Unpopular opinion: I was using way too much heat on aluminum panels for years

A guy from a shop in Portland pointed it out to me at a trade meet last month. He saw my pictures of a repair and asked why the metal looked so wavy. I was hitting it with the torch for a full minute to get it to move, which was way too long. Now I use quick, light passes of about 10 seconds and let it cool between each one. The panels come out way smoother with less risk of warping. Anyone else have a better method for shaping aluminum without a puller?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_karen12d ago

Glad you figured that out. Honestly, ten seconds is still a long time on one spot for thin gauge. Try counting to three or four, then move on.

the_phoenix12d ago

My buddy learned that lesson the hard way last summer. He held the torch too long on a patch job and burned right through the metal. Now he counts like you said, three seconds max before moving on.