I read an article in one of the street rod mags about metal work and they were very big on using a friction disk for shrinking body panels back to their original shape. Very little filler, for most of us, is used.
Anybody use this technique?
I have a couple of small bump-outs here and there that will have to be taken down, not pushed back out, like a dent, and using a shrinking technique is what I need, and need to learn.
TIA
Allen

one of the guys on here has a video he sells on metal work that he shows how to do this and how to make you'r own shrinking disk. search for john kelly... here you go http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showtopic=67022

Thanks for referral. I better make an order.
Still curious, anybody else use this technique. Would like some input from a diy.
Allen

Yes I have one and use it ocassionally. It works, it works you, it works the metal. Find an old door to practice on, you'll get the hang of it pretty quick. The only time I had trouble with it was on an aluminum hood that had an oil can in it. THAT was a bitch, but it wasn't the shrinking discs fault. Oh and be aware this is NOT a mgical tool thatremoves all ripples with one pass. It does take a while, but then quality work is rarely quick

I've got one of John Kelleys disks and it's fricking amazing.

In the old days I'd beat the dent out and then beat the stretched metal in to oilcan the stretched area of the dent in. Then I'd bondo it.

Now I beat the dent out and shrink the stretched part.

It can take a little time and you need to be careful of the spinning disk but I have used it on an old bumper that was very beat up and it takes care of that thick metal that can be difficult to smooth. I'm going to play around with it to see if I can use it on the inside of a chrome bumper without messing up the chrome.

Ken

John Kelly posted not too long ago and included a link to a few of his video clips on youtube. One had a pretty good bit on using the shrinking disc.

Bingo, found it:
Thread here:
http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showtopic=86004

Youtube link here:
http://youtube.com/user/GullWingInn

Ken,

What do you mean with the term "oilcan"? I have heard it used before but
I don't know what it means.

Thanks,
Jule

I have experience with a metal-shrinking hammer. I don't recommend it, I could never get it to do what I wanted. The disk should work better because it works with heat.

AN oilccan is a large low impression that springs back when pushed on like the bottom of an olskool oil can ( kinker can ). Oil cans are notoriously difficulkt to remove because the ,metal is stretched over a fairly large area compared to a typical dent. On the aluminum hood I referenced you could actually watch the oilcanned area move all over the hood when the heat was applied. I was trying to use the shrinking disc on the top side of the hood to no avail. After a few hours I e-mailed a well known metal master with my problem. Before I got his reply I thought to try the disc on the INSIDE of the hood and viola !! The funny part is he replied to my email that night and informed me he had had that very same problem on the same type of car 2 years ago. Made me feel good that Ron Covell had the same stumbling point I did and had the same solution I did Insert swelled head smilie here