How old is Bondo, anyway?

[Deuce Rails]

When did Bondo hit the market? Around what year? When did the old-school customizers start using it over lead? (If ever!)

Thanks,

Matt

[old beet]

Think I first saw it about 1959?........OLDBEET

[enjenjo]

I helped my dad fix a 50 Buick in about 1955, and there was plasic filler then, Duro was the brand.

[alchemy]

Remember Blackjack? Nasty stuff.


alchemy

[gears-n-grease]

My great uncle developed what was considered the first commercial bondo in the early 50's through dupont. Not sure when it hit the market though

[40StudeDude]

I remember the first stuff...sanded like concrete (with 36 grit) and took forever just to get the top skin off of it. Smelled bad too! I first used it about 1960...
R-

[286merc]

I remember it around 55. Was working part time, while in HS, in a body shop and it was used sparingly as the lead artists didnt trust it...yet.

[Tinbender]

One of my text books said right after WW2. I don't know for sure, I wasn't here then http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

[choprods]

Im guessing 1950-53....anyone remember WHITE DIAMOND AND BLACK DIAMOND FILLER.....?I used it in'66 on my 1956 chevy-[its still on the quarter panel] where I finished it down with my "drill/sander"and hand block-NEVER PAINTED IT just flat black /rattlecaned it.....!!!!thats 37 years! http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

[safariknut]

Seems to me there was an article in R&C or Car Craft about early 56 on re-doing a shoxbox Ford with some fibreglass pieces from a company called Taylor & Art Plastics(TAP kit).I think they even sold fibreglass(gasp!)fins!Of course glass fiber bodies were popular as early as 1950 and I remember an article on body parts being tested by old Henry himself before WWII made form a soy-based resin.
The earliest I recall Bondo(generic anyway)was about 56.

[du$ty]

hooray!!!its traditional http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

[Jimv]

I was always told that a guy in Worcester Ma. invented it.To be truthful its actually a big improvement over lead for the weight factor alone!!Paints better also.when done right its hard to beat.
I was drilling a bowling ball once & seemed to be filled with Bondo.
Bondo is just a type of fast drying epoxy.Its also great for gluing wood to fiberglas for yuo boat or glass body car guys.
Good shit don't let people harrass you about using it.
JimV

[metalshapes]

Does anybody know what was in it?
We all work on cars with old repairs on them...
What are we breathing?

[Tinbender]

Mostly talc. Some resins. Wear a dustmask, minimize skin exposure. Same precautions with modern fillers. Limit you exposure while it's hardening.(the best time to sand). If you sand it while it's kicking, like I do, then a respirator is a good idea. Air movement helps too.

[metalshapes]

Thanks Tinbender, does that go for the really old stuff as well?
No asbestos or crap like that?

[Nads]

We used to have this shit in England called Plastic Padding. It was supposed to be flexible so it wouldn't crack. Paddy Hopkirk, the legendary rally car driver, used to hawk it. What they failed to tell you was that this crap was unsandable, unpaintable and pretty much unusable.

[metalshapes]

Nads, I remember those ads!
Didn't he roll a car in one to prove how good that crap was?
( and then there was Carlos Fandango with the 105E Anglia...)

[Deuce Roadster]

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif


When my 40 got hit.......I stripped most of it......found some white filler (small amounts) here and there. It was last painted in 1957 so it was before then.......

There was " White Magic " in the late 50s...... my uncle and his buddies used it.


http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

[gears-n-grease]

Talked to my pappy this weekend.He said that my uncle invented, patented, and marketed a filler in 1947 out of Pittsburg called Alumifill. My uncles name is Charles Allen (Carns) He changed his name before he moved back to Pittsburg after a money issue, by dropping his last name.If anyone has any info about this I would greatly appreciate it.

[DrJ]

Here is everything the Bondo Corp. wants you to know about them; http://www.bondo-online.com/

[Deuce Rails]

I'm surprised to see this old thread again!

Are you talking about Pittsburgh, PA? That's where I am, and I'll help you if I can. (But first you have to return the "h" to our city. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif )

If you're really curious, the Carnegie Library can help research almost anything. They're very helpful. Their main number is 412-622-3116.

--Matt

[enjenjo]

I used to make plastic filler. what's in it depends on the price, we made most brands.

All of them have Polyester resin in them, same stuff used to make glass bodies. Some have Talc, some cheaper ones use refined clay. The lightweight fillers use a plasic micro ball powder in place of the other filler material. Back in the day, asbestos was used in some fillers,along with chopped glass fiber, and aluminum powder. Some of the current fillers still use chopped glass fiber and aluminum powder. I have been out of the business for some time, the newer stuff may have other fillers too.

The resin is made from a bunch of stuff you wouldn't recognise, Thalic, Maleic, Various Glycols, silica fiber, Cobalt Octate, Copper Octate, Styrene, Vinyl Toluene, and other stuff.

The catalyst is MEKP, Methyl Etheyl Keytone Peroxide paste, with a dye in it for mixing purposes. If you are having trouble will filler stains in your paint, MEKP is available undyed.

None of this stuff is good to eat, or breathe for that matter. Use a mask. MEKP is bad stuff, keep it away from your eyes in particular