No giggling at the back...
A slapper is an indispensable bit of kit for panel work, the slapper is the unsung hero of the bodywork world. Unlike a hammer, which creates an impact in a concentrated area, a slapper spreads its influence across a broad, flat surface. Often with an impact surface up to 8 inches long it’s wielded much like a body hammer, but its larger footprint makes it ideal for coaxing flat areas back into line, especially when smoothing out welds or bumps. Naturally, being made of tool steel, proper slappers can be eye-wateringly expensive. Fortunately, there’s a time-honoured workaround: make your own from an old file.
Step one: find a file that’s past its prime. Then, grind off the teeth. This is not a quick job. Files are, after all, designed to chew through metal, so their teeth (unlike my own) are strong and sharp. So grinding them flat required an angle grinder and a heroic amount of patience. Once the surface was smooth, I rounded off the edges—I didnt fancy adding fresh creases to the panel with every slap.
Next comes the bending. Being tool steel, the file won’t yield to mere brute force. It needs heat—lots of it. An oxy-acetylene torch does the trick nicely. You’ll see in the photos the general shape I aimed for. Admittedly, my first attempt at the handle angle was... optimistic. When I tried it out, the tool and my knuckles made simultaneous contact with the panel. That was educational. I re-bent the handle upward slightly, which left a bit of a kink—cosmetically disappointing, but functionally necessary.
To finish, I smoothed the face with a surface sander until it was satisfyingly flat. As for the handle, I debated whether to cut off the tang and use the file itself as a grip or to keep the tang and fit a wooden handle. I went with the latter. Whether that was wise remains to be seen.
