Warning: I keep seeing guys hammer out dents with body hammers that are way too heavy for the panel

I was working on a quarter panel last Tuesday and watched a guy next to me take 3 swings with a 3-pound hammer on a shallow dent... left craters everywhere. I switched to a 2-ounce cross-peen hammer for the same job and got it smooth in under 5 minutes. Has anyone else noticed guys using the wrong hammer weight for the metal thickness?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_charlie2h ago

Tbh I see this all the time at the shop I'm at. Ngl, it drives me nuts watching guys grab a 2-pounder to finesse a door skin when all you need is a light tap.

john_cooper2h ago

Man, my buddy just went through this exact thing last week. He was trying to fix a tiny dent in his truck's bedside with a 2-pound hammer and it just mushroomed the metal out like crazy. He told me he felt like a total idiot because he spent 20 minutes making it worse. Then one of the old guys at the shop walked over, handed him a light 6-ounce hammer, and he had it flat in maybe 4 taps. He said it was like night and day - the lighter hammer just kissed the metal instead of bludgeoning it. I swear, it's like some guys think heavier means more professional, but it's the opposite.