How to Repair Your Sheet Metal in 5 Steps
Think you can’t repair your broken down sheet metal? Well, it’s time to think again; you can.Even after you have restored your years-old sheet metal, you can still make repairs. If you don’t want to tap the services of a professional sheet metal repairman then you can embrace the do-it-yourself (DIY) trend and make any of the necessary repairs with your own tools and wisdom.
One of the most popular ways to repair your sheet metal is by using pop rivets, which are also identified as blind rivets. They are essentially fasteners and are better than nuts and bolts.
You must be warned: sheet metal has many sharp edges You need to be extra careful and proceed with immense caution. As you work on this project, it is crucial to sport work gloves and safety glasses as you cut and sand the sheet metal. With that out of the way, you can move on.
Here are five tips for repairing your sheet metal:
1. What You Will Need Right Away
Before you embark upon this repair journey, there are several things that you will need. Here is the list of tools and trinkets needed for this job:
- Measuring tape
- Rotary cutting tool
- Metal shears
- Drill & drill bit
- Pop rivet and tools
- Metal Scribe
This is in addition to the aforementioned and much-needed safety goggles and work globes.
2. The First Step is to Measure & Mark
The very first thing you need to do is measure the piece of sheet metal for the repair. This is done by utilizing a measuring tape. Once this task has been completed, you will need to mark the dimensions and shape by utilizing a metal scribe.
3. Cutting Will be Key to a Successful Repair
With your metal shears, you need to proceed by cutting the sheet metal along the scribed lines. It should be noted that you can also use a handheld, rotary cutting tool that has a metal-cutting wheel. Ultimately, it is really up to you which tool you prefer.
4. Pay Attention to the Damaged Area
Do you see the damaged area of your sheet metal? Grab your repair sheet metal, hold firmly against the damaged area and drill a hole through both layers of the metal with an appropriate drill and drill bit that would fit the pop rivet. This is an important part of the repair.
5. Now You Can Use the Pop Rivet
Are you finished? Great. Now here comes the most vital part of the repair: the pop rivet.
First, grab the stem of the rivet into the pop rivet tool die – the die diameter should mimic the stem diameter. Second, insert the rivet into the drilled hole through every layer of the sheet metal. Third, apply inward pressure and squeeze the tool handle until the stem leaves the pop rivet. And you are done. You have completed your repair of the sheet metal.
You just repeat these steps for every other damaged area of the sheet metal.
Although you want to repair your valued sheet metal, safety should be the most important concern. If you feel that you can’t handle the repair then be sure to get somebody else to do it.
That said, experts will always recommend some tips that should be a part of your cheat sheet for sheet metal repair. For instance, you can drill a corner hole first so you can align correctly. Another example is that the pop rivets should be 1/8-inch and the drill bits should be 1/8-inch.
With all of these tips in mind, you are ready to conquer your sheet metal.