Both of my banana wraps are off and I'm getting ready to try to get them back into shape. I'm debating getting a big thick piece of curved pipe and gently hammer the aluminum, covered with a towel or some padding, back into shape on that pipe piece. Or, a bag of shot or sand and tap tap tap the dents out.
For old airplane fairings, they were SO (soft) aluminum I made a tool that worked O.K.
A piece of 1 inch pipe about a foot long with a large steel ball bearing...and I mean large, about 1 1/2 inch diameter...welded to the end. The dents were "massaged" out to a pretty smooth surface (no pounding) from the inside and then a very fine file used for smoothing on the outside dent area. Don't be in a hurry.
The early aluminum body race cars were hammered into shape with a hard rubber mallet with the aluminum supported by a buck that was they desired. I have pressed out the dents in mine with a gently curved bar and a leverage point when they were still attached to the trailer. If the banana peels were off I think I would use a semi rounded body hammer while the wraps were supported on a sand bag. Lots of little hits to not stretch the metal only bend it back into the proper shape.
I'll give both a try, the sandbag first and if that doesn't work, the hammer. Can these hammers be acquired at your average auto supply store like Kragen?
I'll give both a try, the sandbag first and if that doesn't work, the hammer. Can these hammers be acquired at your average auto supply store like Kragen?
Try the Eastwood Co. auto restoration web site.
__________________ Lew Farber -Certified Master RV Tech (currently on Forums posting sabbatical, but lurking in the background ) WBCCI #1456 and about to resign!/VAC (assoc) #1456/ AIR # 10325 TAC# OR-1 CHARTER MEMBER: FOUR CORNERS UNIT
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