Bodywork

This how I work out a minor dent

This is a sun visor for a 1958 Chevy 2door wagon

First I start out with getting the supplies that I will need out

This the visor with the dent, I can feel it but not see it

Take a hard block and slide it across the surface with 40 grit paper and it will show you where the dents are

this is what it looks like after it is sanded

this is the hammer and dolly that I will be using, you want to find a hammer and dolly that fits the contour of the original part

Harbor Freight, Eastwood, or Autobody toolmart has all different kinds of hammers and dolly's

This is called a hammer off technique, you hold the dolly under the low spot and you hammer on the high spot pushing the high spot down moving the metal from high to low

taking the sand paper again check the flatness of the panel, You can work it out to be next to perfect but with time constraints a little filler is OK

I like using Evercoat Rage filler, there is all different kinds out there but I like the flow of this one

I use a stir stick to get the filler out and then another one to mix the hardener in

The rule is one inch to a golf ball size

I have learned that it differs depending on weather if it is cold a little more and if it is hot a bit less

I then mix it up with a stir stick and then take the spreader and mix back and forth to get all the air bubbles out

I use a metal spreader that made with spring steel, it flexes good and you can sand it clean or wipe it with lacquer thinner to clean it

Try to spread it on as smooth as you can, go past where the dent is so you can feather it in

I wait until it is a bit dry but not fully hard, this way the filler sands really easy, If you sand to soon it will load up on the paper

If you sand to late the filler will be hard and will take you a lot more effort to get the same results

Sand paper is cheap compared to labor

As you can see I'm sanding a bit to soon, but with a brass brush you can clean out the filler really easy

you can see the size of the dust, it is much easier to sand when it is in this state

As I'm sanding I'm looking at the color changes where it is sanded and not, this will show me the low and high spots

As I sand the evercoat filler down you can see it slowly feathering out

next I will use spruce lacquer spray paint as a guide coat

a guide coat is a visual coat that you can see a difference while you sand

You do not have to put a lot of paint on but enough that you can see

Now I switch to a longer block and 80 grit sand paper

this one is from Autobodytoolmart.com there are rods that you can pull out to make it more flexible for rounded surfaces like a VW Beetle hood or fender

Here you can see a couple of swipes with the long-block and you can see the 40 grit sand scratches

I will keep on sanding until the guide coat is all off or I hit a high spot, If I hit metal I will have to stop and apply more filler

Due to the fact that I'm working with lacquer I do not have to sand all of the guide coat off

this is with it sanded and the filler feathered out

as you can see the guide coat is sanded all off and the panel is smooth ready to go

Now it is off to primer

I hope that you learned something from this, If you want to see more of what I do Come check me out at Blog TV and The Airbrush forum