1983 Trek 720 - how concerning is this dent?
02-29-24, 03:09 AM
#26
Must be symmetrical
Note that there are many automotive dentless repair vendors who slide their tools into all sorts of difficult to access cavities in cars so that they can massage dents out that look like this. We have had some dents that looked worse than that massaged out in spots that had very tight access. They usually have a very large and varied assortment of massaging tools and some of them have mad skills. You might want to see if one of those guys has some tools that will reach that far.
02-29-24, 06:58 AM
#27
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If you go the "block" route, you can minimize the paint damage by tightening the block slightly, loosen it, re-position the block over the another part of the dent and then slightly retighten it. Keep repeating. Don't twist the block around the tube. You won't get the dent out completely but you will reduce it and retain most of the original paint.
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02-29-24, 07:50 AM
#28
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Some more research has turned up an interesting route - musical instruments get dents repaired using a set of ball bearings and a large magnet - bearing goes inside and the magnet is used to drag it along / pop dents out. I live about a half mile from a local shop that lists just such repairs on their site, so I'm gonna pop over there this weekend maybe and see if I can get any thoughts or info out of them
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02-29-24, 07:59 AM
#29
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Let us know what comes of this approach. I’ve never heard of it .
02-29-24, 08:14 AM
#30
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Before you get too crazy just go pick up a cheap door ding dent removal tool $25ish.
it uses hot glue on the dent and a twist handle against leverage. You’d be surprised what it can do. Use a heat gun to warm area first.
Report back!
it uses hot glue on the dent and a twist handle against leverage. You’d be surprised what it can do. Use a heat gun to warm area first.
Report back!
02-29-24, 10:25 AM
#31
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One thing to keep in mind is that musical instruments and to a lesser degree car body panels are not made from high-strength, cold-worked steel, which takes a lot more force to restore, and is a lot more "springy" (i.e. higher yield strength) than those other materials.
Hopefully though, a glue stick might pull out a tubing ding without pulling off the paint, especially if the dent were larger (large enough to have sufficient surface area for a strong pull).
Hopefully though, a glue stick might pull out a tubing ding without pulling off the paint, especially if the dent were larger (large enough to have sufficient surface area for a strong pull).
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03-01-24, 03:26 AM
#32
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One thing to keep in mind is that musical instruments and to a lesser degree car body panels are not made from high-strength, cold-worked steel, which takes a lot more force to restore, and is a lot more "springy" (i.e. higher yield strength) than those other materials.
Hopefully though, a glue stick might pull out a tubing ding without pulling off the paint, especially if the dent were larger (large enough to have sufficient surface area for a strong pull).
Hopefully though, a glue stick might pull out a tubing ding without pulling off the paint, especially if the dent were larger (large enough to have sufficient surface area for a strong pull).
There is no way you could pull one out with anything attached with glue.
You just might be able to do it if you spot-welded something to the centre of a dent - but of course the bother and the poor chance of a good result make that theoretical.
That one is definitely a roll candidate; it would get better, but probably not go away completely.
Rolling works best on bare greased steel, the pressure required will smear any paint anyway, so strip and polish (smooth steel works better) that section.
Last edited by oneclick; 03-01-24 at 03:34 AM.
03-01-24, 06:07 AM
#33
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Some more research has turned up an interesting route - musical instruments get dents repaired using a set of ball bearings and a large magnet - bearing goes inside and the magnet is used to drag it along / pop dents out. I live about a half mile from a local shop that lists just such repairs on their site, so I'm gonna pop over there this weekend maybe and see if I can get any thoughts or info out of them
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03-01-24, 01:34 PM
#34
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Less concerning than that handlebar setup lol. Ride on brother.
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03-04-24, 01:01 PM
#35
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WHAT IF... you rolled it and filled any leftover dent, or just filled it as is, then added a panel decal like the one on the seat tube? Sure you'd know it was there, but it would kinda be like looking at a cool bandaid vs and open wound, haha. Mockup attached.
03-07-24, 04:30 PM
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S&S couplers? Make it a travel bike? I’m curious to hear about the ball bearing magnet method. With a big electromagnet it could work.
03-07-24, 04:56 PM
#37
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Not theoretical at all. That's how the professional body shops do it. Spotweld a stud to the dent, and then use a dent puller to pull up on the dent while hammering around the edges of the dent.
