Dent removal, can it be done?

[NeilnrLincoln]

Hi All.
At the weekend I bought a Genesis latitude mountain bike, which I must say I'm very impressed with.
What I wasn't quite so impressed with was the fact the seller didn't mention the dent on the top frame tube until I got there to buy it, as I got it for a reasonable price & I'd done a 160 mile round trip to collect it I bought it anyway.
It's a Reynolds 520 steel frame & the dent is maybe 1/2" long on the top tube like someone's dropped something on it. Is there a way of removing the dent? I did wonder about tack welding a stud to the centre of the dent and trying to pop it out with a slide hammer but I'm worried that it might either melt or tear a hole in the frame!
I doubt epoxy resin would have enough strength to work with a slide hammer.
I could fill it but I don't really want to repaint it, is there an alternative to just living with it?
Thanks.
Neil.

 

[fossyant]

Leave it.

 

[Levo-Lon]

A tough one to fix if not painting.. i doubt you can even apply pressure from inside..

fill and paint..or a nice sticker..which was my fix on a brand new frame i got last year from planetX
ding in the top tube ,but it was half price in the sale and a RT58 alloy so not fussed.

 

[sanddancer]

You would still have to paint it and probably fill it if you tack welded it.
you could have a new top tube fitted but I don't know how much the cost is.
Or live with it.

 

[Mrs M]

My mountain bike got a wee dent when Mr M dropped it against a wall.
Really annoying but just left it be.
Should be ok .

 

[sanddancer]

Really annoying but just left it be.
.

The dent or Mr M ?

 

[Mrs M]

The dent or Mr M ?

Both!

 

[andrew_s]

Leave it.

Leave it.
Even if you take it to a frame builder for repair, all they will usually do is to fill the dent and respray, so you can't see it.
If it's bad enough to need the whole tube replacing, the tube will generally be visibly out of straight.

 

[User32269]

I treat small dents with car filler and use car paint touch up pen to cover.

 

[Smurfy]

A frame builder won't replace the tube unless you ask them. They'll just fill it with braze material and then grind it flush with the tube. Of course it will then need a respray, as brazing is a hot job that damages paint.

 

[Smokin Joe]

Unless the material has creased at the edge of the dent - which will weaken it - I'd leave it.

 

[NeilnrLincoln]

Thanks for the replies. I've been having a look at it tonight, the fact that the paint has chipped is making it look worse than it is. I think I'll touch up the paint & leave it alone, if it is still noticeable maybe find a tasteful sticker that'll hide it.

 

[biggs682]

Thanks for the replies. I've been having a look at it tonight, the fact that the paint has chipped is making it look worse than it is. I think I'll touch up the paint & leave it alone, if it is still noticeable maybe find a tasteful sticker that'll hide it.

sounds a plan

why did you go ahead with purchase ?

 

[Illaveago]

Working in car bodyshops over the years there was a tool that we used which we used to weld 1/8 the steel nails to bodywork to either pull dents out or to weld on studs for fitting moulding clips to. To use this method you would have to clean the area of paint in order to make electrical contact for the nail and the surrounding electrode of the gun. With careful use of the trigger you could stick a nail on so that it hardly left a mark once you had pulled the dent
out.
The method described would require painting afterwards. If the dent is shallow and the paint hasn't broken there are some techniques on the web which might work provided it isn't a gouge type of dent.
I have a small dent in the crossbar of my Raleigh which I have tried using the mirror polished ball pein hammer technique on. I didn't think I had much hope as it was a gouge but I have managed to reduce some of the dent. It is like trying to remove a dent from a deflated football, well that is the principle simplified.

 

[sanddancer]

Thanks for the replies. I've been having a look at it tonight, the fact that the paint has chipped is making it look worse than it is. I think I'll touch up the paint & leave it alone, if it is still noticeable maybe find a tasteful sticker that'll hide it.

If it was mine personally I would fill it, and paint it then possibly put a transfer over it as it would wind me up
Especially if the paint is chipped as the frame will start to rust and it will get worse.