds simple and some say it works well, but it's near impossible to get it perfectly uniform that way. With the usual install, you can go back and knock the areas in that stick up a little. With hot glue, if the glue sets up with it raised or whatever, it's stuck. I ended up pulling it all back out, the gluing strips of wood into the slot, then flush trim, the recut with a slot cutting router bit. Sounds like a lot of work, but it would be easier for me to do it the right way again than mess with that.
 
I've always used a small piece of kitchen plastic wrap to hold it down, works wonders.
 
Heat gun, end of story. Also make sure you are cutting off the channel on outer bends, you have to trim it off so it takes the shape of bends easier. On inner bends you can cut slits in the channel.
 
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Heat gun, end of story. Also make sure you are cutting off the channel on outer bends, you have to trim it off so it takes the shape of bends easier. On inner bends you can cut slits in the channel.

Here's a pic of what a V-notch on a tight bend should look like:

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For inner bends you just cut slits with a razor blade.
 
I use hot glue as needed. The trick is to not do too much at once. Just a few inches.. I also use a rubber mallet to gently put the molding in place- especially after an outer bend
 
I use hot glue as needed. The trick is to not do too much at once. Just a few inches.. I also use a rubber mallet to gently put the molding in place- especially after an outer bend

I do the same. Never has an issue.
 
On my Mortal Kombat I bought some red duct tape to match color of tmolding (doesn't matter since you won't see it) and applied the tape on back side of molding to kind of thicken the tongue. Worked like a charm and haven't had any problems since.

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I use strips of duct tape, makes it thicker and I have never had a problem with it coming out. I also do the v notch when making corners.
 
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