How Many Steps Are There in a Typical Panel Beating Job?

Australian roads are so busy these days that it's not surprising that many cars can suffer the odd ding and dent as time goes by. Indeed, your vehicle may look somewhat worse for wear as it has accumulated some damage along the way. So, you may be thinking about taking the car in for some treatment and wondering how a technician approaches their craft. Did you know that there are several steps involved with the traditional art of panel beating? What are they?

Preparatory Work

The first step involves a more general approach to the problem, as the technician begins by shrinking or stretching the affected metal. They need to apply heat to the area and coax the metal using a special hammer. They'll be able to change the shape of the panel so that it broadly matches the original shape or contour.

The expert will then use a different hammer in a process known as "planishing." While tapping the damaged metal, they will also apply a shaping tool (or a dolly) to the other side to make some finer adjustments.

Welding

It may be necessary to weld a couple of pieces of metal together if damage may have been significant. Typically, a panel beater will use an electric arc welder to do this, which will create a strong joint and help stabilise the panel in question.

Finer Details

Once all this preparatory work has been done, it's time to turn to the finer details. Now, any holes that are left need to be filled with putty. It's important to do this work as quickly as possible before the putty hardens. However, once this stage is finished, the technician will use various types of sandpaper to smooth everything out. This work needs to be precise so the panel beater can access pads with different textures depending on the desired outcome.

Ready for Paint

All this work can take quite a lot of time, but once complete, the vehicle is ready to go into the spray shop. Then, different coats of paint will be applied depending on the severity of the damage and the amount of work required.

Outsource the Work 

As you can see, there are many stages involved with panel beating, and it's important to entrust these tasks to an expert. After all, they'll have the necessary experience and tools, so they can restore your vehicle to its original shape. 

For more info, contact a local panel beating repair company. 

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