Technical "Must have" metal shaping hand tools

Hi guys. I'd like to try my hand at metal shaping using just hand tools.
In your opinion, what are the basic forming tools that a person should have just starting out?

Thanks

 

The most basic is a sand bag and a raw hide mallet,a few assorted file,hammers and assorted hand tools.

from there the sky's the limit. HRP

 

Add to that a good vice and a selection of different shaped dollies. Left, right and straight cut snips will be helpful. You won't believe how sore your hands get after a day of pounding on just sheet metal.

 

I looked at some of those hammers online from Martin. Is there like 2 or 3 that are standard, or must have type hammers? The selection is so big I can't figure it out, and with no experience I'm pretty confused.

Slappers as well, I have a video I bought by this David Gardiner fella over in Europe and he uses a slapper. Online, the selection is pretty vast, is there a standard slapper that should be considered a "must have" for a newbie?

 

hollowed out tree stump for shaping, Pexto hand punch to make holes for Clecos and spotwelds, right and left-hand aircraft snips. You can do a lot with just hand tools.

 

a good assortment of Dollies , slapping files and different hammers , a good Bullseye Pick with assorted heads is a big help too

 

Dave Mc, what's the difference between those 4 Slappers in the photo? Are they crowned different?

 

Whether you want to make the investment or not, Most of the hammer and dolly makers offer a basic kit. they usually contain 2 to 3 hammers and basic dollies and a dinging spoon which can also be used as a basic slapper as well. I would at least recommend a light dinging /short pick hammer as well as crowned face with a longer pick end as well as a combination and heel toe dolly. As far as slappers, I make most of mine now from old files or steel flat and round stock but a number of years ago I pick one up from Ron Covell, It is a great universal unit and still one off my favorites. I am not sure if Ron still sells them but I believe Dagger Tools sell a similar tool. And a lot of stuff you find around the shop can be use to . Hunks of steel, pipe ,blocks of wood can be ground down as forms as well as wooden slappers. I also keep an eye out swap meets for used hammers and modify them for different applications . Just know this tools are addicting and once you start you might not be able to stop. Not that I have a problem, everybody should have over 40 different hammers and slappers!!!lol Larry

 

Old leaf springs make good slappers.

 

The Slapping Files are sometimes referred to as Shrinking Files
From left - 1st is Coarse pattern for heavy hits
- 2nd is Half Round - 3rd is small fine for thin metal such as Stainless Mouldings ( I often use masking tape over the contact surface to minimize the crosshatch pattern on Mouldings )- 4th is Fine pattern for finishing
here is a picture of my Dad using the Bullseye Pick

 

A set of a few hammers and dollies, a sandbag, a stump, some teardrop mallets, and a slapper.
There is a ton you can make with those things. But, you'll expand from there.

 

Hammers, and dollys...if you're on a budget, look do good used US made ones, and clean them up, and polish the faces. I see sets on Ebay all the time, for good prices. Martin, Fairmont, Snap-On, Craftsman, Plomb, Pettingell, all good ones.

 

You can't go wrong with David Gardner's dvd 2 1/2 hours of metal shaping with basic tools.he is a member here and goes by the name mindover and is also on allmetalshaping.com and metalmeet.com check him out you will be amazed.I have his dvd and have watched it at least a half dozen times.
Doug

 

Be careful... many of us have said " i just need a few basic tools.." at the beginning of our very long addiction

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I can't live without my Clecos.

 

You eventually make a lot of your own tools but one 'store-bought' that I use a lot is those old cobblers' sets you find in flea markets. Get the stand and a couple forms, polish the forms to get rid of the dings so you won't transfer the ding to your work piece. I use the large and small forms, they each have tons of radius' and curves for you to shape or metal finish on.

 

I just received the DVD last week, it's awesome! Now I'm trying to figure out tools.

 

Our own Zack Suhr has made a lot of his own metal shaping tools. I hope he chimes in here.

That said, I have a set of 5 Snap-On hammers that I bought from friend who had doubles. I do love the way they feel in the hand. They do a great job as well.

 

More than half of my Dollies are homemade , two of the ones pictured above were cut from an old Railway Track that my Grandad was using as an Anvil.others were leftover chunks from a friend who was a Boilermaker. etc same with the Bullseye pick heads. I often reshape Dollies/ Old Hammer heads to fit the need ,especially when repairing Stainless Mouldings

 

I've read on here a few times that people really like the Snap On hammers.

 

Most of my metal shaping tools are handmade - I'm even making my own body hammers now as the good stuff just isn't available here.
As stated David Gardiner's DVD will serve you well - I always recommend it as a first 'tool' purchase, simply because of what it will save you but not buying the tools you thought you needed....

 

Some tools just find you, I've got what someone said is a blacksmith hammer, handle is a bit longer than normal. It feels so good. I used it one day to correct all the bad areas in my '30 Roadster subrails. It was the perfect hammer for the job, one of those days when every swing was just right. Bob

 

A chunk of railroad track, and a hammer, will take you a long way.

 

Just remember that it's illegal to have railroad materials unless you own property with abandoned railroad materials on them, or said materials are for sale at a yard allowed to take railroad salvage. Seen people end up in court for having a chunk of rail.
Also it's dangerous to walk along the tracks for railroad scrap as trains range in speed up to 80 mph.

 

You mean I cannot run out with my battery powered portaband?

Seriously?

 

Well, you could if you don't mind being a piece of grisly modern art, or end up dealing with DHS.

 

In any case, scrap rail is easy to get.

Anywhere you find rail service being performed, there will be at least one authorized scrap yard.

I live on a West coast mega-port. Every yard has scrap rail.

 

love my ballz!

 

Not exactly a hand tool, but arbor presses are great for forming all kinds of shapes. I made a "soft" lower die out of some very hard rubber. The upper dies are made from worn out hole punches, ground to various crowns.

 

I highly recommend the Gene Winfield metal shaping class. He has a ton of home made tools kool enough to copy.