who uses them? how do they work? I have always used a torch to shrink metal but I have seen these around but never used them. do you use a shrinking hammer and shrinking dolly together. are these better/worse ? lets hear it pro and con.
The subject has come up on the Metalshapers board a couple times. The general consensus is they work well for marking up your panels. Not especially well for actual shrinking. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/metalshapers/ Torch shrinking,tuck shrinking,shrinking discs,and Lancaster type machines are much more widely used.
I second that. I usually end up needing to shrink with a torch and wet rag, as well as the shrinking hammer. It never seems to work by itself for me. - alchemy
By forming ruffles,or tucks,along the edge of a panel, and them crushing them flat(with the proper technique), you can actually shrink the width of the panel. Here is a step by step Tuck Shrinking album on metalshapers.org "Lancaster type machine" is a generic description of the very popular strinker/stretcher sold by Covell,Fournier,Eastwood,Williams Lobuck Tools,etc. You can learn more on our Metalshapers Yahoo board: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/metalshapers/
My neighbor loaned me his Dent Doctor. kinda like a stud shooter, but it will pull dents without studs, (I haven't used it for that yet) and shrink metal with a special bull nose tip. Works great...... I doubt if I will ever use my shrinking discs or torch again. Just stick it where you want to shrink and pull the trigger... it induces a bit of heat and then causes the metal to slightly shrink... If you cool it with a blast of air, it seems to shrink a bit more. The best part is that it just shrinks a little bit, and you can even set the timer to induce less heat.. Works great, I con't know how I lived without one before. Oh yeah, you don't have to have access to the rear of the panel either..........
I would be surprised if you never use a shrinking disc again. It is by far the best way to shrink. You can shrink a tiny bit, or you can shrink a huge bulge down to flat. I use mine as a metal-shaping tool as well as a metal-finishing tool. The only time I would think a shrinking tip might be better is where the disc will not physically fit the panel, in which case a torch can be used to heat the metal just slightly, not red hot, or even blue, and accomplish the same thing. From what I have learned spending many hours with a shrinking disc, I think most people have been using too much heat when torch shrinking...you always hear folks say get the metal to a dull red, which is way past where shrinking will take place, and actually causes the metal to be a little tight in the immediate vicinity of the shrink. One of the nicest things about the disc, is that it highlights the low spots just like a guide coat in primer. This takes a lot of the guess work out of where to shrink further. When the panel is wet from quenching, you can feel the highs and lows much more easily than a dry panel. Another attribute is that you can use it over and over in the same spot without work-hardening the metal. None of the other methods can do this. One way it is inferior is it makes some serious noise, but only briefly. Anyway, to each their own.... John www.ghiaspecialties.com
Hi Happy...fellow ghia freak, If you go to the link below and scroll down the page you will find a short video of tuck shrinking. This is my new method that I'm still refining... a little different than the standard way, but it works, and is a little e***ier to pick up than other methods. Usually a plastic, or wood mallet is used, but I'm using a standard body hammer. There are several ways to tuck shrink. If you search metalshapers you will find a lot of good stuff. Here is the page: http://metalshapers.org/101/index.shtml (scroll down) John www.ghiaspecialties.com [ QUOTE ] Unkl Ian , school me, what is tuck shrinking , Landcaster? thanks guys, [/ QUOTE ]
thanks again guys, John Kelly, you let the cat out of the bag, I keep quite about the ghia here, I don't want the get flamed. LOL ! thanks!
[ QUOTE ] When the panel is wet from quenching, you can feel the highs and lows much more easily than a dry panel. [/ QUOTE ] A great tip for feeling a DRY panel is to wear a thin cotton glove. It takes the feelings of the cold metal away which would confuse your nerve sensors a bit. This really works great.
You dug up an oldie!!!! despite what some so called internet experts say about meat tenderizer, the serrations are for grip. Now these are used in autobody work for after roughing out, first p*** at finishing. But can be used for shaping. Here is how they work, the metal is raised up (stretched) like a small volcano or a ridge about a 1/4- 3/8". the high spot (s) is hammered into itself, not hit so hard to thin the spot even more, but to force the sides to thicken thus shrinking the area. Two types of shrink dollies serrated for grip so it doesn't slide around while your trying to hit the right spot. the other is a tuck shrink dolly where to stretch the metal in to a ridge (a tuck) then hammer the metal down into itself thus thickening / shrinking it. Don't believe me? From the Key to Metal Bumping, that Fairmont tool sold since about 1932. Those old guys were a lot smarter and much better Craftsman than you think! And those internet experts that start a website and say you can't do that? just plain old dumb ***es! tt oh those german twisty hammers? guess you need to drink m*** quan***ies of warm beer, I've held one in my hand but wasn't gonna spend a dime on one!
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