How To Hammer And Dolly Sheet Metal

Classic car and truck rest.

How to hammer and dolly sheet metal.

Using our body hammers and hand dolly s we make it look brand new again. Understanding how metal deforms is the first step toward straightening it. Using care and finesse he then begins to tap the metal from the other side using the hard steel dolly as a backing plate for the hammer blows. The idea was that if the hammered metal went up it was being stretched and if it went down it had shrunk.

Mark simpson explains the process of using a hammer and dolly set to remove dents and straighten metal. You have to adjust your mind to the concept that when you hammer on sheet metal with a steel hammer onto a steel dolly or anvil that you will expand or increase the surface area by thinning the metal. You can also work off the dolly hitting the edge to shape the metal. It s important to do so with caution as today s sheet metal is thinner than it used to be.

The test was to hammer on dolly on one spot and measure what happened. The hammer and dolly method is probably the easiest repair technique for dents but it requires that you have access to both sides of the panel being repaired. Position the hammer dolly on the outside of the dent and your body hammer on the inside. Hold the dolly tight to the panel maximizes the hit a loose hold allows the dolly to bounce reducing how much the metal stretches.

However newer cars have many areas that do not allow you to use the hammer and dolly method. You also have to grasp the fact that you can reduce the area of sheet metal by thickening it. There are two techniques when using hammer and dolly hammer off dolly and hammer on dolly. How you strike the hammer and how you hold the dolly all affects the results of the work.

You ll always want to begin by hammering from the center most or deepest point of the dent.