Stainless Steel dents in appliances

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Old 06-18-2013, 11:57 AM
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Default Stainless Steel dents in appliances

Anyone ever try this method?...Where do you get dry ice?


Clean the dented area of your refrigerator. Cleaning the affected section will allow you to see the dent clearly, and will prevent any dirt, food particles, and other elements from negatively affecting the dent removal procedure.
Use a soft cloth, rag, or paper towels to remove any existing grime from the dented section of the refrigerator.2Heat up the perimeter of the dented area using the hair dryer for between 30 seconds and 1 minute. The purpose of using the hair dryer is to heat up the metal so that it expands slightly.
Use the hair dryer's medium or warm setting to avoid overheating the metal.3Place thick, heavy-duty gloves on both of your hands. The gloves will protect you from injuries such as frostbite when handling the dry ice.4Wrap a piece of dry ice in a soft, suede cloth. The suede cloth will protect your stainless steel refrigerator from any scratches during the application of the dry ice.5Gently press the bundle of dry ice to the center of the dented area, then rub the dry ice gently in a circular motion over the entire perimeter of the affected area.6Continue to rub over the dented area until 1 full minute has passed.7Cease rubbing the dry ice over the dent on the refrigerator. The dent will pop out and disappear within seconds after the application of the dry ice.8Repeat all steps using the hair dryer and dry ice if the dent is not removed from your stainless steel refrigerator after the first try. The rapid change in temperature from using the hair dryer to applying the dry ice should cause the dent to eventually pop out.
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Old 06-18-2013, 04:59 PM
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Where do you buy dry ice?
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Old 06-18-2013, 05:19 PM
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Default That was my question also...

I don't know, sometimes a hardware store will have dry ice...I just have a small dent in the refrigerator and was interested in this method...



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Where do you buy dry ice?
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Old 06-18-2013, 08:16 PM
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Where do you buy dry ice?
Publix on 466. Not all Publix have it, but this one does.
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Old 06-18-2013, 08:24 PM
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Wowzer! Has anyone tried this and actually had it work? We have dents in our ss fridge in MI caused by our Cleaning Lady From Hell, and I would love to get rid of them for our buyer.
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Old 06-18-2013, 08:50 PM
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My friend used a pops-a-dent thing for a small shallow dent. Worked great. I have read about the dry ice method and also a method using compressed air instead of the dry ice. It's the quick change in temp and expand and contract action that makes this work. I have read that it may take several tries.
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Old 06-18-2013, 09:44 PM
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Wowzer! Has anyone tried this and actually had it work? We have dents in our ss fridge in MI caused by our Cleaning Lady From Hell, and I would love to get rid of them for our buyer.
Here's an article that mentions 3 ways to remove dents from stainless steel appliances. It mentions the dry ice method as well as the automotive Pops-A-Dent and the third method is to use a clean bathroom plunger.

Appliance Dent Removal: Stainless Steel Dent Repair
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Old 08-04-2013, 08:32 AM
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After $20.00 worth of dry ice at Publix...still have dent.
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Old 12-17-2013, 10:04 PM
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Is the dent a sharp one with a crease, or a gentle depression? The reason I ask is have learned how to shrink metal when working on my cars, and generally if the metal is creased it is much more difficult to remove the dent. The methods that I use on the cars would not be suitable for the finish of a stainless steel appliance. You might be able to try higher heat, with an electric paint gun, but this may cause problems with insulation or plastic parts located near the dent. Also, did you have too much material between the dry ice and the stainless steel? Did you allow too much time between the application of the heat and then the dry ice?
Hope this helps.
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