Has anybody used the shrinking discs that are spoke of in the new Rod and Custom? And if so, how well do they work?
I have a fender that needs to be smoothed for paint. It’s not in bad shape at all, but it looks like the car had been parked under a tree and things just dropped onto it. A little wavy is all and I was curious if these shrinking wheels would be enough to bring these light waves up? The article kind of makes it sound like this would work. P.S. I didn’t mean to leave the “g” off in the ***le.
I've seen Sunchaser at shows...........I've watched the demos.........I still don't really get it, but it does seem to work. Someone teach us this stuff here for free.
Not to hijack, I think this is pretty related... Has anyone tried the cl*** mentioned in the same article? It seems like it may be worthwhile, but I think I could also see the argument for being able to learn the stuff on your own by putting in some practice time... Let us know whatcha think
I have one and it works pretty good. You have to be patient with it and it seems to work better as it gets "broke-in". It's just a very controllable way to use and generate heat to shrink and smooth the metal. You could do the same thing with the old torch but that requires ALOT of control and frankly.......I don't have that kind of control.
ok guys ill tell ya first hand about the Sunchaser cl***. I took the cl*** 2 weekends ago at Sunchaser taught by ken. I had never done any type of hammer and dolly work. You start out with a flat panel of 18 gage steel. Pound some dents with a hammer then he teaches you what and why metal does what it does. Stretches, shrinks. creates high spots. He teaches you how to properly hold and use a hammer and dolly. Once you have become comfortable with the hammer and dolly, and have hammered as much of the dents out as you can. He teaches you the disc. The old method was to heat the area with a torch, get it hot, hit it with a hammer in the select areas which helps the metal shrink back. Then quench it with water to speed up the cooling. His disc which has the ribs in the disc do all the heating and hammering for you. It lets you stay away from the torch, because the torch will create a hot spot that is very large. Where as the disc can localized the heat to only the high spots, aka the stretched metal spots. the ribs in the disc create a vibration that excites the metal just as if you were hitting with a hammer. then you can wipe it with a wet cloth to cool the metal and it will shrink the high spots down. No metal is lost, since its not abrasive. It does work, and i'm sure all the other ones do too. How well do they compare? no one has does that test yet. But i did become much more confident in using a hammer and dolly. I took a fender to cl*** with me and had some good dents in it, some bondo areas. Cleaned the surface and went to it. Fender looks awesome, and is ready for paint. Many people complain that the disc cost too much. Like over $300, but thats not all your getting. It also includes, some stripping discs, different sizes which take off all paint and rust, also you will get the fibergl*** backing disc which gives support to the shrinking disc, also a hard rubber disc which all attaches to on your grinder. Plus some 100 grit paper for your grinder to give the final finish, and some blue steel dye so you can find your high and low spots as well as an instructional DVD. So it is a good deal. The cl*** was awesome. Ken teaches theories like no one i've ever read or listened to. And makes sense to everyone. Great cl*** and i would recommend it to anyone. hope that helps. and hope i didnt miss anything Dave
I own both the Sunchaser and I made the other one that is similar to John Kellys. Buy the one from John. It works way better IMO. I use one all the time, and I would be lost without it. Big time saver, and I am sure you will have great results with it. Tim @ www.irrationalmetalworks.com
Hey Ian, Ya mean the disc won't actually stop global warming and turn water to wine? And.........it's the first time I've heard the "exites the metal" theory! I wonder if he teaches that in the cl***? S****ey Devils C.c.
The idea is to create heat,through friction. The more surface you have rubbing, the more friction you will have. Seems pretty simple to me. Long winded ******** explanations that make no sense rub me the wrong way. The Sunchaser discs actually do work,no problem there. John's work as well,for less money. Your choice.
Juggalo, Did ken happen to mention Scott Knight as the inventor of the shrinking disc during his cl***? I don't think Ken tries to take credit for inventing it but it would be nice to know if Scott gets a mention. BTW the discs do work great but they should be used while none of your friends are around. They are the most annoying tool on the planet.
ive used all forms of the shrinking disc, and they all work. even the pot lids. its just a matter of friction, high spots and heat. and being fast with the cool water rag.
Maybe it is just MY small pee brained head, AND I have reread this post 5 times, but just aint "grasping" this!!!.... I thought heat --stretched-- metal!!! How does a disk that heats up an area shrink it?? Yes I realize there are "flappers" that beat down the metal, BUT it is still getting even hotter and hotter with every beat and I would think that with every beat of those flappers it would just "squish" out the metal thinner and further out!?!?! Don't take this the wrong way.. I am NOT being an *** or sarcastic!! I just don't understand the theory!?!?!? I could really use this item as you guys ALL say they work, but I just need to know how??? Ken
I can tell ya that it worked for me. I had a Toyota truck roof with dents, I beat the dents out and it looked ok. But if you touched it, down it would go and stay. I read about the disc, and tried it, and presto, no more problem. I tightined up the skin with the disc and with a little primer it was ready for paint. I like it for a lot of jobs.--TV
Ken did mention that his disc was developed and invented by him and a partner somethin like 18 years ago. he didnt mention if there were any discs of the like at that point in time. could be that there was, just wasnt marketed or patented. one major difference about Ken versus many other like disc creators is that Ken has Marketed his disc, he has about 25 articles written by major magazine companies and editors, unlike many other guys, so his system has been proven. but it interesed me that none of the other guys have really pushed their product like him. And i fully agree, this Product is ****in annoyingly LOUD. do not use without the use of ear plugs, nd make sure everyone around has them too. Quote chopperimpala" Maybe it is just MY small pee brained head, AND I have reread this post 5 times, but just aint "grasping" this!!!.... I thought heat --stretched-- metal!!! How does a disk that heats up an area shrink it?? Yes I realize there are "flappers" that beat down the metal, BUT it is still getting even hotter and hotter with every beat and I would think that with every beat of those flappers it would just "squish" out the metal thinner and further out!?!?! Don't take this the wrong way.. I am NOT being an *** or sarcastic!! I just don't understand the theory!?!?!? I could really use this item as you guys ALL say they work, but I just need to know how??? Ken" heat does expand metal, but as it cools it shrinks down. when you weld 2 pieces of metal together it actually pulls in toward the weld. this is shrinking. the warpage you get in the metal is due to the metal shrinking into the welded area, waves are caused by more heat in one area than another. this is also the reason for hammering on top of a welded area, it stretches the metal back out into its original form for $108.15 from sunchaser you get [FONT=Arial, Helvetica][SIZE=-1] Includes: 9" Heat Shrinking Disc, 9" Fiber support disc & 7" Hard plastic backing pad[/SIZE][/FONT] the fiber disc supports the shrinking disc and the plastic backing is the attachment for the grinder dave
"Seems pretty simple to me. Long winded ******** explanations that make no sense rub me the wrong way." I agree.. there is a bunch of ''baffle em with ********" in the world Dave Kent told me once about being really tired after several ''All nighters" He hit himself with the pointy end of a hammer. Then spend an hour chasin' round the shop.......looking for the guy the hit him before figgerin'out he did it to himself..... Yup I miss the ''Midnight and Don'' Show. I'm sure the could make a panel and weld your foot to the floor at the same time. Learning how to hold the hammer is worth paying some guy? JEZZZZZZZ You think this is golf?
no, payin to learn how to do real good dent repair starts with learing to hold a hammer. because its not golf and its not building a house with blunt force trauma to a nail head. no one else was gonna teach me. and if i can pay a small amount to learn a skill i can use the rest of my hotrodding life. then its worth it.
chopper impala you are half right it shrinks when you cool it with a wet rag ,spray bottel or even compressed air.
I've been using a Sunchaser disc for a long time. I'm going make a batch of smooth discs for my buddies when I get back to work (and have lathe access). Yes, they work!! They aren't magic... you have to have done a decent job of hammer and dolly work. But they will iron out wrinkles and take out oil can areas.
I'm glad you posted this. I have a "oil can" on my drivers side door on the Model A. It's sunk inward and when you push it out, it will pop right back. I don't know **** about body work to tell you the truth so my question is this: will the shrinking disk pull the oil can area back out and stay there? And, this may sound stupid but, does it matter what side of the metal area you need to work with the disk? The concave side or the convex side. Can a guy with half a brain use this think or do you need to have a century in the body repair business to do it? Thanks guys!
Aman, because a Model A door has so little crown to it, you will probably have to stuff the inside of the door with old blankets or something to give support for the shrinking disc. When you use the disc you use almost zero pressure, just let it float the surface until you can see the highs go slightly blueish and then quench with a wet rag. The bluing also gives you a good road map to any dolly work that still needs to be done.
Thanks for the kind words about my shrinking disc guys! The sunchaser unit works fine, but is overhyped and way over priced. You can make a shrinking disc from 20 gage steel if you want to, but 18 gage stainless is best. The ribs in the sunchaser disc do not hammer the metal. That is hype. The ribs stiffen the disc so that it does not flop and deflect in use. An easier way to accomplish stiffness is to shrink the edges making a low crowned disc. It will last longer, and work on panels the others will not. If you have an edge shrinker, you can make one. I show how to do this in my shrinking disc album. The sunchaser kit was over $250 not too long ago. Flat discs sell on ebay at about $35-$40 plus shipping ( I recommend the one from ewheel), and some fool in Moclips Wa. is actually selling low crowned discs with an instructional DVD for $40 delivered : ) There several DVDs on how to use the shrinking disc. Sunchasers video comes in the kit last time I checked and is a good one. I enjoyed watching it. He spends a lot of time on hammer and dolly selection and the use of the disc. Some people find it a bit long. Wray Schelin's sells for about $40 and is also good. It shows conventional dent repair techniques by an expert the way they've been done for a long time. Mine is shorter and costs $10 delivered (or comes free with the disc), and contains less conventional dent repair methods. Another aspect of the shrinking disc that is rarely explored is using it as a metal shaping tool. It works great for creating compound reverse shapes by shrinking in the valley many times. The easiest reverse making method I've come across... did someone mention noise? The major downside is how loud these things are. Luckily it does not take long to get a good shrink with one. John www.ghiaspecialties.com
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