Automotive Body Panels With a Shrinker Stretcher

How to Fabricate Curved Automotive Body Panels With a Shrinker Stretcher

Darren O'Brien

Creating a curved automotive body panel from a flat sheet of metal can seem difficult, especially when the panel needs to follow a wheel opening, windshield frame, fender contour, or other compound shape. A sheet metal shrinker stretcher makes this process more manageable by allowing a fabricator to control the shape of the metal through localized shrinking and stretching. The basic approach is simple: shrink the metal where you need an inside curve and stretch it where you need an outside curve. By gradually working different sections of the panel, you can turn a flat or partially bent piece of sheet metal into a controlled curved form without relying entirely… Read More

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How to use Woodward Fab Shrinker/Stretcher Metal Forming Tool?

Darren O'Brien

Shrinker/stretcher, which consists of two dies (one for stretching material, while the other to shrink material) is designed to form desired curves on a piece of metal. This wonderful metal forming tool provides the convenience of having both Shrinker and Stretcher set up in the same tool. Available in several models, the tools can be used to form 18 gauge mild steel or up to 16 gauge aluminum. This metalworking tool is provided by several manufacturers and in diverse specifications. However, the shrinker/stretcher tool from Woodward Fab have gained extreme popularity in the recent years. Do you want to know how they work? What are the different types of shrinker/stretcher… Read More

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How Is Metal Shrinker Stretcher Used for Auto Body Restoration? What Are the Precautions to Be Followed?

Darren O'Brien

A metal shrinker stretcher is a powerful tool, which is used to shape a metal. To be precise, this tool is used to make curve on a piece of metal. Restoration process of an auto body can be accelerated with the help of metal shrinker stretchers instead of traditional method of planishing hammer. There is a process involved in using metal shrinker stretcher for better results in auto body restoration. Pre-requisites of the process are metal, tape, design, pipe notcher, and shrinker stretcher. What is this process? Read on to know. How is Metal Shrinker Stretcher Used? To get the best results, this tool is required to be used in… Read More

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Key Differences between Tools Used to Stretch Metal

Darren O'Brien

Which Metal Stretching Tool is Right for You? Several tools like English wheels, shrinker stretchers, and planishing hammers are used to shape sheet metal. These tools allow the user to stretch the metal, curve it, or create interesting shapes. This is extremely useful when creating components for automobiles, HVAC systems, and other structures. Three Main Tools Used to Stretch Sheet MetalFor various applications, sheet metal needs to be stretched into shape. To do this effectively and efficiently, three main types of tools are used: 1. Planishing HammersThese hammers are used to form metal as well as to smooth metal after it is formed. Metal is placed on a hard surface… Read More

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