Hammers and Dollies

[Deleted member 12521]

Hi All,

There are a myriad of hammer and dolly shapes available. Any advice for a newbie on the essential bodywork tools would be a great help. Thanks in advance.

 

[JPSmit]

I just bought a Harbor Freight kit - but, might be worth looking at some of the youtube videos or there are different forums out there - or, look at the Eastwood catalogue to see what they offer

 

[TomMull]

It all depends on what you are doing. In my opinion, the cheap kits from the big name suppliers will work fine bumping up a ding or working a weld enough to accept bondo. I bought one of the cheap sets and then filed, sanded and polished all the surfaces, including some of the backs and sides of the dollies, which occasionally have a useful shape for striking. They work.

I'm now trying to overcome my obsessive search for the nice old Martins at the flea markets. You'll occasionally find a few Martin hammers or similar in a box with a bunch of carpenter's hammers and priced accordingly. They are much more pleasant to work with, particularly if you's working for extended periods of time. No matter how many dollies you have, you never have exactly the right size and shape. I buy every one I see that's priced fairly. And with the bank account at .2 percent, what's to loose? As the collection grows, I don't use the cheap hammers very much but I still use the cheap dollies (they are harder to find at the fleas).
I'll warn you that the obsession only begins with hammers and dollies, though. Try to look away from chisels, punches, pliers, clamps. grips, anvils, steel tables..... while at the markets.
Tom

 

[Deleted member 12521]

Thanks for the input, fellows. I also discussed this over on the Triumph forum. I will certainly be picking up a set of Martins. The subject of tool addiction came up there as well. It sounds like a common affliction!