Every single time that I have EVER tried to knock a dent out of something it winds up looking like a bag of walnuts.
This is an artist at work here.
Bustednuckles
Documenting The Death Of America
Every single time that I have EVER tried to knock a dent out of something it winds up looking like a bag of walnuts.
This is an artist at work here.
I need to do that to a 1914 Studebaker Touring grill shell.
And cowling, rear pan, add structure and a frame and driveline and other small stuff.
Used to have to straighten the tin on a lot of the tractors I worked on just to get to the wiring and plumbing. Bunch of hammers homemade dollies and lots of violence Farmers weren’t going to pay for bodywork so the work was on my dime. Usually the nose sides and doors could be pounded back to function in half hour or so sometimes it came out nice enough to put some paint on it Always appreciated a talented master who could shape metal to perfection.
It’s a marketable skill. As you can see, you have to make the right-shaped hammer/dollies, have patience, and a light touch. The right tools ALWAYS makes it easier.
Just like wallboard taping/mudding/sanding/finishing, I ain’t got the talent. I’ll stick to computer programming, electronics, mechanics, plumbing, roofing, framing, and concrete/brickwork. At least I can do THOSE. Saved me a buncha bucks, it has.
Being patient is 30 percent of the repair, and he did it right.
Being patient was never part of my being I had hammers up to 20lbs a 50 pound elevator weight and a 100 ton press submission and compliance was the rule. It worked or else. Somehow it usually worked and I made a living in the middle of nowhere but I could never go back to doing it again
I found it not as hard as I first thought. my uncle did bodywork/sheet metal
and he taught me a few tricks. one was to make you dollies to match the work.
keep your tools cold. keep your old files, they make great “slappers”
he had a few tool boxes full of weird shaped body tools.
he also used sand boxes for the “weird” shapes.
Bondo was only used to skim coat the work. if need be.
it was a bit weird to see a sheet metal shop with a old Jag or MGA in the back getting work done on them. he only did body work as a filler when the kitchen work was slow. he was a left hand painter as he said himself. but he sure to shape metal. so, he had a buddy with a body shop do the painting after he banged it into shape. I still have a few of his homemade tools.
funny thing, he had 3 boys and not one of them wanted to learn how to do that kind of work.
Got to give credit to that incredible old iron. That looks like a 1932 Ford grill…Henry’s steel could be bent and bent and bent. We used to be a proper country!
Knew a few guys who were expert Tin Benders back in my racing days. It was amazing to watch them, and the good ones would explain things to you as they did them.
Need to remake that vid without the music. I need a new ringtone.
My uncle Charlie was an expert at this & he was born with only one arm.
A 200 year old tool & die maker I once worked with called those talented enough to do this a “Tinker”. I place it right up there with the real gold-leaf lettering they used on fire trucks decades ago.