On Thu, 04 Jun 2015 19:06:12 +0700, John B.
wrote:

On Wed, 03 Jun 2015 22:19:07 -0700, mike wrote:

I have an old MacBook aluminum laptop that got dropped on a corner.
I'd like to beat the dent out of it so the lid will close properly.
It's some kind of drawn aluminum can...I think...
Model number suggests it's not the titanium model.

Here's what it looks like.

http://i.imgur.com/ApOjfl4.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/yRQFVR1.jpg

Hope the image links work.

I can, with considerable difficulty, remove the guts and the
casting around the battery hole.
But there are still some brackets welded to the aluminum
on both sides of the corner.

I can fabricate some wooden forms to recreate the corner.
First question is, "should I try to press it into shape,
or ballistically deform it with a hammer?"

Other suggestions?

It's not worth spending any money to do this.
It's just a learning opportunity.

You might want to anneal that corner before you try to take the dent
out. I find that often when aluminum is formed that there is some work
hardening and it is useful to soften the aluminum. It is easy to do,
just paint the area with a marker - permanent or white board - and
then heat the area with a torch until the marker goes away. Don't get
excited and decide that if a little heat is good more might be better,
it isn't, but it isn't rocket science either.

Then I would either press or pound the dent out. Some kind of dolly
and planishing hammer might be a good scheme but a smooth ball peen
will probably work.

It's an APPLE. carve out a negative of the case, with the repaired
corner, out of some strong material. Put half an oz or so of C4 in the
case, clamp the negative mold tightly anround the case and detonate.
That should push the dent out - and since APPLE equipment is so
extra-ordinarily robust, it shouldn't do any harm to the computer ---
(tongue firmly planted in cheek)