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Blacksmith and Metalworking Forum
dent removal
This is a discussion on dent removal within the Problem Solving forums, part of the Blacksmithing category; I'm going a little nuts trying to figure out a way to remove dents from a 14 Ga welded steel ...
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08-21-2006, 03:04 AM
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 dent removal
I'm going a little nuts trying to figure out a way to remove dents from a 14 Ga welded steel hollowbody. It's all closed up so i can't get tools inside. Everytime i heat an area, adjacent areas distort. If a torch is used to weld over the low spots, new low spots appear right next to the spot. If a rod is welded to the low spot, which is heated and pulled, it makes the immediate area better ( except for the nipple formed) but the warpage in the adjacent area gets worse. When a nearby high spot is tapped down, the HAZ next to the weld is annealed and subsequently sinks more than the high spot. When the weld is ground flatter, thin spots are formed which distort when anything near them is heated. OK , I'll admit it...i was pretty nuts to begin with, but what i'm doing isn't helping...any ideas? Clang  |
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08-21-2006, 08:37 AM
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The bodyshop next door, uses a heatgun and an ice cube to remove hail dents from cars and doesn't even damage the paint. They just heat the spot and rub an ice cube on the dent till it pops back out.
__________________ Irnsrgn Knowledge must be shared or it lies dead in the mind. The Blacksmith must use Hammer and Flame to force the iron down the path of his own choosing. I usually find it much easier to be wrong once in while than to try to be perfect. |
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08-21-2006, 09:36 PM
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Wow, Jr that sounds cool.
__________________ Founder and first member of the SBA, The Space Blacksmith's Association! |
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08-22-2006, 09:43 PM
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How solidly is it closed up, could you heat the entire thing and let the internal pressure pop the dent out? TAKE SAFETY PRECAUTIONS! Thomas
__________________ Thomas |
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08-30-2006, 03:13 AM
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Hi Thomas; I've tried that on other hollowbodies , ala Elizabeth Brim, tried water pressure too. It doesn't work as well as i imagined. I've also tried spot heating a low spot while the vessel was under pressure ( hairy) and that wasn't very successful either. This piece is pretty complex and has sections of varying thicknesses and compound curvatures, and it isn't completely closable. Irnsrgn; Neat! Never heard of that. I'll try it. Is it just for slight dents or will it work on more severe ones? How hot do they get it? Any idea of the mechanism behind why it works? There was a guy selling a system that used rare earth magnets on the outside and round hardened steel balls inside to iron out the dents on brass musical instruments..but that's a thin, softer metal. Wonder if i could do the same thing with an electro-magnetic dolly and a foot switch? Clang |
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