The sheet metal on our Howard project is a mix of new and old skins - it is much easier to simply refinish a pre-existing skin when possible- however, it often isn't. Over time thin aluminum tends towards dents, scratches, too many drill and access holes, or in the case of remade parts, poor fit and construction. In this picture Mark is in the process of lofting the fuselage side skin curve with a stiff yet flexible aluminum channel piece in order to get a nice smooth curve.