A dolly for dents is a tool that is used as a backing device behind a hammer to help shape and to remove dents by pushing up on the low spots of the metal, while the hammer taps down on the high spots.
The dolly for dents acts as a curved or a flat surface which provides the support from the backside of a dented panel while the hammer is used to shape the metal.
The dolly is placed under the low spot and the hammer hits the high spot and so the hammer and dolly are never in contact with each other.
The hammer off dolly technique is a common dent repair method in which the dolly is used to push up on low spots of the metal and the hammer is used to gently tap down on any high spots of the metal.
Dollies for dent repair come in several different sizes and shapes to accommodate different kinds and types of dents and areas of the vehicle.
The dollies in dent repair are used to shape sheet metal, especially in areas where it can be difficult to sing a hammer and to level smaller imperfections.
Hammer on dolly can also be used in certain situations in dent repair but hammer off dolly is the method most commonly used and preferred.
A planishing hammer is also often used in dent repair.
A planishing hammer has a shallow crown on the head and can be used in smoothing out dents after the initial hammering and dolly work are done.