[CR]Re: Dent Removal

(Example: Component Manufacturers:Ideale)

Date: Sun, 6 Apr 2003 21:01:02 -0700 (PDT)
From: "Bruce Schrader" <bcschrader@yahoo.com>
To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
In-Reply-To: <CATFOODKK8ZtP0kvdIB00000e7b@catfood.nt.phred.org>
Subject: [CR]Re: Dent Removal

I've used all of the mentioned methods of removing/filling dents to various degrees of success. The fillers such as Bondo are lighter and need no heat to be applied. The brass filler is heavier and requires heat where it's not otherwise needed or preferred. The tubing blocks work in some cases but I've had the experience that they don't completely remove the dent in most cases. A more successful method is to use a three point set of rollers that can be adjusted tighter and tighter on the tube as you roll them around. This method is more successful than any other I've tried. It works well if the dent is far enough away from the joint so the roller can rotate completely around in a circle without hitting another tube. I think these are commerically available from somewhere, but I have no idea where you can get one. I've made one from an old pipe cutter. They have two rollers and one cutting wheel on them and are available at any hardware store in variouse sizes. I found one that I could replace the cutting wheel with a third roller after doing a little machine work on it and making a matching third roller.

But as Brandon mentioned, these work only on round tubes. With non-round tubes, I think the fillers are probably the only option I can think of other than replacing the tube.

Body shops use a slide hammer on car bodies. They drill a hole where the dent is and screw in the slide hammer and pull it out. Then they fill the hole and sand it smooth. I've never tried this with a bicycle frame and it doesn't seem like a good method, but it would be interesting to try on some gas pipe or low grade frames to see what kind of results could be obtained this way.

Bruce Schrader San Francisco

On Saturday, April 5, 2003, at 07:07 PM, Louis Schulman wrote:
> Is there any accepted technique for removing such dents? In cars, this
> is not such a problem, since cars are made of sheet metal. But tubes
> present a different problem. Is filling the only answer?

It depends on the dent. I've rolled out lots of dents in the past using tubing blocks. There's also nothing wrong with a little Bondo and touchup paint. I really don't like the idea of replacing tubes or filling them with brass since it means reheating things and that always a last resort. Many dents are severe enough or in the wrong spot so tube replacement would be necessary. Rolling dents is a technique that I doesn't get used much any more with all the different tube profiles and diameters. Good luck, Brandon"monkeyman"Ives SB, CA

===== "Not all those that wander are lost." -J.R.R. Tolkien (1892-1973)

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