NON-bondo using metal finishers...

I like the bullseye alot not so fond of the real pointy tip but they have a dull rounded odd one that helps work metal back, and since its technicaly hammering off dolly it doesnt strech as much

 

I myself am a bullseye and vixen file man. I have never used a shrinking disc. But I would like to get one.
Jim

 

Try a ballpeen hammer and shrinking disc in place of the bullseye pick and file... a world of difference! The ball peen hammer can gently lift and stretch low areas which are easy to then flatten out with a hammer and dolly. The shrinking disc highlites the high and low spots without removing metal and shrinks the highs down without overheating and toughening the metal surface. You can work the same area many times until you get it right.

John www.ghiaspecialties.com

 

I've used , all body hammers, pick hammers , ball peen hammers ,claw hammer all kinds & shapes of dollies , the edge & corners of dollies , wood , screw drivers , chisels , steel bars , crow bars ,torch, grinders you name it. It's all about what works for you

 

amen

 

don't be afraid of using wood, my favorite slapper is a craftsman hickory hammer handle that I sanded flat on one side.$6. With wood you don't tend to stretch the metal as much.

 

Actually, if you use them correctly with heat, they work very well...35 years ago, I was taught the technique, and it's quite effective...of course, back then, our "bondo" came in 70/30 sticks. Haven't ever used bondo.

R

 

The shrinking hammer with or without heat does nothing that heat and a nice hammer and dolly won't do better. I'm sure the shrinking hammer works fine for some, but it is in no way superior to other methods. Heating the metal with a torch until it swells a little (no color change) then quenching is one way. Using a shrinking disc is another. Both methods leave a nicer surface than a shrinking hammer does.

John www.ghiaspecialties.com

 

OK I'm no bodyman just a mechanic but I like to get things pretty close for paint.

I did this yesterday in about an hour

Since moving I can find my dollies so I'll wait to finish this.

I like pick and file method and in something like this heat shrinking works wel.l The crash strached the metal pretty bad

Lucky for me this is a good 60 year old piece of metal..... not rusty crap

What you see here is worked with hammers, vice grips, and a pair of glass plyers

I've never used a shrinking disc .... just never had one to use

This is done with care and the kind of stuff the average guy has around

Now I have to find the box with my real body tools to finish it up

I am sure that they will take longer to find than use in this mess

I think the most important thing is you look at the damage and try to undo it slowly pushing and buming the metal back to the shape it has had all it's life.

I agree with others here shrinking hammers can make more mess than they help most places

When done It will get a coat of whatever filler primer I can get here just to hide the deepest file marks

I wanted to paint the fenders on this little truck black. Guess I just get to do it sooner than I wanted to

 

Bondo Is Your Best Friend...

 

Another good book that you can get through Amazon.com is 'Automobile Sheet metal Repair' by Robert L. Sargent who is the late brother of Frank T. Sargent author of 'The Key To Metal Bumping'.

An interesting note, Frank Sargent is still around and in his 90's. I met him about 20 years ago about the same time Eastwood started selling his book. Frank's son and I have been friends for 28 years. When I told him they were selling his book (back then about 10 bucks) he laughed and said they used to give them away, then started charging 25 cents so they could say they got something for them. The book was an effort between him and Fairmont tools. Frank is one of those self made men who has accomplished so many interesting things in his life, but you never hear about them.

 

Just use a rubber hammer !

 

Indeed!

I used a hard rubber mallet to hammer-out some of my cab dents, and it set them out nicely without distorting the sheetmeal, oilcans, goosebumps, fish-eyed-foo's, etc.

 

I just found a good copy today at my local used book store. Great book well worth the $35.00 I paid for it.

 

http://www.youtube.com/profile_videos?user=GullWingInn&p=r

lots of good info and techniques here too!

 

Hey Jay, that link is to John Kelly's stuff

Lots of good info in this thread........did Ken ever finish his fenders and/or post pics?

Tim D.

 

I have done alot of body work on my own and only recently bought books and have learned alot but it wasn't untill I went to a night class at my local tech school that I finally "got it" .Sometimes it just takes a few simple tricks by a teacher to get you to understand how it works. PAUL

 

a fender wheel works best...

 

BTTT Another good thread I found while looking at john Kellys posts.

 

The best way to get a smooth and even surface is to use the english wheel.

 

You can't always get your part in an English Wheel, that's why it is good to know other methods.

 

Listen to Kelly as I have used his ball peen method and it works great with the shrinking disc. You learn that you can raise and shrink down a piece without problems.

For a novice I would get yourself a good set of hammer and dolly's and a shrinking disc. They work plain and simple. Guide coat the panel with some plain Krylon flat paint and then sand with 80 on a long board. If you do not have a long board try a piece of PVC pipe. This will give you a clear understanding of what is high and what is low. You will be surprised at what is opposite of what you thought was going on. Using the long board vs a file will help a beginner from destroying a panel with too much filing. A file gets's it straighter but using the board will get you within that 1/8" skim coat as it does pick up some low spots vs a file which is more rigid. You are not trying to file down the highs but just highlight them so you can shrink them down.

Good luck!!

 

bondo? who needs bondo when there is featherfill and KP20?!?!

 

I hear you guys talking about the ballpeen hammer method. 15 years ago when I was working in China I was at an auto plant in Chan Chung and they were doing full scale clay models and hand building body panels. Over a period of a week I watched a little old chinese man make a roof skin with nothing but a ballpeen hammer, file and a large thick steel table. When he was finished it was perfect and fit the clay model like a glove. Fascinating to watch a craftsman do his thing.