sdennison wrote:
With dissimmilar materials (steel hammer and rubber anvil) the aluminum will actually shrink which is what is needed in this case to bring the aluminum dents back to the original surface. Sounds weird, I know but it actually works, as you can see.
I visited Scott this morning and quizzed him on this method of dent repair for some time. He very kindly showed me exactly how he approaches such work - in this case, a rubber sheet over a PVC block, and a very fine detail hammer (1/4" radius ends, roughly) to actually shrink the metal back (it's so easy to stretch metal and bulge it out beyond what is desired - but 'shrinking' it back to size is something I regard as black magic). He recommended checking some of Ron Covell's videos, which I did, but I'd rather see Scott show how he actually accomplishes such work (this is a giant hint/suggestion that he needs to start a Youtube channel or something equivalent).
I may be a bit forthright is saying so, but if anyone fascinated by this thread finds themselves in southeastern Wisconsin, visiting Scott's hangar is must. I feel conflicted every time I drop by - I love learning bits and pieces of his
vast metalworking knowledge, but hate stealing precious time away from his attention to projects. Very fortunately, Scott is overly generous with his time and expertise and kindly shares his wisdom - truly, a scholar and a gentleman.