The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Tool Chest Planishing hammers

What's a planishing hammer? Something that builds curves into light gauge panel steel. I'm wanting to make my own fenders for the '42 Chevy, I worked in a sheet metal shop when I was a kid and kept my eyes and ears open and saw some of them old fellers make all kinds of stuff from a sheet metal.
Using a hickory-handled hammer takes a mighty lot of thumping and whacking to make a fender so, I was kinda looking around the net at metal working tools. Found an Ekold planishing air-hammer from Switzerland that makes 4,500 beats per minute. Problem was it was gonna be $1500 US just for the hammer and three mushroom-shaped tools and a square finishing head in a tinny little box.
Looking through a hardware catalogue (we call 'em cattledogs) yesterday and came across an imported set of air-tools, ie; 5/16" ratchet driver, 1/2" ratchet driver and an impact hammer.
I bought a set, cost $90 for the whole shebang in a nice case, plus 55 other useful attachments, hose connectors just everything you'd want.
I took a great interest in the impact hammer.
It does 5000 beats per minute. That's a truckload of hammering.
And you can control the lightness or heaviness of each beat as you're working by the amount of prssure you put on it..

Anyone got any thoughts on this, do you think it feasible? I intend have the mushroom bits made at a local engineering works, as there would issues involved with hardness (brittleness) of the face of the hammer and the softness or hardness of the shaft that fits into the yoke that makes contact with the hammering. If that's too soft, it could peen over and get itself stuck in there.

I can't see any reason why I can't have a few mushroom-shaped planishing bits made up to fit my $30 air hammer and use it just the same as the $1500 model.

I like the idea that its a "GMC' brand, but without the wheels and stuff.

Zacca
1942 Chevy 1/2 ton