I do paintless dent repair with my boss who's been doing it for 17 years and we get people that come in and ask to watch us pop dents out with dry ice. We usually laugh a little and explain that for the most part that is a myth and we actually have real tools and proven methods for removing the dents. My boss usually adds "If that stuff worked, I'd be driving around in a huge ice cream truck with dry ice, but I don't!".

 

Dry ice is negative 109 or 108 cant remembber. I used to work at a plant where we made it. we did alot of stuff with it. Try looking under Carbonics in your area to find it

 

Small dents and dings add character to an old truck...

 

From my experience, the ding has to be nearly perfectly round. Anything resembling an oblong or longer-than-wider ding will not come out using the dry ice/CO2 and heat method.

 

wow. zombie thread returns from the dead TWICE.

but, since it's alive again, i'll try to beat it down once and for all.

if you're really interested in trying this technique, you can see videos of it now on youtoob. people try to make it look like it works awesome.

IT DOESN'T.

to make a decent stab at it, your best bet is to use a heat gun, and slowly heat up the entire area. then immediately apply the ice to the dent while wearing a glove to prevent frostbite to your hand.

even then, it still will only work with a compression dent vs. a ding which has a crease (which is what i tried it on)

the better technique for ding removal is the "paintless" method employed by most major chain repair centers.

they use a variety of what are essentially, long handled spoons, and a mirror. they position the mirror in a way that they can watch the reflection of the sheet metal surface, and they use the long handled spoons to access the interior of the door skin/panel from the closest access hole. they use the back of the spoon to slowly press the ding back out, while using the mirror to watch that the ripple is smooth again.

i've seen several chains do a "demo" on hail-damaged cars at my local insurance office. some of these guys have real skill at massaging out the dent, while watching in the mirror to see all rippling is removed.

i've seen those dentless tool kits for sale on c-list and fleabay, so if you're really interested in getting good at it, look for a cheap kit and start your own bizness.

 

Nothing wrong with a necro thread. It keeps the info current.

I have seen the videos of dents removed with a heat gun and a can of "duster" keyboard cleaner. (co2) I agree that PDR is a better way to go, but if you are just messing around on an old beater, I would certainly give this a try.

 

My dad and I gave this a try and did not have any luck. We did not have a heat gun but it was well over 100 degrees that day in the Texas sun.

 

I seen a video of this on youtube once. Look like it would work great. I would try it on a non visible ding, or a peice of scrap metal for your own results first.