You ended up with a door or fender ding, and now you are curious about how to get that ding out without going to an auto body shop. You’ve stumbled on a few websites after a Google search, and now you’re wondering what a paintless dent repair (PDR) blending hammer is and how it works.
Well, you’ve come to the right spot! A PDR blending hammer is a tool that has not been around for a long time. But, in the time that they have been around, they’ve come a long way. A blending hammer came into fruition when auto body techs needed to fine-tune some high spots within a car’s dent.
In this article, we will be going over what exactly is a blending hammer and how it is used by paintless dent repair (PDR) professionals to get that ding or dent out of your car with no evidence it was ever even there!
Contents
PDR Methods Explained
A blending hammer is a tool that gets used in the process of paintless dent repair. When it comes to blending dents, there will be 2 different methods.
Method 1: Spreading or Feathering
The first method is spreading or feathering the dent out, as not to see it anymore. However, you should know that this method is not always preferred during the paintless dent repair process.
Method 2: Pressure Alleviation
The second method for blending the dent is removing the dent and its pressure from the metal. For instance, think about how you would fix a dent in a beer can. This is the same concept, albeit a little more complicated.
When it comes to either method, a blending hammer will typically get used to help the process. This is a vital tool in the paintless dent removal process as it will help fine-tune the dent so much that you will not even know it was there.
How Does a Blending Hammer Work?
Now that you know what a blending hammer is let’s go over how one uses the blending hammer during the paintless dent removal process.
PDR Builds Up Momentum & Energy
Let’s say that you have a slight ridge or crown on your car, and this area should be flat. But let’s also add a lower spot down there, so it is spreading (or flattening) the metal when you use the hammer. By using the hammer, it is building up the momentum and energy within this metal panel. Which ultimately is causing waves to ripple across this panel, which should flatten and fix the dented area.
You should note that there may be times when using the blending hammer that the technician will need to hit it at a certain angle to get the dent flat.
PDR Causes The Ripple Effect
As the tech taps the blending hammer on the panel, they are now causing what is known as the ripple effect. Even though you will not see the slight ripples that are going through the dent, that doesn’t mean it is not working. The ripple effect will always send all the energy throughout the panel, which will lift those low areas a bit. This will help evenly flatten the dent to where you will not even notice one was there.
PDR Focuses Energy
Did you know that steel panels typically go back to their original state easier than aluminum panels? Aluminum panels are far more complicated. It is even more difficult if the dent you are trying to fix is in the panel’s center. Trying to blend out this dent will be much more complicated and, more times than not, less effective.
For instance, when you create this momentum and energy and send the ripple effect, this effect has many landscapes to go through before it hits the dent. So, focusing the power would be a more challenging task to do.
If the dent is closer to the front corner of the panel, you will focus the energy much easier on the area you need it to be than if it was in the middle.
How Long Does the Process with the Blending Hammer Take?
This is a good question. The length of the process will be dependent on:
- how big your dent is.
- where your dent is located.
- how experienced your PDR technician is.
This process can take from 20-30 minutes up to a few hours.
Contact JM Dent Repair For Professional PDR
Despite all your efforts to protect your investment, dents are sometimes simply out of your control. Don’t worry — at JM Dent Repair, we know how much it means to you to get your car looking new again, and that’s why we’re trusted in the Lafayette area for affordable paintless dent repair.
Paintless dent repair eliminates the worry of a color mismatch or uneven fading, and preserves your vehicle’s appearance and resale value. If you’re driving a leased vehicle, it also helps you avoid expensive “wear and tear charges” on your lease return. Contact us for a quote and see why we’re the best around.