Paintless dent removal tools?

I've always wanted to give PDR a try. I really want to try glue pulling.

The first time I looked into it, the tools were hella expensive. I just came across sets like this one on ebay:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/272081247223

Anyone know anything about these? Am I going to get all the tools i need only to find they're all pieces of shit?

 

Ya, I bought the set like three years ago and never tried it yet but it is interesting

 

Hopefully zoom-zoom pipes up here. He is in the business up in Kelowna. Every time I have dropped by his business, there has been a high end car or SUV in the shop so I suspect he has a reputation that precedes his work.

 

Google: paintless dent removal

According to Wiki, the techniques and at least some of the tools came oot of the 1930s. So your Little Deuce Coupe may have been fixed w/PDR if ya know what I mean.

A guy backed into my car in a parking lot. Put a shallow round dent in the rear fender area. A sales guy at Seattle Cycle Center had been a body man who did the PDR thing.

We went outside popped the trunk, removed the jack and he whacked the dent with the ball of his fist and bye-bye dent..

 

Google: paintless dent removal

According to Wiki, the techniques and at least some of the tools came oot of the 1930s. So your Little Deuce Coupe may have been fixed w/PDR if ya know what I mean.

A guy backed into my car in a parking lot. Put a shallow round dent in the rear fender area. A sales guy at Seattle Cycle Center had been a body man who did the PDR thing.

We went outside popped the trunk, removed the jack and he whacked the dent with the ball of his fist and bye-bye dent..

 

I'm just kinda mesmerized by it. Saw a vid of a guy working out a big dent in a polished aluminum gas tank.
It came out perfect.

 

Hey Rob

The glue pulling kit you showed the link for seems to be a reasonable value. Comes with a mini squeeze lifter, lots of glue tabs and a variety of glue types. Not going to say it's the highest quality looking stuff but for a beginner it might be sufficient to get started. As far as the kit goes, it looks as though all the supplies are there, but the only thing I don't see is a glue release agent. There are some types of glue made for PDR that don't require a release agent for the glue itself but can't tell that about this kit from the photos or description. You could probably use 98% isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol as a release agent

Being a PDR tech for a long time I can offer this caution. Whenever you are glue pulling one of a few things usually happens.

1. You the glue tab in place, pull and nothing happens because the glue comes off either the paint or the tab too quickly.

2. You get a really strong pull that not only pulls the dent out, but leaves a high spot as big as the dent was, just going the opposite direction.

3. You get a strong pull that pulls most of the dent but still leaves a bit of a divot in the center.

4. You get a really strong pull that leaves a chunk of paint missing from where the area the dent used to be located. This would be considered bad, naturally.

5. You get a near perfect mix of skill and luck and the dent is pulled out perfectly and you're done. Bit of a rare occurrence in my experience. LOL

One thing to consider is that PDR is a talent that takes a great deal of practice to master, and requires a lot of patience. More often than not, glue pulling dents will leave a high spot that must be tapped down using one of the knockdown tools supplied in the kit. Lord knows there are lots of videos available on the net and would strongly urge you to watch a few before trying. If there is a local body shop, or wrecking yard near you see if you can find an old hood off a vehicle that you can use as a practice panel. Build a small bench with legs and you can screw the hood to the bench to hold it still and practice as much as you want. Don't want to try your own car or your neighbors as a practice vehicle as I can pretty much guarantee it will end poorly. LOL

With over 20 years experience in the field, PDR can prove to be amazingly fun but be prepared for more things to go wrong than right at first, just like any new skill. Oh, make sure not to let any of the glue drip onto your fingers as it burns like hell and is a bitch to get off without taking a chunk of skin with it.

I'd be happy to answer some questions if you have any. I purchase all the glue pulling supplies for myself from a company called DentCraft PDR tools. They make some high quality stuff that works really well.

 

When you glue pull panels on a vehicle there are a few key things you should consider before starting work. First, check the panel you are planning to repair and look for any signs the panel has previously been painted and had other body work done. Easiest way here is to examine the orange peel (texture in the paint) and see if it differs from the rest of the panels adjacent to it. Like doors to fenders or fenders to hoods, etc. Reason here is that the glue can pull off fresh paint, and if there is any "bondo" in the area you are repairing, there is a high probability the repair will be unsuccessful.

Another thing to consider is the type of metal. Many vehicles now have panels made from aluminum versus steel. Higher end vehicles like BMW, Mercedes, Audi, etc are more likely to use aluminum panels, but many manufacturers such as Ford, Chrysler and Chevy use aluminum for the hoods and sometimes the whole vehicle like the 2015 and up Ford F150. Aluminum, though not impossible, is far more difficult to repair using glue. If you have a magnetic pick up tool you can cover the end with tape (so as not to scratch the panel) and try sticking it to the edge of the panel you wish to repair. If it sticks, the panel is steel. Aluminum work hardens more quickly than steel. Since you, more often than not, have to pull a high and tap it down level afterwards, the more you work the panel, the stiffer and more resistant the panel area you are repairing will become. Lesson here is that if you mess up a dent on aluminum, pull to high or tap down brows in the wrong spot, the more difficult it will become to fix. Steel work hardens as well, but you can usually work the dent up and down numerous times without the panel becoming too stiff to repair.

You'll also want to pre-clean the area you wish to repair to ensure the glue will stick well. It's also a good idea to use something like Isopropyl alcohol to remove any waxes in the area you wish to repair.