The best way is to learn how to shrink is without a backup dolly. The cold metal surrounding your heated dome is actually your dolly. The only time I use a backup dolly is shrinking an edge of a panel. I avoid using the wet rag till the panel cools considerably otherwise it will harden the metal. I heat larger areas than most people, it gives me a higher dome but it’s key to keep that torch moving quickly, otherwise you will have a dreaded hole. the best thing is I can shrink anywhere, not just places I can reach with a backup dolly. Fifty years in the business and still doing it, but at a slower pace. ~ John Buchtenkirch

15 years in the metal working industry and ive always wondered how you work with sheet steel. found your vids yesterday and have binged them all since then. you have answered so many questions ive had for so long, not only answered them but educated to why and how. Thank you so much for sharing your skills and knowledge. i really appreciate it. THANK YOU!!!!

This brings back memories. I'm a 72 yr old retired bodyman, started in the body business at 15. This hot shrinking method you show here worked great on the thick sheet metal of old but as metal became thinner shrinking methods had to evolve. I was fortunate to work with an old metal man that taught me all methods of shrinking, many he developed himself, as well as how to torch weld aluminum sheet metal used by RR and other foreighn cars. By 20 he had taught me how to hammer weld fender extensions on racing Porsches. It wasn't until I was about 25 we even considered using bondo and that was usually for cheap repairs for a used car lot. We either metal finished or soldered everything. Those old shrinking hammers were all but useless unless you knew you were going to solder the panel to finish it. Never use them if you plan to metal finish it. Oh and when I say soldered I don't mean the hack method of drilling 1/8" holes all over the area and them soldering them closed after you've filed the area straight. Only would-be bodymen used that method. Thanks for the trip down memory lane!!!!

Exactly, I've watched many people demonstrate it but I've never grasped it until now. Great job!!!

I'm an old guy that's just getting into this stuff, I've always been a gear head but I avoided bodywork like the plague. That was an awesome demonstration, thank you! I just subscribed.

Hi Karl. I am about 150 miles south of you. Greatly enjoy your videos. I love gas welding, especially sheet metal. In 1973, I cut the body of a Triumph TR4 into, thru the middle of the doors. Necessitated by being rear-ended by a big Chevy. I welded another back half on using coat hangers as welding rods. Hey, I was poor back then, AND, back then coat hangers were high quality steel. The welded joint never broke or cracked, even after 100,000 miles of wear and tear. Just more proof you don't have to have fancy stuff to get the job done. It is far better to have good quality used tools instead of fancy, new pieces of crap. Keep the videos coming, please!

Great explanation, this is how I was taught. It might also be helpful for others if you did a video on shrinking a flatter panel that has an oil can effect in it.

I love it when craftsmen like yourself encourage guys to give it a go, and you show some good methods.

@11:55 a gas welding video would be cool to see! (This video was really good as well, thanks for sharing it.) 👍🍻

Props for an explanation that's detailed enough that I know why I'm gonna do what I'm gonna be doing, and shows me *how* the old guys (guys who were retired back in the 1970's) were doing it when I saw it as a kid. Got a '54 Dodge truck with some damage, a hotwrench, and now - the understanding of how I'm gonna go after a couple of those spots...

Bloody brilliant, thanks, now i understand. Wishing you all, all the best. Greetings from Norway.

Awesome! Thank you for the great explanation and example. Never had any luck fixing dents with heat but I now feel like a expert lol

I will be waiting for your gas welding tutorial as I used to do quite a bit of it forty years ago when I worked as an agricultural fitter. I was the only one to just use the torch to weld not using rods. I called it 'self welding' because it was the only way I could discribe it, because it used the metal itself when I had more of it. I just found your channel a couple of weeks ago and have enjoyed watching very much, I live in the Northeast of England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿,near Durham City. I hope you never run out of topics to talk about. Keep up the great way of explaining your profession. The way you tell it is easy to follow. 👍👍👍👍👍

I really love your teaching, you are a natural.

Thank you for taking the time to explain how you do it. Well done.

You are just full of knowledge and you share it so well. Thank you.

Love to see you do a "Pick and file" vid.. educating people on how to work the metal.

Loved this. As a Blacksmith, this makes perfect since to me. Could you please show how this would work on a large " Oil canned" area. Would you still need to upset/push the metal? or would it be just a heating and cooling technique? Thanks again for such a great explanation of this.

Great job. Just found Make it Kustom. I've been binging them all! Great teaching. I hope you're in the new shop!

I’ve learned so much already from you! You do a great job explaining the whys and how’s of what you are doing. Great job and thanks for the videos!!

When you shrink you decrease the surface area and increase the thickness of the metal in the area of the shrink. That is where the extra metal goes. The area of the shrink is now thicker. Sometimes it takes many shrinks to remove the stretched metal....... Also the stretched metal is thinner than the original sheetmetal..

A great way of explaining heat shrinking.

Easily the very best explanation and video that I have ever seen on the topic....this one is timeless and will be teaching folks for years. Nice job !!

Awesome demo! Thanks for sharing.

I have been doing this stuff for over 40 years and this is by far the best explanation of heat shrinking that I have come across!! Thanks.

Thanks for the video. Great job of keeping it simple.

Excellent explanation. Thank you for doing this.

That is the best explanation of heat shrinking I have come access, makes a lot of sense.

This is Amazing these are the best video’s out there!

This is the best example and explanation!!

Your explanation was spot on. Great channel you're putting out!

SUPER!!! Thank you for making a clear detailed explanation of how this technique works.

Brilliant demo and explanation

Loving the videos Carl. Awesome way of explaining this. I’m getting stuck back into one of my projects so I’m appreciating all the tips and tricks

Well done, you explain things very well.

Dude you explained it perfectly. After many years of struggling to understand shrinking metal, I get it! 👍🏼🤘🏼 I’m getting my Oxy-Acetylene rig out again. I had to quit when I broke my spine but now I can give it another go

Your explanation of how these techniques work is excellent! Very informative.

Great explanation and instructions. Thank you

You have a natural talent for teaching. I just discovered you also. Wish I had seen this when I was restoring my 51 Chevy pickup a few years ago. Keep up the good work.

More excellent stuff! What a great way to learn!

Amazing tutorial and explanation of a process that has always been a mystery to me!

You did a very good job on explaining how to do that? I've been waiting for someone to go into detail like you have. Thank you!

You explain everything so well bro another solid video full of juicy info!

I really appreciate your knowledge and the demonstrations you provide, I'm doing some body work on an old 65 pickup truck and your You Tube videos have been so helpful. Thank you.

Best description and demonstration of heat shrinking I've watched. Thanks

Very nice and clear explanation and demonstration, subscribed.

Great explanation use to use that method often when doing patches work with the torch 40 years ago. Video on gas welding be great 👍🏻

Splendid explenetation , Thanks . I will start practising and try to learn the technic.

Fantastic! I can't wait to try this on my Hot Rod.

Best class I've had in 40 years.

I appreciate your efforts to explain and demonstrate these, new to me, methods. So much so, I don't skip the advertisements. I hope that benefits you. Thank you.

I have been trying to understand shrinking for a while. You explained it better than any I’ve seen thus far. Now, to try it out. Thanks

Your true skill that is hardest to learn. Its teaching something as well as you do. thx.

This is a really good demo. Thanks for making it. Am giving it a try along with the shrinking disc on my old Blazer

Awesome! You’re great at explaining your techniques, that’s a rare skill to have. I’m a trade sheet metal worker and am 55 years old. Your videos are teaching me stuff I never knew! One thing I’ll say though, when I was an apprentice, we welded everything up with a gas torch or arc. TIG welding was seemingly in its early days. Thanks again mate, you’re awesome 👏

I have to say you just taught this old dog an old trick, and saved me a fortune. Thank You

This was a great video. Keep up the great work. Can’t wait to see your 39 made into a 3 window!!

Gotta love guys like this...paying it forward for the rest of us. Thanks for the lesson!

NOW I understand the process! Thanks for sharing, seriously! Enjoy your weekend! Be safe!

Thank you so much, I have taken auto body in college but never really understood it until watching your videos. It's definitely going to reduce the amount of filler I use in the future.

Thanks for the demo!

Great explanation! I love the pace of your teaching, and the language you use is very accessible to all - Top notch teaching & video!!!

I’m just getting into this stuff and this demonstration really helped

Your teaching technique is great! You make everything easy to understand!! Thank you

Greetings from a brazilian fan (Sorry for any english mistakes) Your videos are the best. Great teaching, dynamic, well filmed, great editing. I'm learning a lot from them, in fact, I think I'm addicted. Thanks for the many tips.

Great video and all your videos are super informative! I was going to ask a question then you answered it in the last minute!!! 🍻

Thanks alot for this great video. New to this and I learned alot from this video. Always seeing ppl doing it but never really understood it. Thanks once again

Thanks for this information! I'm a DIY'er and learning through these videos!

Well enough explained... congrats!!

Well explained Karl, the way you explain things makes easy to understand how it works. love your skills!!!!!

I have watched many videos on this subject trying to understand, ,,,,,,your explanation of this is hands down the best I've seen,,,,,,, I could see I understand exactly what you're doing now!

Now, finally, I understand! Thanks, JD

Nice explanation! It takes a certain amount of feel but that comes with experience. Hopefully people will give it a try now you have laid out a clear how-to. Thanks again for taking the time to help. We need more people like you in the Hotrod world.

Awesome explanation and demonstration of the techniques. Thanks for putting together such wonderful content for guys (and probably gals too) who want to learn and use these skills for their own projects. I’m sure it’s a ton of work to put these videos together, so I’m sure I’m speaking for everyone when I say thank you.

Just want to thank you for the best and easy explanation of how to heat shrink. much appreciated .You made it simple and now I'm confident.

Well done. Thanks for that

You’re right, it’s a very effective technique-Nicely demonstrated ✅👍

Holy shit! i actually understand it - fantastic demo. Ive watched lots of videos about it an i got the process and the vibe, but this is next level.

Great video guys, in the second shrink you can really see the metal move! I'm going to put this technique to use on the weekend, thanks 👍

I finally understood how to do it and why. Great description. Your channel is rapidly becoming one of my favorites.

I appreciate your channel and your presentation. Explained in easy to understand terms, revelling the mystery of metal work Thank you

*SCIENCE* You're a great craftsman and a great teacher. Thank you for putting these videos together. I'm almost 60, but love to learn new techniques and skills every day as a life long learner!

Really appreciate your work brother 👍

Thanks for explaining it like that , I will definitely try that next chance I get, thank you

I watch a bunch of videos on metal working. Most of them I run at 1.5 to 2x speed, because there is a lot of fluff. You and Ron Covell I play at 1x, and I rewind a lot. Great content, great presentation. I love the "no excuses" mindset, and working with what you have in front of you. Thanks!!

Thank you so much for taking the time to go through this! It would be good to see how to deal with major oil canning issues.

The best I have ever seen this process explained...another awsome video

Spot on explanation great vid

Perfect ! Great job.

I’ve seen others do this but never explained as well as you did. Thanks for the explanation of what happens to the metal thickness as you heat shrink.

I wish show's like yours were around when I was starting out, I had to learn by trial & error, I enjoy your show.

Thank you, this is the best job of explaining shrinking I've seen!

Nice demonstration and super nice that you actually answer questions in the comment section. Thanks for a job well done!

Man that's the best video I have seen on this you make it so simple to understand . I been doing this with mixed results for a few years man I bet you with the way you explain it I can get it right every time now . Thanks brother

Perfectly explained thank you :)

Awesome explanation. Cheers.

Too cool! Thanks for teaching.

My new favorite channel, loving the how to's!

Well done! Can’t wait to try this on a stretched 55 Chevy quarter panel

Makes sense, great explanation as always and great camera work by Christina