How To Hammer Out Dents In Aluminum Sheet

Hammer off dolly should be used until the final straightening stages.

How to hammer out dents in aluminum sheet. Sheet metal isn t all that different from a car s bodywork so most methods which will remove dents from a car work for sheet metal. The thinner the copper sheeting the easier it will accept the indentations of your hammer. This stops the hammer from making any sharp indentations in the metal which are difficult to repair. Shrinking is more difficult.

Use the body hammer on the other side to bang on the dent. Select a copper sheet that is as thin as possible but still works for your job. For ease of hammering choose a 24 gauge thickness for your copper sheeting. The dolly which is a block of metal shaped like a bar of soap keeps the hammer banging on a flat surface.

One involves using a blow dryer or a paint stripper which emits heat to warm the metal of the dent. The following shrinking method is easier and simpler on aluminum than on steel. As the dent is reduced in depth switch positions of the tools the dolly goes to the inside and the hammer is used on the outside of the panel. Understanding how metal deforms is the first step toward straightening it.

You ll hammer against the dolly as it stabilizes the taps made inside the dented surface from the outside of the sheet metal. Mark simpson explains the process of using a hammer and dolly set to remove dents and straighten metal. It s a black art that becomes easier with practice. Start with the indirect damage and move towards the direct damage.

Assuming you have room to swing the hammer from the underside of the dent place the dolly on the top side and start tapping remember a hundred gentle taps will do far better than one big smack. Hammer off dolly is used to remove the majority of the dent. The basic technique to pounding out the dents with a hammer is to use your dolly on the low side back side. No two dents are alike so you sort of have to play it by ear to get the metal straightened.

This can also be called 16 oz. Just hammer too hard push too hard or hammer on dolly too much and you ll get bags of stretched metal. That is from the side that you are working on find the deepest part of the dent then from the other side the side opposite you put your dolly there and press outward or towards you. Or 021 inches about 05 cm.

Position the hammer dolly on the outside of the dent and your body hammer on the inside. Use your dolly to push your lows and your body hammer to tap down on the highs or vice versa. To get to the back of the dented metal you need to remove door panels or fenders. Place a metal dolly on the dented side of the metal.

On a molecular level the increased heat causes the molecules of the sheet metal to become excited. Remember stretching is easy.