Shrinking is more difficult.
How to hammer out dents in aluminum sheet.
Just hammer too hard push too hard or hammer on dolly too much and you ll get bags of stretched metal.
Start by lightly tapping the deepest part of the panel with the hammer slowly working the dent out to the dolly.
The basic technique to pounding out the dents with a hammer is to use your dolly on the low side back side.
The dolly which is a block of metal shaped like a bar of soap keeps the hammer banging on a flat surface.
This can also be called 16 oz.
On a molecular level the increased heat causes the molecules of the sheet metal to become excited.
One involves using a blow dryer or a paint stripper which emits heat to warm the metal of the dent.
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.
Remember stretching is easy.
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.
This stops the hammer from making any sharp indentations in the metal which are difficult to repair.
It s a black art that becomes easier with practice.
Select a copper sheet that is as thin as possible but still works for your job.
To get to the back of the dented metal you need to remove door panels or fenders.
Hammer off dolly is used to remove the majority of the dent.
Use your dolly to push your lows and your body hammer to tap down on the highs or vice versa.
You ll hammer against the dolly as it stabilizes the taps made inside the dented surface from the outside of the sheet metal.
Use the body hammer on the other side to bang on the dent.
Start with the indirect damage and move towards the direct damage.
For ease of hammering choose a 24 gauge thickness for your copper sheeting.
The thinner the copper sheeting the easier it will accept the indentations of your hammer.
Or 021 inches about 05 cm.
No two dents are alike so you sort of have to play it by ear to get the metal straightened.
Do not make big hits light taps are better.
Then find the ripple in the metal out from that dent.
Hammer off dolly should be used until the final straightening stages.
Position the hammer dolly on the outside of the dent and your body hammer on the inside.
Understanding how metal deforms is the first step toward straightening it.
Place a metal dolly on the dented side of the 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.
