Now introducing: An unexperienced onlooker...
 

Hello,
I'm Austin Hunt as the handle suggests and I have no experience forming. I live in Fairbanks Alaska and dont do much aside from earning and engineering degree and working on my Graham Brothers Truck.

I would like to pick up some knowledge to help metal finish my dented panels and form some rear fenders.

I have no tools and cant afford a wheel or bead roller. So any info on hand-made hand-tools or input on what is essential to those with experience would be interesting. I recently bought a dvd from David (metalshapingzone.com) and intend to study up.

Unfortunately I will be moslty a silent onlooker or question-asker for a while until I get something under my belt.

Austin, welcome and thanks for the introduction. Hope you enjoy the site and find it helpful. Lots of good information here if you read a lot of the threads. Thanks for joining us.

Thanks! Any suggestions to favorite threads are appreciated also.

HI Austin welcome to the forum
Peter
PS how cold will it get in winter in Alaska
reason for asking is because we always complain that it's to cold to work here in Australia maybe I am getting to old ;)

Hi Austin and welcome!:D

Welcome to the forum and to the craft.

Have you looked carefully thru the index?

http://allmetalshaping.com/index.php

I would suggest: Basic Questions and Answers, and Basic Tools as starting points. Any thread with a Sticky bears extra attention as well.

This thread: http://allmetalshaping.com/showthread.php?t=1706 proves you don't need a lot of sophisticated tools to get started.

The link below was posted recently in the above thread and is noted for its clarity in getting a concept across. I might add that watching the other videos by the same youtube poster is worthwhile.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?featur...&v=tQCS3KCpNJY

You have a most excellent tool already in David's video. His "stump" also proves you don't need as large a chunk of tree as many think.


As far as removing fender dents goes, an oversimplification of collision repair, but a basic rule of thumb is: "Last in, first out". That often but not always, means start on the outer edges and work your way into the initial strike area.

A few clicks away and you can start reading some basics on page 30 (and following) in this old manual, great illustrations of on-dolly work vs. off-dolly, and of sequencing your actions:

http://www.hnsa.org/doc/pdf/metal-body-repair.pdf


If you want to spend a couple dollars, get Frank Sargent's metal bumping book, there's a reason it's been in print since 1953:

http://www.amazon.com/Bumping-Instru...+metal+bumping


Hope this helps,

Mark

Peter Tommasini - Well... it was -15 F (-26 C) yesterday and by Christmas it will be -40 F (-40 C also) or worse at least a couple times a month. last year it was -30 for an entire month! Working in it is terrible but living isn't that bad.

HEATNBEAT - Thank you.

Weldtoride - Thanks, I will look into that. The very first place I visited was the basic tools section. Got some great ideas and loved the idea of using river rock as a dolly. Also the leaf spring slappers are on my list.

Thanks for all the basic info. The little things are often never stated.

I will spend the evening reading and watching.

This is my first attempt. I used a pair of needle nose pliers as a puckering iron, and a framing hammer to shrink the edges. Ugly, but it's to be expected from hammer that has seen better days and a toy anvil.

http://i1196.photobucket.com/albums/...058525x700.jpg

Nice work. I think it's obvious you understand the principles here. Only ugly if it's not finished.

As for the old framing hammer, reshape and polish the striking surface. If it's one of the heavy framing hammers, ditch it for finishing as soon as you can, a lighter hammer will bounce better, save your arm, and be better able to "finesse" with.

If it is a heavy framer, round the striking end and use it for heavy sinking.

Or save it to build a shop addition....

weltoride - Thanks. Yes it is ugly but I'm proud of it for a first try.

I taped half a plastic ball to a drill and gave my beat up hammer a nice radius as you suggested. It will be good for hollowing I think.

I won't be building an addition as its not my house and I'm a poor college student!

Here are some more pics after using a polished pry par for a slapper. Keep in mind this was done with improvised tools.

http://i1196.photobucket.com/albums/...167700x525.jpg

http://i1196.photobucket.com/albums/...169525x700.jpg

[QUOTE=austinhunt;62020]Peter Tommasini - Well... it was -15 F (-26 C) yesterday and by Christmas it will be -40 F (-40 C also) or worse at least a couple times a month. last year it was -30 for an entire month! Working in it is terrible but living isn't that bad.

Gee that's cold I will never complain about the Australian weather again.
I can not immagine picking up up a doly in that temperature my hand would freze
Peter

Peter, picking up a dolly at that temperature would make you a sad man! On the plus side, rust is not a problem here as there is no moisture in the air. And no crawling biting animals either.

Its not that bad, just no short skirts or bikinis.

Here is the same piece taken back to flat. I think a coat of primer would be more than enough to make it perfect. The black is cheap paint to help me see the low spots.

http://i1196.photobucket.com/albums/...609700x525.jpg

http://i1196.photobucket.com/albums/...610700x525.jpg

http://i1196.photobucket.com/albums/...616700x525.jpg

Hi Austin, welcome to the site! I think you have learned quite a bit from my DVD already! Well done. With a little practice you will learn not to mark the metal as you form it.

David

Well I can't say I have a handle on anything yet, but I know 100% more than before. I bought a couple picard hammers and almost have a leaf spring slapper ready. Thanks for taking the time to preserve the tradition and share what you know.

Also thank you in advance - to all the people here that might help me.