Guide Rail Anti-splinter Strip - how to make them stick or alternatives?

[dlu]

I'm having a terrible time with the Festool anti-splinter strip pulling off of my guide rails. I'm on my third or fourth round of replacements. The curl in the strips from their packaging overpowers the adhesive and over (too short a) time the strips start peeling off from the ends. So far I've tried:

• Meticulously removing the strips and cleaning the rails – physically removing the old strip and then cleaning the rail with acetone – and applied new strips, pressing them down with a J-roller.
• Pre-cutting lengths of new strips and hanging them in the sun to undo the packaging curl. Then reapplying as above.
• Storing the rails with the strips up.
• Clamping the strips at the end of each rail.

Only the last method works, but it's a nuisance and makes the rails cumbersome to store.

I'm due for another round of "re-stripping" and I'm looking for suggestions - either on how to install the strips so that they will stick or for alternative sources for anti-splinter strips.

 

[jcameron42]

Are your strips going all the way to the end of the rail?  I find that cutting them short of the end of the rail prevents the ends from lifting.

I don’t know if it matters but I store my radios vertically.

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[dlu]

I leave them about 3mm / 1/8" short (as they originally came from the factory).

 

[jcameron42]

I have mine 7mm short of the end. A tip I picked up from Sedge and haven’t had the peeling issue since.

I don’t know if it matters but I store my rails vertically.

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[dlu]

Hmm, that's worth trying. Thanks.

 

[Bohdan]

Had the same problem.

Got some Nitto Denko 512 adhesive strip (used to fix badges on cars) washed the old strip and the rail with thinners.

Attached the old strip slightly further out so that I could retrim it and it hasn't moved or peeled off in several years.

 

[guybo]

works wellView attachment 1guy

 

[Joebuck]

I’ve gotten away with using a small piece of clear packaging tape wrapped at just the start and ends of the rail splinter guards. I believe I picked up that tip here on the forum. It works just fine.

 

[dlu]

Had the same problem.

Got some Nitto Denko 512 adhesive strip (used to fix badges on cars) washed the old strip and the rail with thinners.

Attached the old strip slightly further out so that I could retrim it and it hasn't moved or peeled off in several years.

I've also been reading comments by folks who've had good results using FastCap SpeedTape to reattach the strip. I'll have to see if mine are in good enough shape to reuse, but I must say I'm grumpy at the thought of having to remove the adhesive from a new strip and apply my own (though not as grumpy as I am at the prospect of the strips coming loose).

I wonder if the plastic for the strip can be bought without the adhesive. I'd be happy to (un)roll my own.

 

[dlu]

I’ve gotten away with using a small piece of clear packaging tape wrapped at just the start and ends of the rail splinter guards. I believe I picked up that tip here on the forum. It works just fine.

Well that's nice and simple! It seems like good insurance no matter what.

 

[ewils91]

I've had good success with the Makita strips. They're more like what Festool used to put on their rails and the adhesive sticks better in my opinion. FWIW.

 

[Coen]

But the Makita strip is made of something else. The Festool strip supposedly gives better cutting result... as long as it stays in place that is.

Some double sided taping can work. Even on NOS Festool black AS strips.