Hi Rich;

I don't know if this is the best way, but it has worked pretty well for me. Rather than "overbend" the strips, to allow for the springback that occurs when you release the clamp, fixture or whatever, I've found that a heavy dose of steam from a steam iron and wet rag, and then a thorough baking with a heat gun leaves the strip essetially where it was clamped.

It has been even more useful for whole panels where all the hot glue joints have popped free, and the top strip might be sitting 3/8" away from a form (Stapleless construction, keep in mind). I'll clamp the panel, steam the whole panel section, then bake it with the hot air. When the clamps come off, the hull is contoured to the forms with no fasteners whatsoever, not even hot glue! I have kept a few of my plywood clamps supporting the hull stripping at a few locations at the sheer to keep it from simply falling off the forms, but that's about all.

Hope this helps, Best Regards, Spidey