I've been polishing the belt trim on my '51 chevy. The more I polish it up the more tiny dings I see. I'm tempted to take a hammer and try to ding the dents out, is there a better way to do this? Any tips and tricks would be appreciated. I really really don't want to screw this up. So if you have experience polishing stainless what's your technique? Thanks, Haney
That's pretty much how its done...hammer and dolly work, on a smaller scale. Once you get the dents worked the best you can, a little filing and block sanding can do wonders (if the stainless is thick enough).
Just use a small hammer and dolly but make sure you don't use the really pointed hammer . Also remember to use a very light tap and take your time . Don't rush it . There is no really easy way of doing that . Retro Jim
Sometimes the trim is a bit thin to take hammer and dolly work, even with those tiny trim hammers. I wind up making my own tools to straighten them out. Sometimes as simple as a piece of 1/8" steel, sanded to conform to the shape of the trim, maybe with a handle welded to it. This I use to "push" the dent out, similar to a paintless dent repair method. Just keep rubbing it hard, back and forth across the dent, with the trim supported on a sandbag. Much safer than using hammer and dolly, unless you're good at it. There are how-to's on SS trim restoration here on the HAMB. Do a search!
Search ePay for a jewelers hammer and tools.......just think REAL small. I worked on a former bosses stuff (by the hour) a couple of years back and it if VERY slow. Chris
years ago an old bodyman told me he used to pour some molten lead into a good section of stainless trim to make a small dolly just the right shape. I think he used to use clay to block a section a couple of inches long. might work for you, it might not.
Hey Haney, Rule #1 NEVER use a pick hammer on trim repair! I like chink screw drivers ( since that's all they're good for) with the ends ground blunt, also bits of round stock (crs round stock) ground to shape and sometimes hardwood (maple) filed to the correct shape. If you arn't up on metalfinishing of automobile panels I'd say a good understanding of the pratices of this craft are a good place to start with trim repair since there's no filler used in trim repair. Be sure that you understand on-dolly & off-dolly use as well as cross filing. Clamp your ''stake'' tools into a vise, and tap around the low area, whyle the center of the stake tool is pressed against the low point of the ding. On larger dings, start your repair from the outer edges of the damage and work into the center of the ding. When you can no longer see or feel any low metal in the repair area cross file your repair with a small single cut file. File at about a 45 degree angle right to left then left to right. The file will hit the high areas of your repair first, and the areas that the file didnt hit are probably still low. Center your stake tool in the low areas whyle pressing down on the trim piece, and lightly tap the areas the file revealed as high during filing. Refile the repair. Do this until filing doesn't reveal any more low or high areas. When filing be sure to file with a light touch so as to just ''graze'' the trim piece. Remember, every deep scratch you put in the trim will have to be filed , sanded & polished out. 220, 360, 600 & 800 paper followed by a buffing with metal polish will restore the piece to look oem. NEVER try to buff a piece without it being clamped/taped to a board, clamped to the bench! Rotza ruck, " Life ain't no Disney movie "
Eastwood sells a small hammer and anvil that are made just for taking dents out of trim that looks interesting. I've used wooden dowel rods to push out small dents pushing against a stack of newspaper for backing.
This is my first reply ever, so bear with me. For stainless dent removal I shape a carriage bolt to match inside contour, sometimes building up with gas welding. Grind, file, DA (straight pattern-change direction like in block sanding), and polish to like chrome finish. Mount shank of bolt firmly in vice and pull molding over the form, lightly slapping with slapper or body hammer (also polished smooth). Using english on the slapper helps here. Proceed with file, DA (straight pattern) and buffing. For a bowed piece of trim make two carriage bolt formers. Mount both in vice with space between and slide trim over both formers with bow centered. Apply side force. A lever yields better control than a hammer here. Slight heat may be necessary but don't melt stainless. Discoloration can be buffed out. When buffing stainless, criss cross direction to level surface and to speed operation. Patience is key. Trim is the jewelry on the vehicle.
I have been doing it since I was a kid, and there wasn't really a book out there to help so trial and error was my classroom. However, a few books do exist and this one has some good info. I wouldn't rush this process at all...it's the surest way to ruin a scarce piece of trim. Remove dents gently and slowly, ask questions and take advice. To me it is very rewarding to straighten and polish a piece of trim and see it literally come back to life in your hands... http://www.amazon.com/Restore-Metal-Auto-Motorbooks-Workshop/dp/0760303312
You progressively sand them down. This can be a very delicate process if you aren't sure at how thick the SS is in that particular spot. I have used a very fine flat file to knock down high spots, then went to 65 grit, 120, 280 - 300, 600, 1000.... and then 00 steel wool. By this point you'll be needing rouge and a buffing wheel. Make sure you x-sand (cross sand) so as to cut across all sand marks from the previous coarser grit. If you see lines that aren't coming out that means you didn't do enough on the next finer grit before you moved to the next one after that. Every step should remove/hide the lines from the step before...
Old guy who was a bodyman in the depression when they couldn't buy parts taught me to pour lead in the back.then tap it over the dings a few times then remelt and do it again and again till the dingis gone, it takes some time.
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