It gets into everything. Always have to sweep it up, but today I loved it.

I decided it was time to pound that dent out of the cover on that motor. I
wasn't looking for pretty. Just functional. I picked up a 16 oz ball peen
hammer and walked outside looking for something to put the cover on before
covering that big dent with a punch of smaller dents in the opposite
direction. I didn't want to distort the shape of the cover too much in the
process. I threw it on the ground in the sand and worked it over with a
hammer for only a couple minutes, and the dent came right out with no real
distortion of the cover. The sand gave under the blow of the hammer, but
supported the cover firmly where the hammer wasn't falling.

I wish I had taken a before picture now. I could probably get it smoother
even. This cover is made out of decent sheet steel and it works nicely. I
stopped when it looked good enough to clear anything I need to put under it.

Some days small success are all it takes to make me happy.

http://img192.imageshack.us/img192/5...motorcover.jpg

Its not pretty, but I can live with it.

Bob La Londe wrote:

(...)

http://img192.imageshack.us/img192/5...motorcover.jpg

Its not pretty, but I can live with it.

Heck, that is paintable, even.

Nice!

--Winston

In article ,
"Bob La Londe" wrote:

It gets into everything. Always have to sweep it up, but today I loved it.

I decided it was time to pound that dent out of the cover on that motor. I
wasn't looking for pretty. Just functional. I picked up a 16 oz ball peen
hammer and walked outside looking for something to put the cover on before
covering that big dent with a punch of smaller dents in the opposite
direction. I didn't want to distort the shape of the cover too much in the
process. I threw it on the ground in the sand and worked it over with a
hammer for only a couple minutes, and the dent came right out with no real
distortion of the cover. The sand gave under the blow of the hammer, but
supported the cover firmly where the hammer wasn't falling.

Now take two heavy pieces of leather, insert sand and sew closed. My
archaic armor making friend used that a lot, set on top of the anvil.
His was perhaps an 8" disc, perhaps an inch thick.

--
Cats, coffee, chocolate...vices to live by
Please don't feed the trolls. Killfile and ignore them so they will go away.

"Ecnerwal" wrote in message
...
In article ,
"Bob La Londe" wrote:

It gets into everything. Always have to sweep it up, but today I loved
it.

I decided it was time to pound that dent out of the cover on that motor.
I
wasn't looking for pretty. Just functional. I picked up a 16 oz ball
peen
hammer and walked outside looking for something to put the cover on
before
covering that big dent with a punch of smaller dents in the opposite
direction. I didn't want to distort the shape of the cover too much in
the
process. I threw it on the ground in the sand and worked it over with a
hammer for only a couple minutes, and the dent came right out with no
real
distortion of the cover. The sand gave under the blow of the hammer, but
supported the cover firmly where the hammer wasn't falling.

Now take two heavy pieces of leather, insert sand and sew closed. My
archaic armor making friend used that a lot, set on top of the anvil.
His was perhaps an 8" disc, perhaps an inch thick.

A shallow round depression in the end of a log slice works well too. I
carved the depression with the tip of a chainsaw, walking around the log to
emulate a lathe. If you don't care about preserving the surface finish the
end of a large pipe or the depression in the center of a disk brake rotor is
good enough. The hammer stretches the metal, it doesn't have to press it
against the bottom of the hole unless you need an exact shape.

jsw

Jim Wilkins wrote:
"Ecnerwal" wrote in message
...

In article ,
"Bob La Londe" wrote:


It gets into everything. Always have to sweep it up, but today I loved
it.

I decided it was time to pound that dent out of the cover on that motor.
I
wasn't looking for pretty. Just functional. I picked up a 16 oz ball
peen
hammer and walked outside looking for something to put the cover on
before
covering that big dent with a punch of smaller dents in the opposite
direction. I didn't want to distort the shape of the cover too much in
the
process. I threw it on the ground in the sand and worked it over with a
hammer for only a couple minutes, and the dent came right out with no
real
distortion of the cover. The sand gave under the blow of the hammer, but
supported the cover firmly where the hammer wasn't falling.

Now take two heavy pieces of leather, insert sand and sew closed. My
archaic armor making friend used that a lot, set on top of the anvil.
His was perhaps an 8" disc, perhaps an inch thick.


A shallow round depression in the end of a log slice works well too. I
carved the depression with the tip of a chainsaw, walking around the log to
emulate a lathe. If you don't care about preserving the surface finish the
end of a large pipe or the depression in the center of a disk brake rotor is
good enough. The hammer stretches the metal, it doesn't have to press it
against the bottom of the hole unless you need an exact shape.

jsw



I used the large pipe trick but wanted to preserve the surface finish on
some 5mm aluminium so used some 5mm UHMWPE sheet I had around between
the pipe and al. The surface of the PE sheet didn't look to good after
forming but the aluminium hardly showed a mark.

"David Billington" wrote in message
news:4f105d8d$0$2492
I used the large pipe trick but wanted to preserve the surface finish on
some 5mm aluminium so used some 5mm UHMWPE sheet I had around between the
pipe and al. The surface of the PE sheet didn't look to good after forming
but the aluminium hardly showed a mark.

That's a good idea. I've tried cardboard but it rips easily. Plastic sewer
pipe tends to crack. It might be good enough for auto body steel.

jsw

On Fri, 13 Jan 2012 10:44:28 -0500, Ecnerwal
wrote:

In article ,
"Bob La Londe" wrote:

It gets into everything. Always have to sweep it up, but today I loved it.

I decided it was time to pound that dent out of the cover on that motor. I
wasn't looking for pretty. Just functional. I picked up a 16 oz ball peen
hammer and walked outside looking for something to put the cover on before
covering that big dent with a punch of smaller dents in the opposite
direction. I didn't want to distort the shape of the cover too much in the
process. I threw it on the ground in the sand and worked it over with a
hammer for only a couple minutes, and the dent came right out with no real
distortion of the cover. The sand gave under the blow of the hammer, but
supported the cover firmly where the hammer wasn't falling.

Now take two heavy pieces of leather, insert sand and sew closed. My
archaic armor making friend used that a lot, set on top of the anvil.
His was perhaps an 8" disc, perhaps an inch thick.

That's probably a lot less messy than pitch.
http://www.ishor.com/ChasingTool.php

I have a little 6" lead shot bag made of thick suede which might work.

--
Make awkward sexual advances, not war.

Larry Jaques wrote:
On Fri, 13 Jan 2012 10:44:28 -0500, Ecnerwal
wrote:


In article ,
"Bob La Londe" wrote:


It gets into everything. Always have to sweep it up, but today I loved it.

I decided it was time to pound that dent out of the cover on that motor. I
wasn't looking for pretty. Just functional. I picked up a 16 oz ball peen
hammer and walked outside looking for something to put the cover on before
covering that big dent with a punch of smaller dents in the opposite
direction. I didn't want to distort the shape of the cover too much in the
process. I threw it on the ground in the sand and worked it over with a
hammer for only a couple minutes, and the dent came right out with no real
distortion of the cover. The sand gave under the blow of the hammer, but
supported the cover firmly where the hammer wasn't falling.

Now take two heavy pieces of leather, insert sand and sew closed. My
archaic armor making friend used that a lot, set on top of the anvil.
His was perhaps an 8" disc, perhaps an inch thick.


That's probably a lot less messy than pitch.
http://www.ishor.com/ChasingTool.php


I found the only messy part of using the pitch I have was mixing the raw
pitch with tallow and talc to get the consistency right, although I
haven't used it extensively.

The best part though was the first couple of years I had it whenever I
went past the drawer it was in I would open it and have a smell, it
smelt like a lovely concentrated pine forest in a drawer.

I have a little 6" lead shot bag made of thick suede which might work.

--
Make awkward sexual advances, not war.