I have an Auto Body Corp stick, pull, and twist dent puller, but could stand some tips on the proper way to pull dents. Do you start in the middle and work your way out? Do you start on the outside of the dent and work your way toward the center? This is probably slightly more advanced than the Basics of Basics we've been getting from MARTINSR. I have some creases and dents that I can't get at from the back side to hammer them out, so I'll have to pull them. What works best?

You want to follow the rule, "First in, First out" when pulling a dent. I on the other hand will follow more of an "easiest to pull out comes first". The way I see it, if there is a complicated dent with lots of creases, above and below a body line, and so forth. I want to remove as much of the stuff as I can before I tackle the harder areas. This does a couple of things. First off, it is physiological. When you get SOMETHING done, it gives you more confidence to tackle the harder parts.
But most of all it "relieves" the metal of stresses.

If you read my "Basics of Basics" on flat panels, it really lays out well the importance of how you treat a high and low spot.
If you were to have a little crease and you used your puller to pull it, you want to support or tap the "high" spots around it.

Now, what high spot you ask, the darn thing is flat other than the area that is dented low.

Well, you havn't started pulling that low area up! When you pull that low area up, the surrounding area is going to to HIGH. Because the metal is bent down, it has more strength and as you pull it up, it over powers the surrounding flat area and makes it high.

This is why you need to tap on the surrounding area as you pull the dent. This tapping lessens the pressure you need to pull with. It is because you are "sharing" the energy forces against the dent between the two.

Many times, taps will "localize" your pull to a more controlled pull. You pull JUST what you want. If you were to just pull up on it, the whole area is effected. But if you tap, you will be amazed how you can even localize it TOO much. To it is technique learned with time.

What are you meaning by tapping? Pull a little
then lightly tap around the edge?

Yeah, with a little pressure pulling, tap around the area with flat body hammer. I'm sorry, I guess I didn't even come close to makeing that clear. redface.gif

You don't have to tap hard, you don't have to pull as hard. The to energies work against the other.

I thought that was what you meant but I was not sure.
Don't worry about it, you are a wealth of knowledge
to use laymen that have little to no experience
doing bodywork and such.
I always enjoy your posts, even the ones that make
me go o-man how long did it take to write all that :D
Thank You for all of your helpful info to all
of us on this board.
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graemlins/beers.gif

Thanks! The creases aren't real bad. I just can't get at them from the back side. One is about 10 inches in length and about an inch and half wide and about 3/8ths to 1/2 inch deep. Another is about half that size. My brother-in-law used to be the sales rep for this company. His territory was in and around the bay area of California. He still had this machine, which was a demo, so we made a deal. I'm anxious to give it a try to see how it works. It doesn't use studs. You merely stick the electrode to the metal, pull, and twist to release.

Originally posted by MARTINSR:
You want to follow the rule, "First in, First out" when pulling a dent. Don't you mean "first in, last out? I always hammer and shrink the metal around the dent first to keep from stretching the metal even more than it already is, then work on the worst part last.

Tom