I'm looking for a good set of auto body hammers and dollies that don't cost $300.00. I was wondering what ya'll use and if there are any techniques that you can pass on to a beginner. Thanks
if you plan on doing good metalwork don't skimp on the tools. a quality hammer will be well balanced. a quality dolly will be heavy and have a smooth hard surface to pound on. I use Martin Hammers and dollys.. for no other reason than the place where I bought my first good set sold martin. (sunchaser tools) I have seven hammers.. 95% of the time I use the same one. get a copy of the book "a guide to metal bumping".. the first printing was in the late 40's, and it is still published. read the whole thing... then read it again a few weeks later. some of it is a bit dated, but it helps you to understand what happens to the metal when it is damaged and the best procedure for bumping it back. eastwood used to sell this book... not sure if they do anymore. I bet if you googled it it would come up.
if you are going to buy harbor freight hammers and dollys you may as well use a claw hammer and a big rock.
you don't need a set, you need maybe two hammers and two dollies, but they need to be the right ones, and of very good quality.
and here are the hammers and dollies that I have but never use (I have these pics because I answered this question on another forum a while back)
the two green dollys are the ones I bought at the flea market back around 1978. cheapo's but not so bad I feel the need to throw them out. as you can see.. some times you need to make a tool to fit a certain purpose. and a good peice of 1/8 x 1.5 bar stock with smoothed over ends comes in handy... I should toss the slide hammer though. here's the two I use 90% of the time...
I've had the hammer in the solo picture for a good ten years. I am used to its weight and balance and how it reacts to the metal. I was working at my buddys shop and he has a full assortment of quality hammers from mac?? or matco? someone like that. I had to go home and get my favorite hammer. none of them felt right.
my most used body tools are and include" ..A Good quality Pic that feels balanced in your hands. My favourite pic also incorporates a round faced hammer that is slightly crowned. ..A cheap and easily found spoon (dolly) as well as a cheap/decent dolly (general purpose) that resembles an anvil - in that it is multi faced ... I also get alot of good use out of a plastic faced hammer... Plastic faced hammers come in different wieghts/sizes and usually have two heads/faces; a replacable black (rubber) head -and- a clearish plastic face on the other side. I turf the black rubber face and screw another plastic face onto it. Cheap like borsch at under $5.oo and is great for "bumping" metal that has paint or primer on it - (like when you don't really want to chip/scratch/flake the finish excessivily..). I have taken hail "style" damage (and foot print damage) out of roofs/hoods/fenders etc. - from the top side of the panel - by bumping the surrounding area back toward the centre of the 'divet' ....all the while holding a light pressure (with my thumb/or dolly) on the underside of the divet, thus applying pressure upwards while bumping from the topside (surrounding area). As far as buying a "kit" of hammers and dollies, well you can never have too many tools but My favourite pics/hammers/tools were aquired from various cheap kits, as well as several expensive and cheap purchases plus home brew/fabricated/modified etc... Buy one of the cheap kits just for the dollies and the average selection of hammers (30 bucks is not expensive for a 7 piece kit)... ...you won't go wrong. and consider a good quality pic (under $50) over and above the 7 pce cheap set as most people use their favorite pic/hammer 99.9 % of the time .. just my humble opinion.. moe .. . .
I agree with squirrel completely! Several hammers/dollies, use the same ones 95% of the time. Start with a Martin large faced, low crowned, short pick hammer and their combination dollie. When you have mastered this, cash in your pop bottles, count out your pennies and buy some different (Martin) hammers and dollies. If you are going to throw your money away on cheap hammers and dollies, throw it my way, you'll get just as much back in return. O.K., I'll quit the smart ass comments. The cheap shit is soft, not balanced, weak, loose handles and basically just junk. Buy a quality set and you will have them forever or until you loan them out and they don't return. Mac tools carries Martin, I'm not too sure sears don't also. Martin actually builds for several companies and puts that name on the their tool.
i bought an 8 piece set from the matco truck and they work real nice. i will agree with everyone about the pic hammer and the heel dolly for the most part, but the spoon will come in handy and all the rest of the kit works real nice. i believe it was around $250. but its well worth it. the martin hammers are nice but do cost a little more. mac makes some real nice ones and snap on has the best. but the matco are well worth the price i paid for them.
I think eastwood sells Martin. They also sell some cheapos that I'd stay away from. Eastwood used to sell good stuff but it seems like more and more they are dropping the good stuff in favor of cheap import crap. www.tptools.com has a pretty good selection. I see lot of used hammers cheap on ebay all the time. Good ones like snap on, mac, martin, sometimes sell for nearly nothing. If your not a big hurry that would be a good place to get a deal on some.
I work in a custom body shop, and I own one Martin hammer, and one Martin universal dolly, they seem to fit my needs. One thing when looking for a good hammer, make sure the face is slightly concave. The cheap harbor freight ones are flat, and will leave marks in the metal, although I suppose you could round the edges.
I have a set from Snap on and they are nice My favorite two hammers though came from a pawn shop in Tucson. I grab those two first. Watch the swap meets and pawn shops.
OK.. so the general consensus here is buy the good stuff. martin hammers are 25 bucks and up, dollys are more. worth every penny. not sure of anyone elses prices, but prolly comparable. but they are not worth a shit if the owner doesn't know how to use them.. I suggest the "guide to metal bumping" book, the only other thing I could suggest for a newbie would be the sunchaser tools video that comes with their shrinking disc... anyone else know of a good video or book??
Don't skimp.. Buy a couple of good hammers and a coupel of good dolly's. Martin is probably the biggest name and easiest to find... You can usually catch a Martin rep at just about any decent sized car show/swap... If you do a search on here there was HAMB'er that sells Martin as well...
THank you all for the replies. I decided to go with Martin they have a 7pcs. set that retails for 229.99 plus ten bucks. Thats a hell of a savings from Snap Ons 500.00 set. WIth so many people saying Martin I feel they are a quality tool. I will purchase that book as soon as i can find it that was my next question are there any good books. THanks
He's right. You don't need to buy a "set". Those square faced ones will only cause new guy problems. Like above, I use a Snap On short pick and Snap On heel dolly about 90% of the time. There's only one body hammer on earth as far as I'm concerned, it's Snap on. The hex shaped handle is a must when you learn how to control the hammer with your thumb on the flat. Round handled hammers are useless for controlling the paralellness of your hit. Most people who buy something else have never tried a Snap On body hammer. Expensive ? I paid about $48.00 for it new around 1982 or 83 I think, been using it daily ever since. The handle is still as tight as the day I bought it. 24 years divided by 48.00 ? They're a steal. I think you'll find after buying a "set" that all but one hammer & one dolly will just be setting in the drawer most of the time. Over the years I've aquired every shaped hammer & dolly there is, but of everything, I use these 3 the most. . .
I'd never question why a man has pictures of his tools. Now if he carried the pics in his wallet, that's a little weird. Start with a basic hammer and dolly. As you learn what they will and won't do, you can add to your collection. Or make your own dollies. Hit the flea markets, swap meets, pawn shops and garage sales; you'll run across them cheaper but take a few minutes to really look them over. The faces need to be smooth and gouge free. You can probaby reface a slightly damaged one with some effort. I've gotten a few hammers for free because the handle was broken and someone didn't want to fix it. Like was said, get a copy of Metal Bumping and read it over and over. Then get an old (50's or older) fender or hood to practice on. Dent it and then try to fix it. Better to practice and screw up on a junk piece than your porject.
my first hammer is my favorite, it's a proto. i have 7 hammers and about 10 dollies, bought them at stores or on the tool truck whenever i had money and like said above most of the time i use the same hammer/dollie. spend the money on a GOOD hammer and dollie. hey 49ratfink is that book called "The Key to Metal Bumping" (published in 1939) i could'nt find anything with the other title.
"the key to metal bumping" I stand corrected. I bought mine new at least 15 years ago. it's the reprint of the late 40's edition with pictures of a few 49ish looking cars. I'd like to find an original 39 copy.. that would be cool for my collection. it's still out there. sunchaser tools, covell, .. somebody sells it.
Here's a great source of information for metal working. http://metalshapers.org/101/jkelly/index.html
The Jalopy Journal
