Autobody guys quick question

[Scottsdale10]

Okay so i know it's probably a stupid question but hey got to ask. I know quite a bit about autobody and have done a little bit of it of it but am still new and just a hobbyist. Right now i have a set of dollies which i have used a little off and on but the problem is i don't have a good hammer, right now i have just been using a ball peen hammer is this a bad thing? I'll buy a good hammer as soon as i can but will this work in the mean time?

 

[Pro-Painter]

You wouldn't use a rubber mallet to drive a nail, would you?

With that said, I learned how to do body work with a ball peen. Mostly by turning a crease into a fillable dent LOL. You learn to be creative when your young and broke.

You can pick up a hammer and dolly set from HF for $30 that will be light years ahead of the ball peen. You will be able to do good repairs and not just "make it work". If your even a little be serious about auto body work then you need to get at least the HF set. If not you will do nothing but learn the wrong way to do repairs, and learn bad habits (like I did)


If your willing to spend more then $30, check out the Eastwood professional hammer/dolly set for $99. It is a fantastic set for the price.

 

[Scottsdale10]

I'm an unemployed high school kid btw... I know it is obviously the wrong tool for the job but i was wondering if i could make it work just fixing dents on my truck

 

[afazz]

As said above, sure a ball pein hammer will work, and many body pros learned using ball pein hammers and framing hammers.

You could pick up a single Martin body hammer for about $25-30 depending on the shape. In my opinion, 1-2 Martin hammers would be better than a whole set of Eastwood.

I recommend the 153G hickory handle cross chisel hammer
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000YOSMO8/?tag=atomicindus08-20

Or the 168G
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001GUUWU6/?tag=atomicindus08-20

Also check out the Mechanics Time Savers brand hammers. They are Asian copies of the Martin shapes with some minor improvements, overall I would say they're nice quality and generally a few dollars cheaper. I think these are the same hammers that Matco is selling for twice the price.

 

[countryroad82]

+2 on Martin hammers. I will admit when I started out I used a ball peen/ framing hammer/ brick hammer combo. I later upgraded to a HFish set that was the berries until I got my first Martin, which I have gotten more since then. Really and truly I use a cross chisel curved (don't know the part number) more than anything. But that is my personal preferance. If you are just knocking out some dents in your truck to get the feel of bodywork though your current setup will get you by I would think for now.

 

[cglasgow]

Check out this book, if you haven't already:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002S4Y7RS/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[78Bird]

ball peens are for metal work, and are a good thing to have in the arsenal, but you'll want to get more hammers of various shapes.

 

[Jagmandave]

You also need something you can use as a dolly (or an actual dolly), just beating on the metal isn't really going to do any good....

My first set was the Harbor Freight stuff, and I still use it - it will be worlds better than what you have now, and you can start learning the right way to work the metal - spend some time on YouTube, there are lots of good vids on how to do it right.

Make an investment in yourself, buy some tools and learn how to do it right, not just "good enough" or "OK for now"...

 

[fordcragar]

Body hammers usually have a radius on the face, ball peen and most other hammers don't, they are flat. So if you are just trying to beat the hell out of the metal, almost anything will do. If you are trying to straighten and metal finish, it would be best to get some good tools.

 

[Outlawmws]

There are Ball Peins and there are Ball Peins ...

As was mentioned, a body hammer will (generally) have a slight radius on the face. This radius is VERY slight. Some Ball Pein hammers have flat faces, some do not...

Take a hard look at yours and decide if you are wiling to mod (sacrafice) it a bit. You can hand grind a convex surface with patience and determination and some wet or dry paper, or some coarse lapping compound/grinding grit in a slurry. Best if you find something with a slightly concave surface to grind into. Maybe the bottom of a coffee cup? unno: look around and think out of the box.

How big is the hammer and it's face? do you have access to a 4-1/2" angle grinder to get the shape started?

Many guys modify, or even make hammers from scratch. modding an existing hammer should be easier.

 

[Danglerb]

Your going to spend a LOT of hours using the tools, how little can your time be worth if $30 for a set of proper basic tools is too much?

 

[Outlawmws]

I'm an unemployed high school kid btw... I know it is obviously the wrong tool for the job but i was wondering if i could make it work just fixing dents on my truck

Your going to spend a LOT of hours using the tools, how little can your time be worth if $30 for a set of proper basic tools is too much?

Sometimes time is all you have available to invest...

 

[Notwerk]

Sometimes time is all you have available to invest...

Quoted for truth.

 

[Danglerb]

Sometimes time is all you have available to invest...

http://www.mcstate.com/careers/

 

[Pro-Painter]

In my opinion, 1-2 Martin hammers would be better than a whole set of Eastwood.

.

Just an FYI, The Eastwood professional hammer & dolly set is designed by Martin for Eastwood. They are almost exact copies of the martin fiberglass handle hammers, with the only real difference being they are imported (Taiwan), and less then half price.

Eastwood set

Eastwood dose offer a cheaper rubber handle hammer set that is nothing more then the same re-branded china **** HF and everyone else sells. But their professional set is about as good as it gets for a good price.

 

[Caleb T]

http://www.mcstate.com/careers/

That's uncalled for IMO....

Like has been said, if you can swing it, spend 25-35 on either 1 or a cheaper set of hammers. I think you will be happy with the result!

 

[Hammer1963]

Send me a PM and I will set you up. Trust me on this.

 

[sevt_chevelle]

www.daggertools.com

Nothing but high quality tools

 

[wannab20hatch]

I work in a body shop and hammer on a daily/hourly basis and after looking around at different hammers I ended up with snap on hammers. I didnt like the feel of rubber/fiberglass hammers so the snap on hickory handles fit the bill. Bit pricey at about 60 +/- per hammer but lifetime warranty makes it worth it a little more. IMO