[ChrisRobin]

I don't think it's possible but I was wondering if there was a way to fix a small dent in a frame. The dent is about 10mm wide. I figure it would be easier (or maybe the only option) to fill it with something and then repaint?

Thanks.

 

[TBC]

Well im not sure what filling it would do other then cosmetics.
But if you try to fix the dent(not sure what you would do to fix it) chances are the aluminum would just crack.

 

[Beast]

haha, sounds like a job for bondo

 

[lovebunny]

its a dh bike. its gonna get dents

 

[Brian HCM#1]

I actually wondered that. I was thinking of refinishing my Army and it has a ding on the downtube. Does anyone know if powder coating will stick to bondo?

 

[lux]

...Does anyone know if powder coating will stick to bondo?

It won't. You'll have to use some type of metal filler to fix the dent if you intend on powdercoating.

 

[dropmachine]

While you're fixing that dent and repainting it, you should pick up a purse to match the frame.


Just ride it, who cares if it dents. As long as its not structural, its fine.

Chicks dig scars.

 

[keen]

I purchased a used frame that someone filled a few dents on w/ Bondo . Hidden till I went to re-color. Wish I could have given a swift kick to that Bondo guy as the re-sale value went to crap.

 

[zedro]

i'm guessing bondo would just crack if it's in a location where the frame flexes alot (like middle sections of tubes). You could always sticker over it.

 

[DH Diva]

I dented the downtube of one of my Mono's once, a couple inches up from the BB shell. It was a small dent but looked ugly and maybe scarey to a buyer because it had a sharp point of impact. But according to Foes, was in a place that really wasn't an issue structurally, but I wanted to sell the bike and get a reasonable amount of $$ for it. Foes fixed it for me by doing a metal fill with a welder, and then re-heat treating it. The only reason I did it was to help resale value. The buyer knew what was up with it, the bike has had a long healthy life, and I still got top dollar for the bike. If I hadn't fixed it, I wouldn't have gotten anywhere near how much it was worth.

 

[zedro]

Foes fixed it for me by doing a metal fill with a welder, and then re-heat treating it. The only reason I did it was to help resale value. .... If I hadn't fixed it, I wouldn't have gotten anywhere near how much it was worth.

and ironically, doing that probably helped weaken that area....

 

[DH Diva]

and ironically, doing that probably helped weaken that area....

Brent isn't a stupid guy, he wouldn't have done it if it was going to have a negative impact on the frame. He doesn't want to see his bikes break in someones hand so he wouldn't do something intentionally to weaken his bikes. He takes frame fixing very seriously and I know of situations where he has refused to fix a frame because he doesn't think the fix will last.

I still know the girl I sold the bike to 4 years ago, and she rode the thing harder than I ever could. Big drops, full seasons of DH racing, and it's still kicking so I'm confident the frame is fine. Fixing aluminum is difficult, and can go very wrong if it's not done be a skilled professional. But if it's done right, it's fine.

 

[pZyteX]

It does weaken it though, cause' a frame naturally flexes a little while riding. But it won't flex where it was filled with metal. So that puts more stress on the surrounding area.

 

[zedro]

It does weaken it though, cause' a frame naturally flexes a little while riding. But it won't flex where it was filled with metal. So that puts more stress on the surrounding area.

that and you're creating a big HAZ (heat affected zone), which is a weaker grain.

 

[vitox]

that and you're creating a big HAZ (heat affected zone), which is a weaker grain.

so you say no matter if its t6'd again it will still be weakened at the weld zone?

as for the strength debate i can see how filling a dent by welding is a bit overkill and probably the remedy is worse than the illness but i can at the same time see that in some cases it wont be an issue if for instance that area is known to never be the one that goes crack first in a frame, like on a mono for instance.

 

[DH Diva]

Well, I feel that the best person to determine if fixing a foes frame is going to weaken or contribute to a future failure is the guy who built it. Brent is an amazing fabricator, machinist, welder, and engineer and has established himself as one of the top frame builders in the business. He's been building the DHS line for years and years and years and knows it inside and out. If he thinks it okay and isn't going to harm the frame, I'm going to go with his opinion on the subject. Would I have just anyone or any company try this on a frame?? Absolutely not. But I know Brent knows his stuff. Would I have had it fixed myself?? Probably no, but the buyer wanted it fixed, so I had it fixed.

 

[dropmachine]

Dh Diva obviously you don't know what you are talking about. None of the bike makers know anything, especially compared to the vast RM collective e-engineers. Are you new or something?

Pfff...Foes. They dunno nothing, bunch of bums! Look at those hydroformed monocoques, custom shocks, bikes that belong in art galleries...obviously hacks! All thier bikes are made of Bondo.

 

[zedro]

so you say no matter if its t6'd again it will still be weakened at the weld zone?

supposidly. I've heard estimations of upto 30% weaker strength for welded areas, as they can include voids and impurities.

 

[zedro]

None of the bike makers know anything, especially compared to the vast RM collective e-engineers.

exactly....i mean, just look at Karps and Konas

edit: PS: Foes seem like well built bikes, but this just seems like he wanted to please a customer; it obviously wasent the best thing to do with the bike, even if it wasent destructive. Some of us are real RM engineers you know, dont pass us off cus we dont have key initials....

 

[keen]

Dent, ding, crack, bend, impression all cause some sort of deviation to the metal. Will that affect the structural integrity... everyones guess is good but the area in question is deffinitly not the same. 1%, 10% keep on guessing.

 

[DH Diva]

exactly....i mean, just look at Karps and Konas

edit: PS: Foes seem like well built bikes, but this just seems like he wanted to please a customer

I'm actually not a Foes customer, I've been a sponsored rider since 2000. So Brent doesn't really have to please me, I actually kinda have to please him!

 

[jimmydean]

When I stripped a prototype frame for Diamondback, there was a spot of bondo on the chainstay. They said it would be fine, but when I baked it, it bubbled up through the powder and pissed me off. It was on the drive side and we covered it with hockey tape anyway, but I was still pissed.

There is a product called All-Metal that is used for auto body and powdercoating will stick to it well. It works great for minor dents and dings, but like bondo, it's not structural.

 

[zedro]

So Brent doesn't really have to please me, I actually kinda have to please him!

ahhhhaink: