We took a short break from the wagon as we were getting set up for a metalshaping class at the shop a couple weeks ago. Here's some highlights..

Our guest instructor this year was Pat Brubaker of Custom Rides in Hastings Nebraska. We focused on minimal tools this year. A largely forgotten tool that is (was) seen in many shops is the arbor press. Pat has developed a die set to use in the arbor press that makes it an invaluable tool to have in your metalshaping arsenal.




This video shows tuck shrinking, much the same as using the stump, but here using less impact for less stress added to the panel..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUQghpUVohU

Pete Hagan brought some 2002 BMW front fenders to practice with, one having a noticeable dent in the front..



Here we match up one of the dies to match the crown of the rear of the fender, and try our hand at removing a dent using the arbor press.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oI9U0YJS9E

It did a good job of removing the majority of the damage, and more importantly, without adding any more stretch. Minimal work at this point would have this ready for paint.

We also discussed various pattern techniques, and the benefits realized with each one. One of the class participants, Laser with a Z, had brought a 1961 Impala front valance to duplicate, as it had many rust issues.



Some of the rust issues were filled with clay in order to get a more accurate pattern.

Flexible shape patterns show better the amount of shape in the panel, and paper patterns were used to get an accurate read on panel material size.





The replacement panel was made in two pieces and welded together. Laser did a nice job of welding, note the consistent width in the HAZ for minimal distortion..



Comparison: