Straightening Bent Fins


I purchased a huge Krell amp that arrived yesterday! (Used) It all seems OK, but it shifted in the box, and one of the fins was bent. You may as well know it was the one in the front! This is a 130 pound amp, so it's got a pretty good curve in the fin. I know this is a fairly common thing to happen during shipping. It's not severe enough that I don't want the amp, I'm not gojng to send it back over one bent fin. But I ask everyone out there, has anyone ever had any luck straightening a fin? Any advice on the best way to go about it? I don't want to break it off, or scratch it up. Any experiences good or bad, let me know what you think. 
alpha_gt
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Nice video pbn! I did a search on "Bent Fin" and it turned up many stories about others who have had many episodes like mine, most were way worse. And, looking at used amps, it's not uncommon at all to see one with a slightly bent fin from some previous encounter. It happens way more than it should. 

Yes it was in a factory box, but the foam padding failed, and the amp twisted in the box. And no it wasn't bent in the seller's photos.  This thing weighs 130 lbs, I know they weren't ginger with it. And the amp works fine, sounds amazing! No internal damage that I can see. Perhaps a new heat sink would be the way to go? If Krell even makes them or has one to sell. It's an FPB-300, not the lastest model for sure. 

I was thinking more like Erik suggested, possibly some wooden shims to prevent scratching. And applying some heat. No, not a torch or anything, just a heat gun like I use for shrink tubing. To help prevent cracking. If it's 200 degrees it would be a lot less likely to break. If my only other option is buying another, then I have nothing to loose? If, they have another. And what is connected to it? Some heat sinks have transistors attached to them, others are only against them. 

But it is a testimate to the solid build quality of this amp! It's like a tank, the rest of it is completely unharmed. No rattles or wracking, of course it feels like solid lead anyway. Wow it's heavy! At some point they should think of separate chassis, and I guess they do? I don't have to worry about some theif snatching it up and running off with it! 

so thanks guys, I guess my next step is to contact Krell. 



Hi Alpha_gt
Ok,first I want to say your writing style is very funny ,and yes I mean it in a good way. You think positive and that’s good.
In regards to the bend fin, because I work with aluminum material and know how it behaves. Understand that the fin on your Krell amp is made of aluminum and then black anodized. The anodizing process makes the aluminum harder but also brittle. So even if you succeed in bending it back to straight ,I am afraid the anodize will be affected and will show discoloration at the very least,most likely a white shade where the metal got stressed.Have you ever seen pictures of big Krell class A amps with blue fins from the heat discoloration?
If it was me and I cherished the amp I would go straight into ordering a new fin. By the way my dream amp is a Krell FPB-600 but out of my price range in my area.
Thanks
George
I assume that to buy a new heatsink, if you find one, you will need to replace the whole side as it is one piece per side.  If so, you may want to replace both sides in case there has been fading over the years. 

Alternatively, if possible, if you move the left heatsink to the right, and vice versa, the bent heatsink will be on the back?
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