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body hammer and dollie basics?

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emeraldcoupe

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if possible,can someone lay down the basics of body hammer/dollies, like when to use what hammer/dollie ( bumping hammer, pick and finish hammer, reverse curve hammer, utility dolly, double end dolly, shrinking dolly, curve dolly) and a pic of each one,please.lol ? i'm just getting started in using them and some guidance would be great.thanks!
 
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sevt_chevelle

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Well as for dollies you choose a dolly that matches the contour of the panel, doesn't matter if it's a heel dolly or rail dolly. Never pick a dolly that has a lower crown or is flatter then the panel as it will flatten out the panel. Pick a dolly with too much crown and it can stretch the metal out pretty quickly and create a high spot. Pick a dolly that matches the crown or curve the best erroring on the high side.

I don't use shrinking hammers or dollies they are simply a gimmick tool and IMO can cause some severe damage that can't be fixed.

A bumping hammer is typically just a heavier headed hammer used to initially start the repair. A finishing hammer being lighter in weight is used to do finish work on the dent.

Pick tools are used in the final stages to bring up low spots. Used correctly they are a great tool, used incorrectly you will have a severely damaged panel. The sharper the point the smaller the spot it will raise but increase the potential for damage.

This should help you out some

http://www.chevelles.com/forums/showthread.php?t=333455&page=2

I have probably close to 200 different hammers and dollies and use only about 4 dollies and maybe about 3 hammers and don't use those very much as I use a slap per in place of the hammer...Eric
 
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E

emeraldcoupe

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sevt_chevelle said:
Well as for dollies you choose a dolly that matches the contour of the panel, doesn't matter if it's a heel dolly or rail dolly. Never pick a dolly that has a lower crown or is flatter then the panel as it will flatten out the panel. Pick a dolly with too much crown and it can stretch the metal out pretty quickly and create a high spot. Pick a dolly that matches the crown or curve the best erroring on the high side.

I don't use shrinking hammers or dollies they are simply a gimmick tool and IMO can cause some severe damage that can't be fixed.

A bumping hammer is typically just a heavier headed hammer used to initially start the repair. A finishing hammer being lighter in weight is used to do finish work on the dent.

Pick tools are used in the final stages to bring up low spots. Used correctly they are a great tool, used incorrectly you will have a severely damaged panel. The sharper the point the smaller the spot it will raise but increase the potential for damage.

This should help you out some

http://www.chevelles.com/forums/showthread.php?t=333455&page=2

I have probably close to 200 different hammers and dollies and use only about 4 dollies and maybe about 3 hammers and don't use those very much as I use a slap per in place of the hammer...Eric
Click to expand...

thanks. so by the looks of it, the dolly is used on the back of the panel and the hammer on the front. is that a personal thing or is that the way it's done? hope that doesn't sound dumb,lol.
 
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bobadame

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You can do it either way but it makes more sense to work from the side that will be seen. An exception to this would be a reverse curve. In this case you would use the dolly on the outside.
 
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sevt_chevelle

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Not a personal thing, dolly is placed on the backside, been the standard since repairing dents in car bodies started. Although at times you might need to hit the metal from the backside with a hammer, just kinda depends on what the situation calls for to complete the job....Eric
 
A

Agent1320

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Texas
Tons of videos on youtube. I suggest you bust out the popcorn and get comfortable. John Kelly's videos are very informative as are many others. Get on metalmeet.com and poke around, lots of info there from the best folks in metalshaping.

A basic hammer & dolly set is a good way to start out, but there are tons of different types of hammers and dollies and other tools out there. Each one has a specific use.

I'm not a body guy, but I'm a metalshaper. It's a major learning process, and I learn more everytime I go mash some metal. You have to know what's going to happen to the metal when you try to reshape it. You have to be able to analyze the damaged area and know where to start out. I've seen tons of people just start beating on a dent, even with the proper tools, only to end up making the problem worse because they didn't know how the metal moves.

Now stop reading this and go watch some videos.
 
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jf781

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darkk said:
Really? You probably never acquired the knack to use them properly.
Click to expand...

I've seen sevt_chevelle's work on another site. He knows his stuff and I would trust what he says.
 
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sevt_chevelle

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darkk said:
Really? You probably never acquired the knack to use them properly.
Click to expand...

It's not an issue of not knowing how to use a shrinking hammer and dolly, its an issue of choosing not to use them because superior methods of shrinking metal exist that don't mar the metal...Eric
 
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MP&C

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Leonardtown, MD
darkk said:
Really? You probably never acquired the knack to use them properly.
Click to expand...


I think the biggest difference is bodywork vs metal finishing. The shrinking hammers and dollys may work, but they also lock you into using body filler due to the damage they inflict. If you were to use a standard hammer and dolly (i.e.: flat) in an attempt to remove the waffle marks, you just stretched things back out again. There are plenty of other shrinking methods that leave the panels flat for less to no filler needed.
 
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