Repairing my ball joint press

I bent my Harbor freight ball joint press while pressing in the bottom joint. I did not notice that it got a little crooked and I kept pressing. I should have pressed it back out and started over, but I kept going. I hoped just a little more pressure would straighten it out. It did, but my press frame bent in the process.

Despite assurances by my millwright friend that it could never be brought back to parallel, I was able to straighten the c clamp in my Dad’s press.

Using a press to fix a press
Using a press to fix a press

I pressed each end slightly and measured the distance between the two sides of the press. I had to over compress a bit as it would spring back slightly when released. I suspect it has lost some strength in all the bending but I think it will still be strong enough to do the other two ball joints if I am careful. If not, Harbor Freight has them on sale now.