How big a dent can filled?

[Guest]

I'm doing a tank for a fellow that I discovered has a dent in it. It also has the Kreem coating that I'll have to deal with later but I'm just curious of how big a dent can filled and then coated? At this point the job is getting to be way bigger than I first thought. I haven't got it totally stripped yet but I think it a fair size spot, about 5x3 and I'm not sure quite how deep.

[Guest]

Re: How big a dent can filled?

I would try pulling it out first,you said it was a gas tank ?
you can tack weld a bolt in the dent and use a slide hammer or if you do not have a slide
hammer,a pair of locking pliers and a hammer will work
maybe you already know this ?
scott

[Guest]

Re: How big a dent can filled?

Use common sense when doing this method. If you do not have that do not use this method.

ROFL!

[Guest]

Re: How big a dent can filled?

I had some thermobond but I threw it out. I had way to many problems with that stuff. I'm not sure what I was doing but it looked like it was outgasing after I put powder on the spots. This happened a couple of times. Off topic I know. I guess when I get it all stripped I'll make a plan.

[Guest]

Re: How big a dent can filled?

I had some thermobond but I threw it out. I had way to many problems with that stuff. I'm not sure what I was doing but it looked like it was outgasing after I put powder on the spots. This happened a couple of times. Off topic I know. I guess when I get it all stripped I'll make a plan.

The Tiger Drylac stuff - Epo-strong - has been recommended as one of the best.

Someone here recommended it and uses it regularly...


Jay

[Guest]

Re: How big a dent can filled?

The info you just gave him is true/real and will work but if the some one that thinks they know what you are saying and don't. They could get hurt real quick with this method! Its not the heat that will hurt or kill them its the air pressure and years ago a guy got killed when some one for got to tell him he just needed a few pounds of pressure like 1 to 7 maybe to test a much bigger tank and no heat was involved but it blew and he no more I would say tell someone really how to do it to be one the safe side and also if its a used tank tell them what to do to make sure its has no gas impregnated into it that could also come back on him?
Now if you know how to really do it please post the normal way. Or give a link to how its been done and even then if a good old biker says this is how I did it and lived to tell that's good but if he did it wrong the first time and all went OK he might not the second time unless he did it right and know what he is doing to start with.
I want post the how to on here. I can't email a reef to good to someone that's was on the forum to well

The old biker method for gas tanks was to inflated the tank with compressed air, and then warm the metal around the area of the dent. Use common sense when doing this method. If you do not have that do not use this method.

[Guest]

Re: How big a dent can filled?

If you don't know how to do body work, bring it to someone who does.All the above mentioned tips will work if done right.On the other hand all the above mentioned tips can be dissasterous. It does'nt take as much air pressure as you might think to over inflate and buckle out a tank. Welding a bolt and using a slide hammer[possible flames aside] can easily pull a dent too much.And since you can't get a dolly behind it to smooth it back down you'll just end up hammering it back down again.A good body shop should have someone that can do decent metal work. A stud weldor and body hammer is really the only way to go.Get it as smooth as you can and then fill with lab metal or something similar.I've never had any luck with one but you could try one of those pops a dent or dent king kits.They're fairly cheap and will probably be the safest and most forgiving.That would be what I would try first.

[Guest]

Re: How big a dent can filled?

Shawn
I have been doing body work for a very long time,it is not easy and it takes
time to do it right
not to many people have a stud welder,pulling a dent out of a gas tank is not hard if you
take your time and think about what your doing...

scott

[Guest]

Re: How big a dent can filled?

I was'nt knocking anyone else for offering advice.What I was getting at is doing a job right for a customer.Body work takes time and experience to do correctly.You probably could get the job done using any of the previously mentioned tips.But like I said you can easily make things worse.And you could go from being well intentioned, and the guy who did a great job.To the idiot who cost me a tank and another pc job.Worst case you could become the guy who torched himself, trying to be nice!Believe me I know not everyone has all the tools they need and nobody has all the tools they want! I've done some stuff and made some stuff that I've worried might become part of Jeff Foxworthy's next routine.Sometimes it works and sometimes it does'nt. Again I'm not knocking anyones help.I just don't think trying a technique that could ruin the part should be practiced on a customers part.If he has experience doing metal work or this belongs to a freind who won't bad mouth him for not getting it right then practice away!If this belongs to a paying customer who will bring him more business then don't.

[Guest]

Re: How big a dent can filled?

They have the high heat bondo type fillers buts its a shame you can't find what you are after on the fourms. Its as bad a finding what you want on eBay and getting the wording right to find something! I have to look for my user name to find past post because I don't remember how I posed it or under what post and who ask the question to start with and that's a lot of post to go through just so I can direct someone to what they are asking. What you are asking is on EW and this one some where and if its not enough info then maybe you contact the poster and see what they have done using it as far as maybe an update.

I can give you all the links you need on the products you can buy to do I think what you are asking. PM me and I will send you the links. They are also listed some where here and there on the forums if you could ever find them?

One more thing that you can do and I do a lot is type your question into Google and you just might find your answer. It works better than searching a forum and you just might find that you find the info link on the forum you were on Google does its web crawl once a month so something new may not be found quick till you go through a few pages.

Now on to what you are saying about doing body work!!! Yep you need to know how/what and when to get it right and I do paint and auto body and powder IF SOME ONE WOULD get off their behinds and bring me some powdering to do jobs are scary around here right now. All I can say is find someone that can show you hands on is the best and then get on the net and see what you can find to prefect what you learned hand on. I have a grand tied up in cd's to help refine and even have the House Of Color CD's They not cheep for sure

Damn I think I finished I know you are GLAD

[Guest]

Re: How big a dent can filled?

My apologies.Duke you're absolutely right.And I get mad when it happens to me. You ask a question and get everything but what you were looking for.The answer should have been use as little filler as possible but no more than this.Since I don't know what the max is for lab metal or similar I should not have replied.

[Guest]

Re: How big a dent can filled?

My apologies.Duke you're absolutely right.And I get mad when it happens to me. You ask a question and get everything but what you were looking for.The answer should have been use as little filler as possible but no more than this.Since I don't know what the max is for lab metal or similar I should not have replied.

As soon as you get lab metal out of you mind and in the trash can then you will be 100 steps ahead of what is on the market but its not cheep but one is and its good but I have not tried to use it for deep areas and only maybe cpc whatever number David might have been there with it.
So Have a good one anyway

[Guest]

Re: How big a dent can filled?

Thanks for all of the advice. I've been stripping the tank and what I thought was filler seems to be a real heavy primer. It was hard to tell under the 10 different colors of primers and paint. The tank is from a 73 Triumph Tiger and I think that was never stripped before painting. It's all all stripped so I'll be able to get to the real nasty stuff on the inside.