| Author |
Message |
65Tops
Samba Member
Joined: March 22, 2015
Posts: 43
Location: San Diego, California, USA
|
 Posted: Sun Mar 22, 2015 3:40 pm Post subject: Cabinet T-Moulding "Shrinkage" Repair |
 |
|
I was tired of looking at the unsightly shrunken T-Molding around my cabinets and tables. I thought about replacing it with NOS if I could find it at a reasonable cost. No luck there. Another option was to replace it with grey aftermarket molding so I ordered some. The color isn't quite right and just barely covers the edges of the melamine so I wasn't too happy. I decided to try and repair the original molding the best I could and "live with it". I used a heat gun on the low setting to remove the molding from the cabinets. This made it very pliable and as I was removing it I noticed it was stretching! After removing and cleaning it I decided to crank the heat gun on high and go at it while pulling tension on it. this worked great! I kept the heat on the back side to keep from burning the exposed side. Hanging the molding from a clothes line with weight at the bottom kept it straight and manageable. Left them to cool and removed the weight. I left them overnight to do any shrinking they might do. I went to re-install them and found they had grown a couple of inches. Trimmed the extra and re-installed them.. They look like new and it didn't cost anything. Now what to do about the yellow staining on the headliner...
Pics to follow...
Tyler
Moulding over the stove re-installed..Looks great!  Happy Camper
|
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
Cloud9Alpine
Samba Member
Joined: April 03, 2007
Posts: 199
Location: Tacoma WA
|
| Posted: Sun Mar 22, 2015 4:22 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Nice work! |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
65Tops
Samba Member
Joined: March 22, 2015
Posts: 43
Location: San Diego, California, USA
|
| Posted: Sun Mar 22, 2015 4:28 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Thanks  I have been lurking around here long enough and thought I would become a member and give back a little. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
65Tops
Samba Member
Joined: March 22, 2015
Posts: 43
Location: San Diego, California, USA
|
| Posted: Sun Mar 22, 2015 6:10 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Passenger Front Curtain Rail Before and After.
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
vanis13
Samba Member
Joined: August 15, 2010
Posts: 3097
Location: ABQ NM USA.... Except when not
|
| Posted: Mon Mar 23, 2015 7:02 am Post subject: Re: Cabinet T-Moulding "Shrinkage" Repair |
|
|
| 65Tops wrote: |
| ....Left them to cool and removed the weight. I left them overnight to do any shrinking they might do. I went to re-install them and found they had grown a couple of inches. Trimmed the extra and re-installed them.. |
something to consider is to stretch them only as much as you need.
I propose that 'over' stretching them and then cutting the extra will leave you shorter in a shorter amount of time as they re-shrink over the long term.
_________________
83.5 Westy with Subaru 2.5, 4 spd manual, center seat, COLD A/C on 134a!, Winter camp heated with an Espar B4 gasoline furnace
www.SuperVanagon.com - some stuff I make |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
65Tops
Samba Member
Joined: March 22, 2015
Posts: 43
Location: San Diego, California, USA
|
| Posted: Mon Mar 23, 2015 9:51 am Post subject: |
|
|
I only needed to cut off about half of an inch on the longest one. I also used gorilla glue on the ends where they fit into the grove. Hopefully that will keep them from moving again if they decide to shrink.
_________________
89 Vanagon 2.1 WBX Westy Camper "Spanky" |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
clift_d
Samba Member
Joined: December 02, 2012
Posts: 265
Location: Hackney innit, UK
|
| Posted: Mon Mar 23, 2015 1:21 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Great tip - so nice and simple. Thanks for this one.
_________________
1988 LHD T25 1.6TD Westfalia Club Joker syncro |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
HoustonPhotog
Samba Member
Joined: February 20, 2013
Posts: 1514
Location: Houston, TX
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
PDXWesty
Samba Member
Joined: April 11, 2006
Posts: 6246
Location: Portland OR
|
| Posted: Wed Apr 01, 2015 9:23 am Post subject: Re: Cabinet T-Moulding "Shrinkage" Repair |
|
|
| 65Tops wrote: |
Now what to do about the yellow staining on the headliner...
|
Learn to live with it.... nothing short of replacing all the interior and headliner material will change the fade.
_________________
89 Westy 2.1 Auto |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Kathy Marlow
Samba Member
Joined: August 05, 2015
Posts: 2
|
| Posted: Wed Dec 07, 2016 1:43 pm Post subject: Re: Cabinet T-Moulding "Shrinkage" Repair |
|
|
| Thanks for the great tip here. After a few hours with the heat guy, every cabinet in the Westy is now t-trim happy. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
avernon82
Samba Member
Joined: July 07, 2015
Posts: 292
Location: Richmond,CA
|
| Posted: Wed Dec 07, 2016 4:56 pm Post subject: Re: Cabinet T-Moulding "Shrinkage" Repair |
|
|
| nice, it's on my list of to-do |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
dyldebus
Samba Member
Joined: August 11, 2015
Posts: 171
|
| Posted: Wed Dec 07, 2016 8:56 pm Post subject: Re: Cabinet T-Moulding "Shrinkage" Repair |
|
|
| Sweet! Finally, I don't have to open my wallet! |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
johnt55
Samba Member
Joined: March 15, 2011
Posts: 30
Location: Houston, TX
|
| Posted: Tue May 19, 2020 3:43 pm Post subject: Re: Cabinet T-Moulding "Shrinkage" Repair |
|
|
BRILLIANT!
Give this guy an Oscar. And a cold beer.
_________________
81' AC Westy |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
coqcitywesty
Samba Member
Joined: February 20, 2018
Posts: 401
Location: Coquitlam, BC
|
| Posted: Tue May 19, 2020 3:50 pm Post subject: Re: Cabinet T-Moulding "Shrinkage" Repair |
|
|
From my vintage trailer days and facing the identical issue and in the absence of a heat gun, the remedy was dropping the edging into a pot of boiling water for a a couple of seconds which produced the identical results. I have yet to try this method on my Westy materials as yet, but shrinkage is definitely is an issue here too.....
_________________
1991 Westfalia EJ251, 1972 Volvo 1800 ES |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
CanStan
Samba Member
Joined: October 16, 2005
Posts: 1038
Location: Calgary, AB
|
| Posted: Tue May 19, 2020 4:36 pm Post subject: Re: Cabinet T-Moulding "Shrinkage" Repair |
|
|
| coqwesty wrote: |
| From my vintage trailer days and facing the identical issue and in the absence of a heat gun, the remedy was dropping the edging into a pot of boiling water for a a couple of seconds which produced the identical results. I have yet to try this method on my Westy materials as yet, but shrinkage is definitely is an issue here too..... |
Agreed. I've done this a few times with a Vanagon and a Bay, and it works like a charm. I boiled it for a few minutes and then pulled by hand to gain a bit of length back. The only thing to note is what Vanis13 suggested a few posts up. Only stretch as much as needed. It might take a couple tries to get it the right length. But if you over-stretch, you have to trim the excess and it will cause issues later on when it shrinks again. It doesn't seem to be a permanent fix, and I think it becomes something you'll end up having to redo every few years, but it's really not that big of a job and beats forking out coin for all new moulding. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
dobryan
Samba Member
Joined: March 24, 2006
Posts: 16503
Location: Brookeville, MD
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
jimf909 
Samba Member
Joined: April 03, 2014
Posts: 7468
Location: WA/ID
|
| Posted: Tue May 19, 2020 5:57 pm Post subject: Re: Cabinet T-Moulding "Shrinkage" Repair |
|
|
This must be the season. I did my front table a few weeks ago. I used some construction cement to secure the trim. I'll report back in a few years on how it holds up.
_________________
- Jim
| Abscate wrote: |
Do not get killed, do not kill others.
|
Current: 1990 Westy Camper - Bostig RG4, 2wd, manual trans w/Peloquin, NAHT high-top, 280 ah LFP battery, 160 watts solar, Flash Silver, seam rust, bondo, etc., etc.
Past: 1985 Westy Camper - 1.9 wbx, 2wd, manual trans, Merian Brown, (sold after 17 years to Northwesty who converted it to a Syncro). |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
dobryan
Samba Member
Joined: March 24, 2006
Posts: 16503
Location: Brookeville, MD
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
bus2
Samba Member
Joined: April 04, 2005
Posts: 65
Location: Alberta
|
| Posted: Tue May 19, 2020 6:28 pm Post subject: Re: Cabinet T-Moulding "Shrinkage" Repair |
|
|
A few weeks back I did the same thing using the heat gun. I left one end in place and stretched it to length on the cabinet. At each end a used a hot glue gun to hold it in place.
Bus2
Last edited by bus2 on Tue May 19, 2020 10:52 pm; edited 1 time in total |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Howesight
Samba Member
Joined: July 02, 2008
Posts: 3274
Location: Vancouver, B.C.
|
| Posted: Tue May 19, 2020 7:08 pm Post subject: Re: Cabinet T-Moulding "Shrinkage" Repair |
|
|
| dobryan wrote: |
| I may just dust mine with sildenafil citrate every now and then. |
Noooo! You do not want to do that as it just gets hard and looks old.
Instead, be gentle with the trim, warm as necessary, stretch, and then insert in the slot.
This will have to be repeated from time to time as others have noted above, but perfectionists may decide to stop the shrinkage by daily stretching.
_________________
'86 Syncro Westy SVX |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
