Pushmore Academy! Yesterday, I posted a lesson breaking down natural vs. man-made high spots and how I approach each one based on the anatomy of the zones and the energy we're working with. In this video, I take that lesson a step further by mapping it out visually, helping you better understand what we're seeing, why the metal behaves differently, and how that influences our approach. As soon as possible, I'll follow this up with a hands-on repair demonstration to bring it all together! Moving forward, I'm going to do my best to layer each lesson in three stages: 1. WRITTEN – Understand the principles and the science. 2. MAPPED OUT – Visualize the anatomy, energy, and approach. 3. REPAIR DEMO – Watch those principles applied to actual metal. My goal is simple: Don't just show you WHAT to do. Help you understand WHY you're doing it. The more ways we can approach a lesson, the better chance we have of making it stick! Let me know down below if this approach is helping you connect the dots! Now WORK HARD and GO BE GREAT.

Precision. Control. Metal Behavior. Intensity. Students, I want to challenge you to look beyond what your light is showing you and begin understanding WHY the metal is behaving the way it does. Two highs can appear nearly identical under your light, yet require a different approach to knockdown. Why? Because how the high was created matters. 1. Understanding the Difference Let’s begin with two categories. Natural highs — stored energy and crowns When an impact displaces metal, the surrounding material is forced to accommodate that displacement. Depending on the damage, we may develop crowns, tension, and stored elastic energy. These features are part of a larger system of displacement. As we begin working these natural highs, our approach is generally patient and progressive. We establish precision, develop our rhythm, follow our pattern, and work through our passes while carefully increasing intensity as the metal gives us feedback. We’re not racing to knock the crown down. We’re allowing the metal to tell us what it needs. Man-made highs — pushed or pulled Now let’s consider a high that YOU created. Maybe you pushed too far with your tool. Maybe you used a glue tab and pulled a small mound above the original panel contour. At the very top of that high, we can develop a localized zone of compression associated with the tight curvature of the peak, immediately surrounded by metal that has been stretched into tension. The surrounding metal doesn’t necessarily contain the same outward-radiating stored-energy pattern we associate with an impact-related crown. The important distinction is the local geometry and how the metal has been redistributed. And that changes how we approach intensity. 2. The Danger of Being Too Timid Imagine you’ve created a small, rounded high with a glue pull. You begin knocking it down. Your precision is good. Your rhythm is controlled. You’re working your pattern and your passes. But your intensity is too low to effectively move the concentrated peak.

A winner has been picked! Video will be dropping either today or tomorrow. Let me know down below what you’re working on! I’m going to start gathering entries for the next giveaway! A 10 piece sharp brace set from DENTCRAFT! 👊⚔️

GLUE PULLING | LESSON 03 STEP 3: TAB SELECTION, GLUE APPLICATION & TAB PLACEMENT We're continuing to build out the Glue Pulling Module here in Pushmore Academy! Glue pulling is arguably one of the most creative aspects of PDR. With so many different tabs, adhesives, tools, and techniques, there's no shortage of ways to approach a repair. But before we get creative, we need to establish a foundation. In this new lesson, we're breaking down three critical decisions: 🔴 3A — TAB SELECTION: Understanding what metal we're actually trying to grab and why bigger isn't always better. 🔴 3B — GLUE APPLICATION: How much glue do we really need? I'll demonstrate my approach to applying glue efficiently and consistently. 🔴 3C — TAB PLACEMENT: Precision matters! We'll discuss where to place our tabs and how that strategy changes as damage becomes more complex. Here's something I really want you to take away from this lesson: These are starting points, not limitations. As you begin pulling metal, the feedback you receive will help guide your next decision. The goal is to stop guessing and start understanding WHY we're doing what we're doing. 🎥 Lesson 03 is LIVE NOW in the Glue Pulling Module! Up next, we're getting into the actual pulling techniques using the mini lifter and slide hammer. Keep putting in the work, everybody!

A quality repair is essential. But the customer’s experience is shaped by more than the final result. It’s also shaped by what they know, what they expect, and how they feel while their vehicle is in your care. When a customer leaves the shop, they lose sight of the process. They don’t see the hours of work, the decisions you’re making, or the stages the repair has to pass through. They’re left with a timeline—and the questions that come with waiting. That uncertainty can grow when communication goes quiet. Even if you gave a reasonable estimate, customers may still wonder: Is the repair on track? Did something change? When should I expect to hear from the shop? When those questions go unanswered, they may start checking in. That can add pressure for both of you. Build communication into your repair process: 1. Set expectations at drop-off. Give a realistic timeline and explain that it may change if new information comes up. 2. Agree on an update rhythm. Daily, every other day, or at key stages—choose a cadence you can reliably maintain. 3. Reach out first. Don’t make the customer responsible for chasing you down. 4. Communicate even when there’s no major change. “We’re still on schedule, and I’ll update you again Friday” is useful information. 5. Explain changes as soon as you know. A delay is easier to understand when the customer hears it from you early, with a clear next step. A proactive update doesn’t have to be long. It has to be timely, honest, and specific enough to answer the question they’re already asking themselves. You can’t control every delay or every customer’s expectations. You can control whether they’re left guessing. That’s part of taking ownership of the customer experience—and it can help you work with less stress, too. Now WORK HARD and GO BE GREAT.