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That 5 minute trick with a heat gun I was skipping

I used to hammer out dents on quarter panels for an hour. Then last Tuesday my coworker Jeff walks over with a heat gun. He hit the dent for maybe 2 minutes before working it. Panel came out smooth in under 10 minutes. I had been making cold metal fight me for years. Has anyone else got a simple step they kept skipping that saves real time?

2 comments

2 Comments

nina_lane161d ago

Heat gun on aluminum too or just steel? I tried it once and ended up warping a thin piece because I held it too long in one spot. Now I only use it for softening old seam sealer or glue. For actual dent work I still stick to wet sanding with a block and then hitting it with a stud welder and slide hammer. Less chance of messing up the metal if you take your time.

black.mark1d ago

Watch the heat gun trick on aluminum only if you're trying to shrink a stretched area on something thick like a bumper. For body panels, that's asking for trouble. @nina_lane16, your stud welder method is safer, but have you ever tried dry ice on aluminum? You lay a bag of dry ice over the dent and let it sit for 20 minutes, then tap the high spots from behind. The thermal shock pops a lot of shallow dents back without you ever touching a gun or a welder.