Runge Metalshaping Part 7: Making Welds Disappear On A Handmade Fender

[@RonCovell]

Thanks for another detailed, beautiful, and well-explained video, Chris! The discussion of 'Soul, Excellence, and Perfection' near the end was a special treat!

[@jamessharp9790]

I refinish plastic for motorcycles and I realized I’ve been burned out a while now. I can’t say just how uplifting this was to hear. Thank you

[@andeanrider6355]

Love your philosophy on excellence. My work is good but not 100 percent perfect, but it has a lot of soul in it. It reflexes me and who I am. Custom.

[@JimBailie]

Wabi Sabi. What is Wabi Sabi? The Elusive Beauty of Imperfection. Awesome videos👍

[@johnbolongo9978]

I worked one of my first jobs 50 years ago for a scottish guy who was a trained panel beater. We made a new body for a 1951 c type jaguar if my memory serves me correctly...looked very similar. Love the wooden mold. I made cardboard templates from the original that was trashed. We hand rolled all the panel from aluminum and gas welded together. It was a piece of artwork when done. Nicely done.

[@georgewallerlll496]

I Never thought of the pursuit of Perfection that way, of losing the Soul in the pursuit towards Perfection, rather than Excellence! Thanks for that bit of clarification. Also, love your car's Chris, they are Beautiful machines!

[@rfwillett2424]

He explained it well, the pursuit of technical perfection and soul are only compatible up to a point. This is very clear to see in dance, and as far as I'm concerned the pursuit of technical excellence has wrecked Olympic gymnastics.

On the Olympic statement... I think this is what makes the Olympic Snowboarding Halfpipe interesting because it is judged on Overall Impression. This allows the Athlete to create and adapt to the Halfpipe, weather, etc... I believe it is also why the sport has progressed so rapidly.

[@scottcates]

I heartily appreciate your comments about perfection vs. excellence. Very helpful. Thank you.

[@z06doc86]

I don’t feel perfection exists, but soul and excellence do exist, if you’re skilled and lucky in your craft. RÜNGE has both. 👍

[@melvindenny8962]

Perhaps excellence is the illusion of perfection. The master of his craft will see the difference. Peace. From Coquitlam, B.C., Canada

My son and I call the pursuit of perfection "Chasing Ghosts". Excellence stands the test of time, it's tangible.

[@thomasollinger7922]

It was fun hearing about your snowboarding. Many people don't know you were a really good snowboarder.

[@danielkoch4572]

Thank you for this and thank you for sharing your craft and skills. This is what I have dreamed about doing my whole life, but the situations of my life just haven't worked out for that to happen.... currently no garage/shop space. That's why I appreciate your videos so much, and you are spot on about soul. There is very little of it or of craftsmanship in today's modern world. Everything is speed and production today and why I believe the world has lost it's way to the degree it has. P.S. I'm also a life long 914 fanatic and love seeing your sons car in the background.

[@williamogilvie6909]

That's very nice work. Hammering the Aluminum weld might also make it stronger. I spent a few years making Silver jewelry. Some of the rings I made were soldered together with hard Silver Solder and then bent around a mandrel. When I first did that the solder joint would break. So I started hammering the solder joint flat, annealed it by heating it with the torch, and then bent it (when it had cooled down). I never had a problem with the solder joint breaking again. Sterling Silver work hardens much faster than Aluminum, so I am not suggesting you anneal the Aluminum fender.

[@Handbuilt1]

You are doing very well, better than some people that I know which call them self craftsmen . WELL DONE !

[@James-fs4rn]

👍 much respect for the craftsmanship and skills!

[@mannyleigh2571]

I totally agree with RonCorvell regarding your discussion of the soul in relation to performing the craft

[@wilmerdiaz2218]

Nice job man... I'm from Venezuela and I'm beginning to make my own tools machine....so thanks for sharing tips and tricks

[@copperheadaustraliatm.7603]

True works of art, extremely detailed videos thank you Chris, you are next level excellence. What a beautiful analogy of the work involved.

[@kthxbi1]

I restore classic cars and make custom parts for a living; nice to hear your take on perfection v excellence. Its very easy to get caught up in chasing perfection. Listening to your take has made me realise that I do that a lot and your right, it does take the fun out of it. I am going to try dial that back a bit. Thanks for sharing that perspective.

[@spurgear4]

Back in the 80s I took a two year autobody course, during that time I found an article about a guy who. was building new old Porsche coachwork. I still have the article around here somewhere as it amazed me. Your videos bring back that amazement. I went on to work in aviation as sanding filler got old pretty fast. Thanks.

[@tinnedanger]

Perfection ? It's in the builders perception. If you have pride in your work. ( which you obviously have ) You will always go the extra distance to achieve your satisfaction. I share your passion. I wish you much success. Enjoy.

[@dalelarue9196]

Thanks for another great video! It's been great to watch a few of them now. Also thanks for the pep talk. Has somebody that's fairly new into this line of work and striveing for perfection it can get super frustrating. It's great to hear from others their struggles and that they've asked others that are also in the trade. Thanks again!

[@johnnyhicks2386]

It's was a dream I had when I was young to build my own car , but unfortunately I never got the time or money to do so , but your work is amazing and many thanks for sharing your journey.

[@AviMoto650]

Дякую за навчання !! Переймаю ваш досвід ! Ще раз Дякую ! Ви Майстер !!

[@darbitron]

I saw the 914 in the back! Fun car but so hard to work on. :) So great to see someone understand fabrication and be so open to share technique. Great channel, beautiful car designs WITH soul. Thank you for all you do.

[@robertmarx8946]

Thank you for this excellent series of videos. I love your perspective on the pursuit of perfection. You mentioned that you visited the "best body builder in the world". Who would that be?

[@adriaticbatman]

Love the pep talk..so true.. the most beautiful and soulful cars made by Ferrari, Alfa, Lancia were not perfect..they had the soul of the guys who made the cars imbedded in all the tiny "imperfections" that today are missing

[@WazMan1234]

Excellent series of videos here, appreciate you sharing your craft.

[@perlindros9784]

Its analog with the impressionist painters in the mid 1800.

[@chrisdown2591]

Soul vs perfection! Absolutely agree!

[@daos3300]

nice. re filing - you can drag a file on alu, it helps to clean it. since alu is so soft it won't damage the file as it does when dragging it on steel.

[@paulnewton943]

I agree with the other comments 100% please more pep talks. The only thing I would like to add I was also taught how to file, but please watch fireball tools filing test. I also have a lot of time for his channel.

[@Xsiondu]

Always wondered what the wheel did. Cool to see it used

[@johntenhave1]

That was just lovely to watch! The fender is a work of art, all by itself.

[@mchristr]

Chris, your discussion about soul vs. perfection got me thinking. Perfection is an abstraction, an ideal that we can imagine but haven't experienced. Given that, do we gain anything meaningful by its pursuit? Perhaps, always mindful that we'll fall short. Yet we clearly see the artist's soul revealed in the excellence of their work. You're spot on: the most inspiring cars had flaws, and hence...character. Thanks for posting this content.

[@GregsGarage]

More great stuff. Thanks for bringing us along!

[@pinshaw]

Soul is lost unless experienced before, then its everything. For me it was fathers 67 Alfa GTV, then later in my 63 Alfa spider race car. I think its also your connection with the car forged over time or experience or both. envious of your craftsmanship, passion and patience, truly inspiring. thanks for sharing

[@paulwhiteman3625]

Excellent, Chris, and also reassuring that the panels you spent so much time creating don’t need to fit the buck exactly. If it looks right, it is right! I’m still at the wire buck stage of my build but had a worry in the back of mind that I might end up chasing a panel that just refuses to fit perfectly. Near enough is good enough.😊

Thanks Paul! I've found that the thought of not having things perfect is one of the primary setbacks for a lot of shapers. It can really hang a guy up! Even if you get the panel close and walk away for a few days to work on something else, you can always come back and fine tune it! "Perfection is the enemy of well done"!

[@antoinecaddy]

Thanks for sharing your tipps, really useful and well explained!

[@maya00795]

Next level creativity......🎉🎉 Awesome 😎 greetings from India 🤘🤘

[@jones7299]

I have been waiting for this one. Thank you.

[@thomasking2081]

HI CHRIS. CAN I ASK WHERE YOU BOUGHT THAT ACCU-ARC? I LOOKED ON THE INTERNET BUT DID NOT HAVE MUCH LUCK. THANKS

[@stocken77]

Thank you for your videos on metalshaping. This is exatly the videos I am looking for. Please keep making them exelent tutorial videos.

[@mattvelardes8072]

Acu-Arc Adjustable Curve & Arc Tool for Drafting, Woodworking, & Ship Design

[@ronstiles2681]

Great video, wish I had your gift to do that type of body work, but my talents are with engines and suspension, basically everything but what you do, but I have done some really nice fiberglass work, keep up the good work:)

[@greenkouki]

Another great video. Love your process for dressing the welds.

[@franccoch4676]

Thank you very much to put some words on what let you do what you do. It's lightened my point of view, and I subscribe 100%, even though the journey is a long road 👏

[@bake162]

Well done, well said

[@chrisparti]

Great work Chris, a quick tip that I was taught when I did my engineering apprenticeship, was to load the file with chalk (just rub it with a stick of chalk) and it stops the file clogging and picking up chunks of aluminium that can easily score your work. Give it a try see if it works for you.

Thanks Chris, I am going to give that a try!

[@chrisparti]

@RUNGECARS I really hope you find it beneficial... you have to keep adding chalk throughout the day, though. It's not a once a day thing.

[@WireWeHere]

When working to a buck we're always one letter away.

[@imagearchy4782]

The front end proportions look way better Chris!

[@theohlinsguy4649]

The old school guys gas welded aluminum which mitigated many of the problems you are having. It is pretty much a lost art form

Thanks for bringing this up! I also Oxy/gas weld and will share that in future videos👍🏻

[@SuperHenso]

13:28 Who's that person? Sounds like a guru

[@eddiemcg]

hey, hello chris and thanks for showing us this marvellous work, tell us though, who do you consider "the best coachbuilder in the world"?.cheers.

[@andrewkazanova5751]

can you make videos about how make the frame

[@bullrush1725]

Chris as always top shelf work mate. Curious if you build your body before the chassis or chassis to body? I'd love to see your design principles in chassis design! Keep up the awesome videos!

My first RS was built from 2014-2017. It was a shorter wheelbase but I built the chassis first and then bodied the coachwork directly onto that. Since then I have extended the wheelbase and built two more versions on that platform. In earlier videos I explained some of this... I scanned one of the Tube bucks built to the LWB platform and then with the help of a friend we digitized that design in CAD. We had the chassis in Cad as well so we were able to fit everything virtually and then have it CNC cut (also in an earlier video). When I come up with an original design, I always design it to the chassis, by hand. Once I have done 1 or 2, as in this case then I would feel confident having it done in CAD but I always build over the chassis.

[@williambarry8015]

Looks like this dudes wood working skill is just as good as his metal working skill.

[@SteveBraithwaite]

Always keep the file in contact with the metal. Both on the up stroke and down stroke.

On filing the aluminum skin, the return stroke that “dislodges” the shavings gouges the material and causes excessive finish work. I use a brush to clean the file and use it in one direction as shown in the video👍🏻

[@stephenstephenson6614]

I love you so much!

[@jodsta0695]

Are you able share details of you acu arc ?

[@MrSociallyDistrted]

Great video - thank you for sharing your work and techniques. Would you mind sharing who manufactures/sells the profile gauge tool you use to reference the contour deformation? I’m working on a chop to VW Beetle and it would be very helpful in my work gauging the roof profile symmetry.

It is called an Acu Arc. I've had a bunch of guys here asking where to find them and apparantly they're NLA. I have reached out to the company to see if I can bridge the gap somehow...

[@CLPRPSD]

"Strive for perfection...settle for excellence"

[@stevemurphy402]

Chris, thanks for posting this great information! Where can a find a file with the coarse and fine teeth?

Hi Steve, Mine came to me as a gift with a bunch of other files. But, I would keep an eye out on eBay or possibly FB Marketplace as these things pop up occasionally!

[@thomasking2081]

HI CHRIS, THANKS FOR ANOTHER GREAT VIDEO, I REALLY LIKE YOUR STEP BY STEP EXPLAINATION PROCESS. COULD I ASK WHO YOU CONSIDER TO BE THE BEST COACHBUILDER? THANKS

[@bullrush1725]

That may well be a little controvercial. But the guy making thus videos is pretty dam good IMO

I consider Luc De Lay to be one of the best "Coachbuilders". I quote Coachbuilders because there are many other craftsmen practicing these same skills day to day, but Luc is using them in producing one-off, original designs on a regular basis. This requires a different approach than reproducing designs that already exist. I am not saying the people producing those pre-existing cars are not equally or more skilled. It just takes a different level of insight and eye for design to create what Luc does, to the point of allowing yourself to freestyle where needed... His work is incredible.

[@thomasking2081]

@ I WOULD AGREE WITH THAT, I USE TO WATCH AMERICAN HOTROD HOPING THEY WOULD SEND SOMETHING TO MARCELS JUST SO I COULD WATCH THEM WORK. THANKS FOR THE REPLY CHRIS, KEEP UP THE GREAT VIDEOS

[@turbokeene]

Nice work! Looking beautiful. However, I can’t help but think that all of that filing could have been avoided by gas welding the panels together with zero rod fill. It looks like you’ve Tig welded from the backside first, then tig’d over on the front side to mitigate cracking. Do you ever gas weld aluminium panels? It would save so much time. Regards from across the pond. Matt

[@XenonJohnD]

This is a serious question as someone trying to learn how to do this. On some of your cars the welds truly are invisible. At this point I can still see where your weld is so can you tell us what extra finishing stages remain? Is it simply that you have not finally polished it yet? Thanks.

Great Question and thanks for pointing this out. The process shown in the video brings the panel to the point where I can start to shape the adjoining bodywork and ultimately weld the entire clip together (using the same techniques shown here) before doing my finish work. Specifically relating to the weld, my next step would be using the DA Sander with 600, then 800 and then polishing to make it completely blend. I will do a video on this process as well!

[@h-j.k.8971]

I like and admire your work but there is one thing I must say: the guy who tought you to file was wrong, drawing the file back lightly dislodges any chips jammed into the teeth of the file ready for the next stroke forwards.

tou·ché

[@brianlove8413]

How much did all that flash gear cost?

[@thomasollinger7922]

Obviously I love these videos, buy I have a question. Are you clecoing into the plywood?

No, I have aluminum strips mounted to the buck to cleco into...

[@jeffreylonigro1382]

I think you just beat the weld flat since aluminum is fairly malleable. If you wanted the weld to go down, the dolly should have been on the outside and you would be hammering from the inside. Counterintuitive, but that’s how dollies work: the mass of the dolly moves the metal opposite the hammer. So with a dent you are trying to remove, the dolly goes inside the panel. You were going the other way, so the dolly would be on the outside.

I think you might have misunderstood what the goal was in the hammer/dolly work. It wasn't the actual weld I was flattening. I was knocking down some heat distortion that caused the weld to rise (more vividly shown when I hold the dolly to the backside of the panel). My explanation and method was exactly as described. I wasn't planishing the weld, which I think your explanation could apply to. I later used the English wheel to planish and smooth the weld... Thanks for watching!

[@mattiasfagerlund]

Nice! Would you ever "shrink" by cutting out metal as you would do in fabric? I'm talking a out cutting out a A or V shaped slot and welding up the sides as a form of shrinking. Or does that cause more problems than it's solving?

[@customcreations...............]

Sure It can be done that way but most skilled metal shapers would consider that a hack job also it would be more work because you would have more welding and finishing to do

Custom Creations nailed it. It kind of defeats the purpose (or possibly goes back to a rudimentary way) of what we're trying to do with shaping and forming by stretching and shrinking. In most cases it requires either a ton of clean up for it to look decent or body filler when painted...

[@mattiasfagerlund]

@ Thanks to both of you for answering, now I know!

[@matthewzuleger4569]

has criss ever comented on what any of his cars sell for?

[@stephan4ever64]

Who is "the best coach builder in the world' you're talking about?

[@johna1160]

Sure am curious now who Chris considers "the best coach builder in the world".

[@jackpledger8118]

Me also...I have a couple in mind. Would love to know who Chris considered the best.

[@conceptalfa]

👍👍👍!

[@chopper_1987_]

cool

[@stricht8]

Tell us the name of the coach-builder who you hold to such a high esteem!

[@ukaszmakkus9962]

Czesc, dopiero zacząłem Cie oglądać, więc nie znam historii. Jesteś z Polski?

Thank you! The crest is the city of Frankfurt. many mistake it for Polish!

[@ukaszmakkus9962]

@ Well, it's all clear, heh... Very good job are you doing :)

[@tomminystrom]

There is this concave next to that weld. kzbin.info/www/bejne/nYrWgqelq82Yn7c This brings my mind a trick that they use repairing dents on metal sheets of a car exterior. Warm it up with a hot air blower to expand the metal and then use dry ice to make metal shrink. I wonder can that be used instead of a hammer in manufacturing of those parts?

[@markbarber7839]

..... your buck and pins are precision enough. The body only has to fit the air

[@tomthompson7400]

The better is the less you see ,,,, its like saying , look at my invisible stitching .

[@richardk8293]

These days all car manufacturers care more about the economics and making profit than perfection.

[@horacerumpole6912]

Kent White-

[@arkangelnorthman]

the buck starts here....

It actually started here... kzbin.info/www/bejne/h2a0mqtuiZh1o6M

[@daryllinkugel3804]

Awesome job, you are a true craftsman.

[@pameladunn7346]

today's spelling lesson - listen up closely class . . . . here's how you spell "SOUL" - V E L E N O

[@79huddy]

This dude is so close to building a real Mach 5 better not let that trunk monkey chim chim see it

[@daryllinkugel3804]

You need to get a file card. I see you running your hand down the file to clean the aluminum shavings.