Restoration Tech Stainless Steel Trim Restoration

Restoring stainless is something many of use will try at home unlike chroming which is very hard to do yourself. Most guys go at stanless with blunt hammer tapping on the back side of it. The back winds up looking quite bad and you almost never get the front smooth. An alternative to that is to use a drill press with either plastic, wood, or metal rods inserted into the chuck and using gradual and steady pressure to push out the dent. The drill is not running during this process you are just using in the off position for its pushing power. Either a rubber pad as I have pictured or a sand bag is essential to back it up so that it takes the shape of the trim to be repaired. My photos show a piece of stainless having its dent pushed out. I also photographed some of the tools that I shapped the ends to specific jobs I was doing. Hope this helps.
Bill Monzo

 

Thanks. I have a couple of pieces I'm going to try on my drill press.

 

thanks for the tip, just got in the little cowl pieces for my sedan. both sides have a ding where I'm guessing the doors opened too far. should work good, makes sense anyhow.

 

I've done a lot of straightening and can say I never thought about using a drill press. I'll be sure to try it out and see if it makes things go easier for me.
Thanks for the tip!

 

Going to have to try this!

 

I love this kind of trick . Simple and efficient.
The kind everyone says " why didn t I think about it by myself ?"
Thanks

 

Good idea! Thanks for sharing! tt

 

How cool is that!! Great tip. Thanks!!!

 

Awesome now all I need is a drill press!

 

It looks like you have different profiles in steel and wood. Does the material make a difference or was it just because that is what you had handy?

 

Simple and effective.
Great idea and thanks for posting.

 

seems like a small arbor press might work too? i don't have a drill press but i got lots of steel pieces, an angle grinder, and a wire welder....... gears are turning....

smooth, direct pressure, concentrated on one spot, that doesn't shift around, and can be controlled instantly by hand...... hmmmmmm...

 

Wow, I am putting this one in the vault .... I bet that would also work for aluminium trim also.

 

I've used a piece of hardwood, sharpened to a "dull" shape, and a rubber block to ease dents frome s.s.trim. doesn't mar, can be reshaped and I use a tack hammer to keep the force low

 

Will have to try this myself - thanks for posting....

 

cool,very cool!

 

I cut a 4" x 6" piece out of the side wall of an old bias ply tire for my rubber pad.

 

Wood is ideal because it does not mar the surface at all but does not hold up for to long although a hardwood dowl is preferred for strength. Plastic really holds up and pieces of round can be usually gotten for free from your local window blind shop when they remove someones old blinds. The rods were used to open and close the blinds. I then cut them to size and round over or shape the end at my 8" disc sander. And then smooth it with fine sandpaper by hand. Metal works the best for its pushing power but does leave a very light mark on the back side of the metal. And my goal is when done not to be able to tell, front or back, of the molding that anythng was done to it. I hope this answers any questions.
Bill Monzo