When hammering and dolly does the dolly go on the surface that is visible from the outside and the hammer on the inner panel?
As said, get the Key to Metal Bumping book. There are dozens of different scenarios that require different placement of hammer and dollies. No one size fits all. That’s why so many guys are hacks and few are experts. Show us a pic of the particular spot and we can guide you.
Following along for more education…….I would like to be somewhere between a hack and an expert. Thanks, in advance, for any advice given.
There are books on the subject, classes at tech schools and of course, videos. Most dents in sheet metal body panels can be described as bumps inward that have stretched the metal. This means to get it back into shape the dent needs to be worked from the inside and shrunk, which is often harder to access. Cater Auto Restyling on the Tube explains how he does it, but there are probably hundreds of channels that provide guidance. Find one that you will watch and learn from, and keep checking others as your skills grow. One other thing I'll mention, understand that you will make mistakes as you learn. It is normal and natural. I'd start out on something you are not worried about, like a spare junk fender rather than your dream project.
Both. Switch back and forth all the time. Sometimes the dolly is a hammer. Sometimes you don’t hit where the dolly is, sometimes you slap with a spoon.
It may be difficult to get a picture to show. The metal has about a 3in line that has indented maybe 1/5 inch.
I like using ball peen hammers. Lots of different sizes. Thay can be both a dolly and a hammer And ground for different shapes
Oh. And look up shrinking discs. And how to shrink metal. shrinking hammers are a gimmick tool. I wouldn’t waste my $ on one I do like slap files occasionally
If you can tap from the back side, sounds like a good one to hold the dolly lightly on the outside right over the crease. Tapping lightly will help keep stretching to a minimum. If you can’t get the hammer back there, push the crease outwards with the dolly as you tap on either side of the crease. When most of the crease is out you’ll probably have to tap some waves here and there to flatten. At no time will you be really whacking the metal, especially with the dolly directly behind it so you are hearing a ring sound like solid metal. If you can hear that, you are stretching the panel. Making bulges and waves. Then you will need to shrink that extra metal back down.
Old Chevy, I am in the novice stage too. Graduate of beating the hell out of dents? Have a mentor teaching me the art of removing dents. Actually scared myself by working a few dents out of a pair of headlights to where I thought someone else did it. For me it is confidence building a little at a time. Not running out of dents to fix so hopefully will get better. Keep at it. These guys on the forum make it look easy but they have many hours under their belts and have great tips and tricks we learn from.
I was wondering about this, I didn't know if it would work on the thicker, older metal. Thanks for the tip!
Just a matter of looking at the piece you are working at and figuring out what would work. If you follow the rules we give, it might not address the problem. Sometimes you need to make up some tools.
No it is a process used in the collision industry that is beyond what you are doing at this point. Buy the Key to Metal Bumping book recommended above and read it. It is literally the best resource for learning to work metal that you can get.
I started to read the book. A screenshot is below from the book. So if I understand correctly I should not be hitting the dolly using this method.
With nearly 30 years of "experience", I've managed to ruin nearly every imaginable kind of dent removal by hammer and dolly. Occasionally, I have managed to do a pretty good job with minor, small dent removals, and vastly reducing a large dent down to manageable levels. Make no mistake, completely removing a dent with a hammer and dolly is very time consuming, and can be very frustrating. As you learn the process, knowing when to stop the hammer and dolly dent removal process can be a life saver. There is no condemnation for using filler as a new to the process beginner. With all my vast experience, I have learned that for me, getting the dent down to a manageable level and finishing with filler is OK. I'm getting old, and all those years of auto mechanic work is catching up with me.
Correct. Sandwiching the metal directly between the hammer and dolly will stretch it. "a 3in line that has indented maybe 1/5 inch" means the metal is already stretched a bit, so "off dolly" tapping is used to shrink the metal a bit.
In some situations where you'd like to hammer doesn't allow enough space to use a hammer, so have to put a dolly there instead and hammer from the less preferred side. Whenever possible the rules apply, but often need to do what you can with the working space you have. I've even used two dollies against each other in certain places.
The Jalopy Journal
