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Plainishing Hammer
- Thread starter mofosheee
- Start date
- Joined
- Feb 9, 2017
- Messages
- 5,317
How big? How fancy? Frame, portable or hand held? What’s your budget?
Are you doing big work like dent on a car repair or little copper pieces?
There are quite a few DIY planishers on YouTube but the cheap place to start is a hand held here:
Are you doing big work like dent on a car repair or little copper pieces?
There are quite a few DIY planishers on YouTube but the cheap place to start is a hand held here:
- Joined
- Nov 13, 2013
- Messages
- 112
Thanks for responding. I should have been more specific.
Bench top mounted, motorcycle tanks, fenders. Budget $1250 to $1500
Home built frame, acquire a quality set of anvils, thinking of using a rivet gun per the link below;
www.yardstore.com
or using a scaler
or a scaling hammer
Bench top mounted, motorcycle tanks, fenders. Budget $1250 to $1500
Home built frame, acquire a quality set of anvils, thinking of using a rivet gun per the link below;
Chicago Pneumatic 3X Inline Riveter Used
PN: 11951Chicago Pneumatic 3X Inline Riveter Used Push Button Trigger Aluminum Rivet Capacity: 3/16" Quick Change Spring Included
or a scaling hammer
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- Feb 9, 2017
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- 5,317
I have an old 4x Skill air riveter from the 40’s right out of Lockheed’s old plant in San Diego. Even though it’s totally controllable I like my cheap little muffler cutter that Hotrod Hippy mentions in his vid for planishing. That Skill is a beast. It’s great for stretching and forming, it’s too much for planishing. You will have a panel totally stretched in seconds.
If you watch any of the pro vids when they planish by hand it’s lots of small light hits. The same is true for air. Maybe you can work up to a large riveter when you know what you’re doing but until then you are going to do more damage and be chasing fixing what you’ve done. Creeping up on it is way better than blasting through it. Now if you want to do heavy metal shaping and forming that’s different.
That vid may seem like too basic but he knows of what he speaks. Big is not better in planishing.
If you watch any of the pro vids when they planish by hand it’s lots of small light hits. The same is true for air. Maybe you can work up to a large riveter when you know what you’re doing but until then you are going to do more damage and be chasing fixing what you’ve done. Creeping up on it is way better than blasting through it. Now if you want to do heavy metal shaping and forming that’s different.
That vid may seem like too basic but he knows of what he speaks. Big is not better in planishing.
- Joined
- Nov 13, 2013
- Messages
- 112
C-Bag
you wrote; "That Skill is a beast. It’s great for stretching and forming, it’s too much for planishing. You will have a panel totally stretched in seconds' I take it that you probably throttle down the air with your 4x Skill air riveter to use as a planisher ?
If I understand you correctly, a "needle scaler" used as a planisher hammer would deliver kinder gentler hits (the small light hits you mention) for planishing while an air riveter in my unskilled hands would do probable damage quickly.
I have been very successful planishing by hand and want to advance my skills. Build it once and correct with no regrets about not spending a couple of extra bucks
The author of this article mentions needle scaler; https://www.hotrod.com/articles/1206sr-planishing-hammers/
This guy (
) responded to me; Chicago Pneumatic weld chisel or scaler
you wrote; "That Skill is a beast. It’s great for stretching and forming, it’s too much for planishing. You will have a panel totally stretched in seconds' I take it that you probably throttle down the air with your 4x Skill air riveter to use as a planisher ?
If I understand you correctly, a "needle scaler" used as a planisher hammer would deliver kinder gentler hits (the small light hits you mention) for planishing while an air riveter in my unskilled hands would do probable damage quickly.
I have been very successful planishing by hand and want to advance my skills. Build it once and correct with no regrets about not spending a couple of extra bucks
The author of this article mentions needle scaler; https://www.hotrod.com/articles/1206sr-planishing-hammers/
This guy (
- Joined
- Feb 9, 2017
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- 5,317
Interesting links. Ron Covell is a great resource. I’m more in the Jere Kirkpatrick camp. Cost effective (cheap) DIY. To each their own. That Skill I can throttle back to just on tap, but its like trying to feather the throttle on a dragster 
Jere has a great vid on making your own dies for the beader and his design for a ball cutting attachment for the lathe. So with that I’m going to make my own dies for the beader and planisher.
I’ve been using air tools for going on 50yrs (!) and for most of those years because I was strapped for cash I used HF. I was shocked when I used a Chicago it was no better. Obviously that just me but in this case I was going to replace my 1/2” HF for a 1/2” Chicago for tire work. Good thing I got to try it out as I gave it back to the tool man. HF makes nothing in the range of the old Skill, but I just bought one their needle scalers and it works great. But why do that when you are going to have to mod it to take planishing dies when i can just cut the handle off like HH did?
My take on a planisher frame would be much different, but he had some interesting ideas.
Jere has a great vid on making your own dies for the beader and his design for a ball cutting attachment for the lathe. So with that I’m going to make my own dies for the beader and planisher.I’ve been using air tools for going on 50yrs (!) and for most of those years because I was strapped for cash I used HF. I was shocked when I used a Chicago it was no better. Obviously that just me but in this case I was going to replace my 1/2” HF for a 1/2” Chicago for tire work. Good thing I got to try it out as I gave it back to the tool man. HF makes nothing in the range of the old Skill, but I just bought one their needle scalers and it works great. But why do that when you are going to have to mod it to take planishing dies when i can just cut the handle off like HH did?
My take on a planisher frame would be much different, but he had some interesting ideas.
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- Feb 9, 2017
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- 5,317
If you look at Chicago small frame hand held planishers that are BIG $$$, now why would you want a double reinforced frame, especially if a hand held unit is strong enough do fine planishing? Folks have gotten good use out of the lowly HF planisher and while obviously not top drawer, you couldn’t hardly build it for that. I am totally out of space but would rather have a small floor standing unit I can tuck out of the way somewhere than a big unit or a benchtop. But that’s my preference for what it’s worth. Like this for $3k?
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- Feb 9, 2017
- Messages
- 5,317
It seems we all have different takes and things we focus on. Like I would never do hardlines on any pneumatic. Too much trouble when poly line and push on connectors are so much easier and was easier to mod or replace. I’m not big on disks for bases either. The idea of using a foot pedal on a handheld planisher I think would bug me too.
That’s one thing about the needle scaler I really like is the way it triggers and it’s the right diameter for my hand. I got the smaller HF unit and it’s universally loved. Main reason is it’s low CFM. it does a good job even throttled way back. I’m going to have to look at it close to see what it would take to put a regular shank hammer bit in it. The other thing with the hand held like HH points out is keeping the head perpendicular to the work so you don’t gouge/ding the work with the side of the hammer. Looking through eBay I saw new to me interesting thing called the Ox planisher. It looked like a modified nailer on a metal sled. That might be a good way to not gouge the work.
That’s one thing about the needle scaler I really like is the way it triggers and it’s the right diameter for my hand. I got the smaller HF unit and it’s universally loved. Main reason is it’s low CFM. it does a good job even throttled way back. I’m going to have to look at it close to see what it would take to put a regular shank hammer bit in it. The other thing with the hand held like HH points out is keeping the head perpendicular to the work so you don’t gouge/ding the work with the side of the hammer. Looking through eBay I saw new to me interesting thing called the Ox planisher. It looked like a modified nailer on a metal sled. That might be a good way to not gouge the work.
Ox Planishing Hammer / Hand Held Power Hammer - Autobody, Aviation, Sheetmetal | eBay
History: During the past 39 plus years Allen Buresh, owner of Coachsmithing, has been commissioned to re-body and or refurbish classic Ferrari cars as well as Porsche, Delahaye, Cobra, Lotus and others.
www.ebay.com