I am looking to see if anyone out there in the Austin area is willing to show a novice like me the "secrets" of metal bumping. I have read the "key to metal bumping" book over and over, I cruise the metal meet forums and read anything I can on that, looked at several videos on line, also just acquired the full martin hammer set, but feel i am missing something. I have been hammering on stuff for practice for a few weeks, but sometimes as a self learner, i want to make sure i am not causing more damage than good. My bumping does not seem to come out as good as i think it should. Anyhow, just looking to ask a few questions, watch and learn. let me know if any of you are going to be bumping out any dents soon in the Austin Area, i just want to stand in the back and learn. Thanks Rey
the metal bumping book is a good start. I read mine a couple times over the years, you get more from it after you do some bumping and can figure out what they are talking about another thing that helped me was the video from the guy who owns "Sunchaser tools" .. he makes the rippled shrinking discs. his shinking disc video has a lot of information in it far beyond just the shrinking disc "how to" part since you need to get the metal close before the shrinking can start. he may have updated it, but the one I got several years back was a bit tedious to watch... no way could a person make it through in one setting without dozing off, but the information contained within is great.
Hey, The best sugestion I can make is to continue to pratice! A video will remove some of the mystery, but much like learning to play the "gee-tar", it's nothing you'll master by observation alone. Get a scrap fender or two, the old open kind like a '46-'54 Chevrolet pick up or the old Volkswagon Beetle type, clamp it to some saw horses and pop a few dents into it with a mallet or bat. Start out with some fist sized ones. Observe that by driving the hign ridges down and raising the low metal up that alot of the damage returns to its' former undamaged state. It's important to note that jus grabbing a bfh and hitting the damage in its' lowest area often creates more damage/work than it corrects! Now would also be a good time to teach yourself how to metalfinish a panel without the use of filler. Just roughing a damaged area back into close shape and slathering some filler over it is just o.k. for " parking lot-gypsy bodymen", but that is not real metalwork. Good luck & welcome to the craft! " That which can be asserted without evidance, can be dismissed without evidence "
If you are up for a road trip, on May 15th there is a metalshaping get together in Granbury. I believe Chaz posted a thread recently about it. These are becoming more frequent around here. I will be hosting one soon myself. It is more than worth your time to show up. You will be amazed at what you can learn in a day!
Hi Rey, In my opinion, the most important thing is to not worry about causing any harm to the metal. It is easy to over-think the work and be so tentative that you will have a hard time making a break through in understanding. Although I agree the metal bumping book is very good, I don't think it is the best way for some people to learn. I include myself in that category. Too many rules : ) Fear is your enemy. Be bold. First make sure that your hammer is a good one, preferably having a wide face with a low crown and no sharp edges. Try a test panel. Make a dent in some metal and repair it 4 or 5 times. I generally bump dents out with a dolly or hammer that has more curve in the face than the inside surface of the metal before it was damaged. Start at the outer edges of the dent and work your way in, not worrying about all the tiny discrepancies much. Then smooth the whole area with a hammer and dolly that either matches, or has slightly less curve than the inside surface (the dolly). This is where it is easy to stop too soon. As a training exercise try smoothing an area for 4-5 minutes without worrying about over doing it. Then spend some more time smoothing. And again. Now look at the metal and see what has happened. You may have numerous small low spots that need to be raised, or stretched up. You may have slightly high areas that need a little shrinking. You could run the shrinking disc over the metal a few times at this stage or go on to the next step. You can do on dolly stretching of the small low spots using a high crowned dolly directly below the low spot, and hammering on the low spot. You should be able to see little shiny areas of stretch if you are doing it right. An easier way to stretch these small low spots is bumping from below with a ballpeen hammer. You can see the little bumps forming in the low spot. Smooth these with a hammer and dolly and check your surface. Run a shrinking disc over the area, and quench. This will relax the uneven surface tensions caused by all the work you are doing. You may need to do all of these processes more than once. You can work the same dent for a long time, so don't stop until you are done. Make another dent in the same place and start again... You will be doing a lot of hammer and dolly work so make sure your arms are as relaxed as possible and take a lots of breaks. Hold the hammer just tight enough so that you have control, not so tight that your arm muscles get over worked. Don't sneak up on the work. Jump in and attack the work like you know what you are doing. Pretty soon you will know what you are doing. This has always worked for me. I show this type of work in my youtube videos below. See parts 1 (tool selection), and 9-12 of Custom Metal Bodywork. John www.ghiaspecialties.com
Thanks guys, I will try to make it to the metal meet on the 15h it would be nice to just stand back and learn. pimpin and john thanks for the comments, i think the biggest thing right now is the "am i doing it right" factor and then to add to that i am hesitant to fuk it up. I will keep practicing on some old fenders I have, i'll keep watching the videos keep reading and set aside one weekend to just pound out dents, i need to get in touch with my metalman side, im also going to get me metal file, having that along with feeling the dent will get keep on track.
The Jalopy Journal
