Posted by Rick Denney on February 07, 2002 at 13:16:50:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Dent Eraser posted by Dave on February 07, 2002 at 12:46:48:
Having handled the Dent Eraser, and having read the description of the #39 magnet (or the even more intriguing #37 magnet), I'm thinking that the Dent Erase magnet isn't quite that strong.
What keeps if from turning a dent into a bulge is the thinness of the covering material. However hard the magnet pulls, it can't pull beyond the surface of the magnet. What you want to avoid in particular is squeezing the brass so hard that it yields in compression. This would indeed stretch the brass and create ripples.
I'd bet that the Dent Eraser's inventor tried several, and selected the one that seemed to have just the right amount of pull. The shape of it is certainly easier to handle than the #39--it requires only one hand, leaving the other hand to support the instrument.
Rick "not yet convinced the do-it-yourself Internet-bought magnet is the best way to get into this" Denney