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Old 09-26-2017, 04:12 PM
crystallographic crystallographic is offline
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Default Steel slappers and using them

Thought it might be a good idea to accumulate some know-how on this topic ....??

P1040350.jpg
Steel slappers L to R -
Small and flat, made from a fine file (shop made)
Small and half-round, made from a file (shop made) - these two are used for doing thin brass repairs on hubcaps and brass lamps
brass lamps.jpg

Standard size, made from files, sold commercially in 1930's -40's and 50's - one flat and one half round. Handles wrapped with friction/hockey tape.

Round steel, 3/4" dia. and curved. (shop made)
Twisted straight slapper for smoothing narrow areas on trim and doing detail work. (shop made)
Round steel 4130 tubing 3/4" dia. (shop made)
Round steel, heavy, made from 1" with a 3/4" handle. Drilled for weight-saving. (shop made)

Round steel slappers are ideal for working metal around inside curves, and over either a form or body-tubing.
Ice Racer.jpg
335S_1957_Taruffi.jpg

Last one on R, flat spring steel slapper, hardened. (TM TECH)
In this application I am flattening a rumpled fender bracket .085" thick, mild steel.
P1040352.jpg
The bracket is laid flat on a flat bench anvil and gently heated to "black heat" - and the slapper is laid on top like ironing a shirt on the ironing board. Smack the slapper with a body hammer to flatten the warm bracket. Blacksmithing calls this using the "flatter."
P1040354.jpg
P1040361.jpg
Seeing the shine on the surface shows me the flatness.
More coming ....
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Last edited by crystallographic; 09-26-2017 at 04:21 PM.
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Old 09-28-2017, 06:30 AM
Rex_A_Lott Rex_A_Lott is offline
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Never heard the term "using the flatter". Thanks for the pics and the write-up.
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Old 09-28-2017, 07:49 AM
Richard Lennard Richard Lennard is offline
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Thank you, that is one of the best recent posts Ive seen!
It gives us lesser mortals a fighting chance with the correct equipment used in the correct manner.
I enjoy the equipment and can make pretty much whatever I need, effective not necessarily pretty!
Some of us are too old to go fully through the "apprentice" stage, so starting in the right place is a huge bonus.
Thank you for giving your time.
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Old 09-28-2017, 08:07 AM
RockHillWill RockHillWill is offline
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Thanks for taking the time to post this article Kent. It is valuable information from accomplished veterans of the metal shaping community that make this site such a valuable resource. It is perfectly timed for me personally as well.
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Old 09-28-2017, 09:26 PM
Mr fixit Mr fixit is offline
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Hi crystallographic,

This is a great post. I thought that slapping was to use the tool as a type of hammer or SLAPPING the metal. So the correct method is to use it more like a dolly then?

This is very helpful as I have a 1952 Morris Minor that has a bumper that is almost flat with 45* curved ends. It has a dent in the middle and was looking for a way to take this out before I finish cleaning it up to have it plated.

Is this the correct method to work on this dent? It is about 1.5" tall by 1" wide. I figure heating and using the correct slapper to form the dent back out is the proper method from what I gather from your post.

Newbie here, so anyone let me know if I'm even 1/2 way on track.

TX
Mr fixit
Chris
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Old 09-29-2017, 05:14 AM
War Horse War Horse is offline
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Thank you for this post, very good as I have brass lights, horns ect, had many these old files years ago, on the lookout for suitable ones now to re purpose them, would like to learn more about working with brass lights ect,once again thanks for the post
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Old 09-30-2017, 01:30 PM
crystallographic crystallographic is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RockHillWill View Post
Thanks for taking the time to post this article Kent. It is valuable information from accomplished veterans of the metal shaping community that make this site such a valuable resource. It is perfectly timed for me personally as well.
You are welcome, Will. I've been away from writing for a while because tool development, testing and manufacturing takes so much of my time. And the special projects have given me true test scenarios.
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Old 09-30-2017, 01:35 PM
crystallographic crystallographic is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rex_A_Lott View Post
Never heard the term "using the flatter". Thanks for the pics and the write-up.
Yeah, I've been hanging out with too many blacksmiths for waay too long.
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Old 09-30-2017, 02:56 PM
crystallographic crystallographic is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr fixit View Post
Hi crystallographic,

This is a great post. I thought that slapping was to use the tool as a type of hammer or SLAPPING the metal. So the correct method is to use it more like a dolly then?

This is very helpful as I have a 1952 Morris Minor that has a bumper that is almost flat with 45* curved ends. It has a dent in the middle and was looking for a way to take this out before I finish cleaning it up to have it plated.

Is this the correct method to work on this dent? It is about 1.5" tall by 1" wide. I figure heating and using the correct slapper to form the dent back out is the proper method from what I gather from your post.

Newbie here, so anyone let me know if I'm even 1/2 way on track.

TX
Mr fixit
Chris
Hi Chris,
As with many tools, the slapper can be used in various ways - depending on the how the tool has been made.
Forged steel, cast steel, pressed and hardened steel - and the original old hot bent file-type slappers are common types ...
and then the TM annealed, pressed, and hardened spring steel slappers which I abuse the heck out of because the others eventually gave up.

So, a good steel slapper can be used as a "shove plate" with a jack to go from
Ferrari wrecked nose copy.jpg

to
P1040354 copy.jpg
along with some judicious bumping with a track dolly from the back side
..... similar - although without the pulling - as the 356 dent tute that I posted here, previously.
The track dolly is one of the primary autobody tools for straightening or shaping "thin sheet" - designed to be grabbed in the paw and used to bonk good-sized dent areas by hand, with its 2"x3" low crown surface and hardened to industry standard Rc 45-48, typical for that application.

Otherwise, one conventional smoothing method is:
P1040383.jpg
supporting by lifting up from below and smacking down from directly above. This will also tend to stretch - if you hear and feel the hard contact of tool on dolly, instead of the soft contact from tools on metal.

A hand skill takes practice.

Ferrari wrecked nose copy.jpg

P1040354 copy.jpg

P1040383.jpg

P1040385.jpg

P1030571.jpg
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"All it takes is a little practical experience to blow the he!! out of a perfectly good theory." --- Lloyd Rosenquist, charter member AWS, 1919.

Last edited by RockHillWill; 10-01-2017 at 07:37 AM.
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  #10  
Old 09-30-2017, 02:57 PM
crystallographic crystallographic is offline
MetalShaper of the Month October '14 , April '16, July 2020, Jan 2023
 
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Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Richard Lennard View Post
Thank you, that is one of the best recent posts Ive seen!
It gives us lesser mortals a fighting chance with the correct equipment used in the correct manner.
I enjoy the equipment and can make pretty much whatever I need, effective not necessarily pretty!
Some of us are too old to go fully through the "apprentice" stage, so starting in the right place is a huge bonus.
Thank you for giving your time.
Glad to hear, Richard.
Thank you.
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"All it takes is a little practical experience to blow the he!! out of a perfectly good theory." --- Lloyd Rosenquist, charter member AWS, 1919.
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