The body metal of foreign cars and domestic passenger cars rarely exceeds 0.6 - 0.8 mm in thickness, therefore it is easily deformed, forming dents of various shapes. For a long time, the main method of removing dents was manual straightening, which required the dismantling of a car body part. Modern techniques allow you to repair a number of dents without dismantling and painting body parts.
How do dents appear on the body?
A dent on a passenger car can appear for a variety of reasons. The thickness and softness of the sheet steel, aluminum used for the production of body parts, is not sufficient to resist impact or pressure. The body metal of the hood, roof, trunk lid, fenders and doors is deformed:
- if you lean strongly on the car with your elbow or knee;
- from hitting road debris, stones;
- when lumps of solid snow, icicles fall from roofs;
- from blows of roadside branches;
- when hit by the door of a neighboring car;
- as a result of unsuccessful parking (with rear collisions on building blocks, pillars, walls, road barriers);
- from hooligan actions (hitting the car with a hand, foot);
- for any road accidents.
Not considering the severe damage to the body in an accident, which are accompanied by gusts of metal, a significant part of the dents are distinguished by the preservation of the paint and varnish layer. Therefore, they can be repaired without painting, partially disassembling the body equipment.
Local repair techniques
Local repair is usually called work with a separate body part, which is carried out with partial painting of the body element or without painting. Local repair is cheaper and faster than manual straightening, does not require disassembly of the body. For non-removable body parts (roof, rear fenders), local repair is preferable, since it does not require complex work - disassembling the cabin, trimming an element, welding, and assembly operations.
Basic PDR technology
The abbreviation PDR is used to abbreviate a long method name. The literal translation of the term "paintless dent removal" sounds like "paintless dent removal". The method was first applied by Mercedes body shop master Oscar Flyg, who discovered that metal can be straightened from the inside with a long spring steel lever. The lever is inserted into the technological holes of the body part through the technological holes or under the removed trim of the passenger compartment, trunk.
Since the middle of the last century, dozens of forms of levers and hooks have been developed, but the essence of the method remains the same. For deep dents, in addition to the lever, vacuum hoods are used. In the case of paint-free repair of aluminum parts, induction devices are used simultaneously with the main technique, heating aluminum with high-frequency currents.
Example of dent removal using the PDR method
Removing a large dent on the hood, no painting required.
Photo of dents
Photo of the hood after repairing the dent
Adhesive, vacuum extraction
In the case of glue drawing, "fungi", caps are glued to the dent with hot melt glue, for which the metal is pulled out with a reverse hammer. The vacuum method uses suction cups of various sizes, from under which the air is pumped out by a pump or compressor. The pressure difference between the outside and inside of the dent pushes the metal outward. After air is supplied through the valve, the suction cup is removed without damaging the paintwork.
Glue and vacuum hoods are good at straightening shallow dents of the correct shape. When straightening large dents, the techniques are combined with the basic lever haulage.
What dents cannot be "pulled out":
- if there are gusts of metal;
- dents on stampings, edges, body part edges;
- dents on thick-walled or inaccessible parts;
- chips of car enamel;
- putty places (putty peels off along with the paint).
For such damage, a spotter hood is used (requires local painting of the repaired place) or manual straightening with disassembly of the body element.
Can you fix the dent yourself?
A garage repair enthusiast can fix the dent on his own, but this will require training and certain financial costs.
Necessary:
- Purchase an expensive set of equipment for PDR.
- Train repeatedly to acquire skills on damaged doors or wings.
The artisanal methods found on the internet can do more harm than good. Repairs with a construction hair dryer, plumbing plunger, homemade or cheap suction cups do not work. Inexperienced application of such techniques causes detachment of autoenamel. In addition to a small dent, bulges appear on the body.
High-quality dent removal without painting is possible only in an equipped auto repair shop; experienced specialists should carry out the work.
There are several ways to repair dents based on the use of different tools. In this case, these works are carried out according to one principle, which consists in the fact that the body in the damaged area is subjected to physical stress. This article covers the basic alignment methods
Mechanical alignment from the inside
The use of this technology allows you to level defects without painting. In this case, vacuum hoods and levers are used. The alignment of dents on the car body in this way is based on the pressure drop.
The work consists in the fact that a lever of a suitable size, that is, reaching the defect, is placed in the technological hole of the car body and pressed on it until the damaged area returns to its original state. The return of the material to its original state is usually accompanied by a click.
The pressure must be applied carefully to prevent the metal from bending in the opposite direction. If this happens, the area can be leveled with a fluoroplastic bumper.
If the dent is close to the body opening, it can be pressurized from the inside without using a lever. However, the car body is not always damaged near the technological holes, and it can be problematic to get to the defect from the inside.
In the absence of such a possibility, the leveling of damages is carried out by one of the methods discussed below.
Magnet dent repair
It should be noted that this technology is suitable for straightening only small damages. During operation, the magnet is moved along the surface of the damaged area from the edges to the center of the dent, pulling it over itself.
Place a soft cloth under the magnet to avoid damage to the paintwork.
External alignment using adhesive technology
This method is also called vacuum, and the essence of this technology is to pull out the dent with a piston attached to the damaged area of the body with glue. However, it is possible to use non-professional devices such as suction cups.
The applicator is fixed with glue on the damaged area of the body. Upon completion of its drying, the center point of the dent is pulled out with a mini-lifter. The suction cup is used according to the same principle.
In this way, you can correct the defect, but not completely eliminate it. In addition, it is not recommended to use this technology for leveling parts with cracks, since metal delamination is possible.
In general, the glue method of straightening dents is considered one of the simplest and fastest.
Correction of a defect by thermal action
The considered method involves the use of a building hair dryer and a can of compressed air. You will also need protective equipment in the form of goggles and gloves, since work is carried out at temperatures from 300 to 650 ° C.
This technology is based on the desire to return the metal to its original state. First, the damaged area of the car body is heated with a construction hairdryer, and then cooled with a spray can (the temperature of the air emitted by it is -78 ° C).
This temperature difference leads to the return of the metal to its original state.
In some cases, if the body has large damage, this operation is carried out at several points. For a round dent, they are selected along the radius, and for an oval dent along the narrow side.
If there are rigid elements on the defective area, alignment begins with them. If the thermal effect does not allow you to completely get rid of the damage, this method is combined with tapping with a mallet.
At the same time, to protect the paintwork, the body in the place of the defect is covered with a soft rubberized material.
Percussion
This method of straightening involves the use of rubber mallets of various sizes and hooks. It is easiest to tap the damaged area on the reverse side of the defect.
At the same time, a wooden block is applied from the outside, so that bending of the metal in the opposite direction can be prevented.
If the dent is not accessible from the inside, then hooks or screws are used. These devices are inserted into pre-drilled holes in the center of the defect and pulled out. Upon completion of the work, the holes are putty or welded, then rubbed and painted.
In the absence of skills, it is advisable to test this method on some unnecessary detail.
Upon completion of percussion, the restored part or its fragment is polished. This method is usually used if the body has large dents.
Pops-a-Dent
This name is a specialized set of tools designed for leveling dents. It includes nozzles, a plastic glue bracket, and the repair is carried out as follows:
- The center of the dent is pre-degreased.
- Then the glue is heated. To do this, insert the glue stick into the gun and connect it to the electrical network.
- The glue is applied to the rubber pad and glued in a circular clockwise motion to the center of the damage.
- After 2-3 minutes, a bracket is installed on it.
- Then, with the help of a lamb, it is screwed onto the nozzle until the defect is straightened.
- Upon completion of the work, the device is not removed for 5 minutes.
Based on materials: autokuz.ru
During the operation of the car, scratches, chips and dents appear on the body. The reason for their appearance can be both negative environmental factors and careless driving. Chips and scratches are painted over. Repairs and pulling out dents on the machine are performed using various methods and devices to eliminate metal jams.
Before straightening a dent on a car with your own hands, you need to know what types of damage exist. Dents on a car have different shapes and degrees of damage. Small defects usually appear on the roof and hood of the car due to hail and small stones. Medium to large metal creases are a direct result of careless driving. Such dents on the car body can have a complex shape.
If the paint at the site of a large crease is covered with cracks and began to fall off, then, in addition to removing the dent, it will be necessary to restore the paintwork. Otherwise, on the part of the body where damage has occurred, foci of corrosion will form.
Ways to remove simple dents on a car
Repair of small dents, performs without repainting the damaged area. The defect is corrected using the PDR (paintless dent repair) technology, that is, without repainting the part being repaired. To perform work, apply:
- Magnets. Allows to compensate for minor damage to the body. a small piece of lint-free cloth is placed under the device.
- Glue applicator, the device is attached to the car body with glue. After the adhesive has dried, the specialist slightly pulls the applicator in his direction, thereby leveling the body with the hallway.
- Suction cups allow you to correct simple defects. The vacuum pulling method removes metal creases formed after small stones hit the machine, hail and icicles fall.
- Building hair dryer, with the help of a tool, eliminate defects of various shapes. Warm air is blown over the damage, after that, it is immediately doused with cold air from a can.
- Hooks. These attachments are useful for pulling out hidden parts. They get boxes, and stamping from hidden areas of the body surface.
- Bump stop. It has a cigar-like shape and is designed to align outwardly bent metal.
- Rubber hammer. A rubber backing is installed on the reverse side of the damaged area. Smooth the surface with gentle strokes. The method of removing dents on a car is applicable for both small and deep defects.
Also included in the list of required tools is the Pops a Dent defect alignment kit. It includes nozzles, a plastic bracket, glue. Repairs are performed as follows:
- The center of the damaged area is thoroughly degreased.
- The adhesive is heated. To do this, insert the glue stick into the gun and connect it to the mains.
- The heated composition is applied to a rubber nozzle, glued to the center of the damage in a circular motion.
- After 2-3 minutes, a bracket is attached to the patch.
- The staple is screwed onto the nozzle with a lamb until the defect is eliminated.
- 5 minutes after the completion of the work, the device is removed from the body.
The use of special equipment Pops a Dent is advisable in case of frequent dents on the car body. If defects of this plan appear rarely, it will be more profitable to use other technologies for pulling out damage.
How to fix a heavy dent with your own hands
To eliminate the deepest dent, impact pads of various shapes and hammers are used. Spoons are used as a counterfeit tool. They have different shapes and sizes, they are used depending on the type of damage.
In the center of the damage, the metal is thinner than at the edges. Before straightening, it is necessary to pull the iron to the center of the defect. For this, a gas burner is used. Next, the dents are aligned.
After rough leveling of the defect, it is covered with a putty.
Repairing dents with a jack
Pull out the dent of the car body with your own hands, a jack will help. The device is used to repair deep damage to the fenders of a car.
Before carrying out work, dismantle the front direction indicator and headlight. From the side of the dent, the jack rests on the heel (a rubber bar is preliminarily placed under it), the device lever should rest against the opposite edge of the opening. The operation is stopped after the defect is straightened, and the damaged area is covered with a putty.
Removing dents on a car with a reverse hammer
Correction of dents with a reverse hammer is performed when the driver has difficult access to the damaged area, or the parts to be repaired cannot be dismantled. Such repair of body dents usually requires the subsequent painting of the restored part. To straighten a dent, do the following:
- Clean, dry and degrease the surface to be repaired. Remove traces of corrosion.
- One end of the hammer is attached to the center of the damage. The operation is performed using a special suction cup or an applicator.
- Straightening is performed by gradually increasing impacts of the weight on the hammer handle.
- After completing the restoration of the outside of the body, the hammer is disconnected.
An applicator or suction cup is only effective for straightening the body if the damage is minor. In the presence of deep and complex defects, the hammer is welded to the surface, or they cling to the technological holes using special hooks.
Straightening
A process that allows you to remove a dent in a car and repair a local area of the body. The work, with a certain amount of experience and time, is carried out with their own hands according to the following algorithm:
- Wash and dry the work surface.
- Degrease the damage.
- Car body repair.
Straightening of small lesions can be carried out without subsequent staining of the damaged area. With the help of reverse hammers, hooks, a hair dryer, suction cups and applicators, rubber hammers, the defect is eliminated.
If you need to fix a deep dent on a car, accompanied by creases, peeling paintwork and metal tearing, then use the following tool:
- Hammer and anvils of various shapes and sizes.
- Spoons.
- Jack.
- File.
- Welding machine.
- Grinding device.
The anvils are applied to the outside of the indentation, and a rough leveling of the surface is carried out from the center with gentle blows. Spoons act as a substrate for a percussion instrument, but they are used to eliminate defects that have appeared in hard-to-reach places. After leveling, the area to be repaired is inspected. If there are metal breaks, they are welded together. Excess bulges are removed with a file. Next, you need to putty the body to level the working surface. The treated area is sanded, primed, painted and polished.
Correct putty
Before you putty the car body with your own hands, you need to prepare. This will help to avoid visible defects after painting the car:
- Grind and remove excess metal bulges.
- Degrease and clean the treated surface. In some cases, the operation is performed several times.
- Fill up the corrected area of damage by applying the filler evenly in several layers.
- After it dries, the surface is sanded. It is important to ensure that the putty layer is flush with the rest of the car body surface.
- Apply a primer in two layers.
- The surface is painted with a spray gun. Apply varnish and polish the surface.
Replacement of a part or part
In the presence of more serious damage, removing the dents will not help restore the integrity of the part. In this case, the body element, or its most severely damaged part, is replaced with a new one. When replacing, it is necessary to find a part identical to the one being replaced. If a certain area is replaced, then the patch is cut out of the same metal. Then it is welded to the part to be restored.
Minor damage to the body, chips, scratches and dents on the car can be repaired by yourself without repainting. The previously undamaged parts of the case are subject to restoration. If paint cracks, cracks and bends appear, repairs without painting will not work.
Removing dents after hail is a completely solvable problem for every car owner whose car has been exposed to this atmospheric phenomenon. For this, one of four methods of paintless body repair can be used. Each of them has its own advantages and disadvantages, as well as the level of complexity of their implementation. In addition, they use different tools that should be available from the masters. We will discuss these repair methods in detail below.
Existing methods for removing hail dents
The procedure for removing dents without painting is fundamentally different from body repair with restoration of paintwork. Indeed, in the case of the latter, the car body is partially disassembled, which requires a significant amount of time and effort. The process of removing dents takes place directly on the body without the need to dismantle its individual parts. Currently, specialists use four main methods:
- lever;
- glue;
- vacuum;
- thermal.
All of them relate to the so-called PDR-methods, that is, paintless dent removal methods (Paintless Dent Removal - eng.). Let's analyze each of them separately:
- Lever method- the most popular at the service station, since it involves the use of special levers. Performing repairs can sometimes be difficult because there is no way to position the levers directly under the affected areas of the machine body. In addition, often, in order to get to individual surfaces of the body, it is necessary to dismantle the interior trim elements or technological mechanisms.
- Glue method carried out with the help of special tools that literally pull the dented surface back. To do this, special caps are glued to the damaged area, which are subsequently pulled upward, and they, in turn, pull the surface of the body behind them.
- Vacuum method... This method is similar to the glue method. Its only difference is that vacuum suction cups are used instead of glued caps.
- Thermal method Removing dents after hail without painting is based on sharp heating of the damaged surface with its subsequent sharp cooling. As a result of this approach, the body is deformed and takes on its original shape. They are usually heated with a building hair dryer and cooled with compressed air.
Do not overtighten with the repair after deformation of the surface of the case, since the metal tends to remember the new shape. Therefore, the more time passes, the more difficult it will be to correct the situation. In addition, when deforming, there is a risk of damage to the paintwork. If it is not restored, then there is a threat of corrosion.
Lever dent removal hooks
This method is most common at service stations. It works best on large surfaces, located away from stiffeners... To perform the procedure, special tools are used - long levers, with one end of which they pointwise act on the dents from the inside.
If a dent has formed in a place where there is a stiffener on the inside, then there is an option when the sealant on which the amplifier is fixed is heated with the help of a construction hair dryer, after which it is folded back, giving access to the damaged surface from the inside. Further, the procedure is carried out in the same way.
Often, after straightening dents, it is necessary to polish the paintwork. You can read how to do this in.
Whole sets of dent removal levers are now commercially available. They can include from 10 to 40 (and sometimes more) different hooks and levers, with which you can remove most of the dents on the surface of the car body. However, in fairness, it should be noted that a private car owner will not need such sets. After all, they cost a lot of money, and they will have to be used, to put it mildly, rarely. Therefore, they are more suitable for professional service stations.
However, if you do have such leverage, then you can try to complete the repair procedure yourself. The process depends on the specific situation and the degree of damage, however, on average, the following algorithm is applied:
Before performing the described procedures yourself, it will be useful for you to practice on some old body parts. The process is simple, but requires some skill.
Removal of dents from hail by glue and vacuum methods
It should be noted right away that these methods can be used only if when the integrity of the paintwork is not compromised at the point of deformation... If there are chips or scratches, then you need to get rid of them. You can read how to do this on our website. The fact is that the tools described below have a strong mechanical effect on the surface, which can cause delamination of the paintwork.
To remove dents from hail with your own hands using the glue method, you need the following tools:
Dent Removal Kit
- minilifter (also called a reverse hammer);
- glue fungi (pistons) of various diameters;
- glue;
- glue heat gun;
- liquid for removing glue residues;
- hammer;
- blunt-tipped Teflon core.
Professional minilifters designed to pull dents up to 2cm in diameter are expensive. However, today there are simpler and cheaper designs on the market, which are a clamp with suction cups, which can functionally be used instead of minilifters. The price of such devices is much lower. An example is the Dent Remover set.
Technology for repairing dents without painting
One of the PDR technologies is the use of "fungi". By gluing small suction cups with a hard center but soft edges, you can quickly pull out a dent without painting. The wizard will show and tell with a visual demonstration
Removing hail dents glue method is performed according to the following algorithm:
- First, the body must be washed, and the damaged area must be degreased. This can be done using various means - alcohol or white spirit ( do not use solvents for degreasing, as they can damage the paintwork).
- Glue is applied to the piston of the required diameter, after which it is installed in the center of the recess on the body. Leave for about 10 minutes to allow the glue to dry.
- After that, you need to take a minilifter or clamp and place the other edge of the piston in its groove. First, you need to tighten the upper screw in order to exclude its free movement.
- Next, they begin to clamp the handle of the device. In this case, a smooth leveling of the surface of the damaged area of the case occurs.
- When the work is completed, the piston comes off, and the remaining glue is removed with the existing liquid.
Removing dents using the glue method
As a rule, after performing the procedures described above, a bulge remains with a depression in the center. You also need to get rid of it - using a fluoroplastic or Teflon core with a blunt tip by gently tapping on the edges of the bulge. After that, the bulge will disappear, instead, a dent with a smaller diameter will appear. To remove it, you need to follow the steps described in paragraphs 1-5 of the previous list, however using piston of smaller diameter... In some cases, the procedure will need to be carried out three or more times in a row to completely eliminate the defect on the machine body.
Professional kits have a large number of pistons of various diameters, thanks to which the craftsmen get rid of any dents. Most of the cheap sets are limited to two or three pistons, which do not make it possible to get rid of dents of small diameter.
Work vacuum method is similar in general terms to the method described above. The sequence of work will be as follows:
Using a suction cup to remove dents on the body
- Wash the surface of the car body and remove all debris and small particles from the places where the dent is located.
- Place the suction cup on the dent to be repaired.
- Lock the suction cup in place (some models have special devices that allow you to move the suction cup over the surface of the body).
- Evacuate all air between the suction cup and the body, thus ensuring a high vacuum level.
- After fixing the suction cup in place, you need to pull on it. Depending on the specific model, you can pull directly on the suction cup body, or you can rotate a special threaded handle.
- The suction cup will move and pull the surface of the machine body with it.
The vacuum method for removing hail dents is the most gentle on the paintwork of the machine... Therefore, if the paintwork of your car is not of the best quality or it has been applied for a long time, then the vacuum method will suit you better than others.
Thermal method for removing dents after hail
The leveling process in this case involves heating the damaged area of the body to a high temperature, followed by cooling, for which special means are used. It should be noted right away that exposure to high temperatures has a detrimental effect on the body paintwork. Therefore, after returning to its geometry, it is often necessary to re-paint the treated area.
A powerful building hair dryer is often used to heat the metal. And for cooling - the flow of cold air from the compressor.
When performing the procedure yourself, remember about personal precautions, as well as observance of fire safety rules.
The thermal repair method is ineffective for very large and small, but deep damage. With it, you can only get rid of medium-sized dents that have a small depth. Besides, using such a method may not always lead to the desired results... The fact is that it all depends on the thickness and grade of metal from which the car body is made. If it is thick enough, then even heating it to a significant temperature, you will not achieve a satisfactory result. Therefore, the thermal method of removing dents from hail is rarely used.
Outcomes
The first thing the owner of a car that has been damaged by hail should keep in mind is what is needed carry out repair work as quickly as possible... Metal has a "memory", due to which, after a long time, deformation will be accepted on a permanent basis, and it will be difficult to return to its original appearance.
The most convenient ways to remove dents with your own hands - it is glue and vacuum. However, to complete them, you need to buy the tools and materials described above. In addition, inexpensive dent removal kits have 2-3 pistons, which are sometimes not enough to repair small diameter damage. A the most effective method is lever... However, we do not recommend that you do it yourself without proper skill, it is better to seek help at a service station.
It turns out that many annoying dents that appear on the body of cars can be corrected. That is, the metal can return to its original shape, restore its surface, without resorting to laborious repairs followed by painting. Specialists of the service station "No dents" talk about how what can be repaired and how the repair is carried out.
What dents are repaired without painting?
The paint-free removal technology is suitable for almost any dents, on the surface of which the paintwork layer is not broken.
- If a blow or any other effect on the metal led to cracking of the paintwork, then, you understand, after leveling the crack will remain, - explains the specialist of the service station.
It also often happens that when exposed to the body with the formation of a dent, the metal stretches: in fact, its surface area in the area of the dent increases. When repairing using paint-free technology, it is impossible to compensate or eliminate the excess metal area that appears. To repair such dents, you have to resort to body repair methods, which in any case end in painting.
In addition, there are nuances of repairing dents that have formed on the repainted body surface. Especially if there is putty under the new non-factory paint layer. The fact is that when exposed to metal in order to remove a dent, a non-native paint layer or putty can crack or fall off.
- In this case, we warn the client that the paint or putty is likely to be cracked. Then, as agreed with the client, we repair it for painting, leveling the metal as much as possible, so that later you do not have to level it with an even thicker layer of putty, ”the specialist explains. - In practice, there have been cases when the 300-micron filler came off, and it also happened that the 500-micron layer was kept. It all depends on the quality of the applied layer and the elasticity of the putty.
The maintainability of a particular dent can be determined by visiting the "No dents" service station or by a photo that can be sent to specialists by email. A more precise verdict, of course, is made on the spot. In this case, the master examines the dent on the body, cleaned of dirt, in natural light or in the light of a special lamp. Also, the specialists of the "No dents" service station measure the thickness of the paint and varnish layer with a thickness gauge in order to warn the client about all the nuances of the repair and to note for themselves the peculiarities of the surface being repaired.
- Many dents can be repaired on any part of the body: doors, hoods, roofs, sills, as well as on edging, molded ribs and on roof pillars. Dents on steel and aluminum parts are repaired. However, straightening aluminum is more laborious work, - explains the specialist.
Repairing dents on aluminum parts (on the hood, for example), and even on the edges, is also possible, but it will take more time.
To remove dents, it is very important to have a good look at it and the operation of the tool used. For this, a special lamp is installed to illuminate the working area. In the rare cases where the repaired surface is too matte or has been pre-cleaned to steel, no glare or reflections can be seen, from which the dent and tool operation can be seen. And this makes it very difficult to work on paintless dent removal.
When removing dents, it is important to consider the surface from all sides and angles. You can't do without special lighting here. In the photo you see the same dent, illuminated by a special lamp and viewed from different angles.
How long does it take to repair a dent?
If the specialist answered “Yes” to the client and is ready to start straightening the dent, then the work will take at least an hour. The maximum time depends on both the size of the dents and their number. Hail dents are the easiest to repair: they are usually not accompanied by bulges and bumps on the metal surface.
If the damage is complex, large (more than 10 cm on one side) and its removal will take more than an hour, then, if possible, the body part is removed. It is more convenient to repair dents on doors and hoods when this part is on the table. Then you can get close to it from different sides, at different angles. In addition, the dent itself is much more convenient to view and easier to control the effect of the tool on the metal.
What tool is used for paint-free dent removal?
There are at least three technologies for removing dents without painting, and all of them are used at the "No dents" workshop. The first, invented in Germany (at the Mercedes-Benz plant), is the straightening of dents with special hooks.
For quality repairs, original hooks from German and American manufacturers are used.
- This hook cost about 180 USD. (now it is cheaper), this one - 250 USD. - says the specialist, demonstrating the tools used to remove dents. - Special hooks made by the German company Nussle. They are handcrafted from Damascus steel, which is why they are so tough and durable.
Interestingly, there are no identical Nussle hooks. Due to handcraft, the length and bending angle are always slightly different.
Hooks are not used for yanking, but for applying pressure to the dent from the inside. The hooks work as a lever and twist. There are several types of hooks that differ in length and profile. For example, there are hooks with flat rods - these are convenient for picking up the dent between the body reinforcement and the sheet of its cladding panel. There are also special hooks that adjust the position of the handle relative to the rod. The handle can be fixed in any of 16 positions, making it convenient to press on a dent, which has formed, for example, on the surface of a door.
Using the hook, you can get to the inside of the dent and gradually remove (level) it by pressing on the metal with the tip of the hook.
To repair simple dents on a door, you can usually do without dismantling it and removing the skin. But in this case, they must resort to protecting the glass: it is glued with masking tape and a protective plastic screen is installed. If the dent on the door is difficult, then for a high-quality result the specialists of the No Dents Service Station remove the door and remove its lining (door card) in order to be able to conveniently get to the dent from the inside.
Simple dents on the doors can be removed without first dismantling the door itself and its trim. However, experts resort to measures aimed at protecting the glass from scratches that may appear when using a hook.
Hooks can be used to align dents on bumpers. Here the process is exactly the same: you need to act on the dent from the inside. But to give the plastic elasticity, it is heated with an industrial hair dryer during the leveling process.
A special hook for removing dents that have appeared over the reinforcements of the body elements.
Fungus repair
Dents often form on specific surfaces such as roof pillars, especially around the edges of the windshield, and sills. The dents on these parts are hardly accessible with hooks. Then "fungi" or "caps" come to the rescue.
The essence of the technology of paint-free removal of dents by fungi is that this fungus sticks to the surface of the dent, then a reverse hammer is attached to it and the dent is “tapped out”. The glue that is used to fix the fungus is then removed with an alcohol solvent and no traces remain on the paintwork. Here again it is worth mentioning that such a repair is hardly applicable to putty surfaces.
"Fungi, or caps, are temporarily glued to the surface to be leveled.
- In any case, pulling out dents with fungi is a rather rough job, it does not always lead to an ideal result, - explains the specialist of the service station "No dents". - Sometimes, if possible, you have to finish the surface with hooks. Fungus is very good for removing hail dents.
Blending
Often, dents formed on convex body surfaces, such as the front edge of the bonnet, are surrounded by bumps: a kind of bulge where the metal has risen and arched when the dent is formed. In this case, it is necessary to resort to the so-called blending: upsetting of the bumps, which also leads to the removal of the dent. If necessary, blending can be combined with hook repair.
Settling is performed with special fluoroplastic cores: the tip of the core is placed against the bulge, then a blow is applied to the core with a special stick - a steamer. By such tapping, the bumps are driven to the dent.
Can you fix the dent yourself?
Unlikely. We have already announced the cost of the tool. Yes, experts have popular hooks, but for a flexible approach to repair, you need to have a set of 8-12 pieces.
Experience and qualifications are also important. You need to properly consider the dent, understand its features and know where to start "lifting" the metal. An inexperienced person immediately wants to "snap off" the dent with one click. An experienced specialist begins to probe the metal and dent with a crochet hook, as if massaging it. And it removes it gradually. Experience is important here.
For correct and high-quality removal of dents, you need to have both the right tool and experience.
- We had dents in our work that people somehow tried to fix on their own, nothing good came of it. The dent and the metal around it were damaged. We had to put in much more effort to achieve a good result, - says the specialist of the service station "No dents". “We ourselves came to the job of removing dents not by trial and error, but learned this skill at the PDR training center.
We would like to thank the specialists of the service station "No dents" for the conversation.
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Evgeny Dudarev
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