Bondo dries quick

[302aod]

I'm having trouble with Bondo. After replacing rusted out metal in my 64 F100, the bondo I'm using to smooth it out, dries after a couple minutes. So dry that it won't spread. Do they make any slow drying hardener?

[rick3658]

put in less hardner and that will give you more time

[drjones96]

Experiment a little on something that doesn't matter.

...you also don't have to use the whole tube of hardener all at once.

[slddnmatt]

There's a happy medium if you put to little in it it won't harden correctly and you'll have to do it again.. when its hot you just have to be very quick!!

[Irishman]

I had a similar issue with fibreglass resin. I dumped a whole tube of hardener into it. I thought I had a plastic container full of thermite!

And, yes, I was drunk.

[stainlesssteelrat]

lead is better.

[drjones96]

Originally Posted by stainlesssteelrat

lead is better.

well yeah...

...if you know how to lead....

[chaos10meter]

Had an old body shop guy tell me to add a couple drops of fiberglass hardener to the Bondo mix .
He said it will keep it open a bit longer & give a little more work time ?

[prewarcars4me]

Do it in the shade helps too. Sunlight changes the time.

[stainlesssteelrat]

Originally Posted by drjones96

well yeah...

...if you know how to lead....

could you think of a better time to learn?

[302aod]

I'm inside my shop, but it's hot in there. I'll use less hardiner next time, thanks guys.

[FlyFisher]

Adding the hardener makes a chemical reaction that happens faster as the temperature goes up. Try less hardener in high temps but make sure it is completely blended or it will not set up.

[pitman]

Quote: lead is better.

Bondo fumes are sweeter...I used to think.
Wait a minute!

[prewarcars4me]

Originally Posted by stainlesssteelrat

lead is better.

Go teach him

[Rhinodaddy]

It's hotter out, so the inital hardening is going to kick in faster. As was mentioned above, the bondo gets hot anyway, but you're starting out at a hotter temp to begin with during the summer, so the hardening kicks in quicker. Figure every 20 degrees over 70 F is going to make the bondo cure twice as fast as what is listed on the can.

[Carl La Fong]

Uhhhh, in moderate weather, bondo is supposed kick off in a couple of minutes. If you're having problems getting it smooth enough, before it gets too stiff, you need to work on your technique. Spread it as smooth as you can, wait for it to get hard enough to cheese grate, shape it with the grater, allow it to fully harden and hit it with your longboard

[Reman]

As already stated in different words.....Two things determine the set up time with bondo, amount of hardner and ambient temperature. Adjust one or the other and it will work correctly.

[Model T1]

Originally Posted by slddnmatt

There's a happy medium if you put to little in it it won't harden correctly and you'll have to do it again.. when its hot you just have to be very quick!!

It's actually too hot to use bondo right now. Use a fan and stay in the shade, as you say, inside. Try mixing smaller batches using only a spot of hardener then work up to maybe golfball sized gobs of Bondo and a 1/2" ribbon of hardener.
Do it early morning or later in the evening till the weather cools down.

[belair]

Originally Posted by pitman

Bondo fumes are sweeter...I used to think.
Wait a minute!

Gasoline too, as I remember.
Did I say that?

[Model T1]

Originally Posted by Reman

As already stated in different words.....Two things determine the set up time with bondo, amount of hardner and ambient temperature. Adjust one or the other and it will work correctly.

It's too damned hot to mow the yard. I'm sure not about to use Bondo here in Floriduuuh.
You can tell by most of our answers we've used way too much bondo and other fume producing things.

[squirrel]

I try to do my bodywork in the spring....

[29moonshine]

Originally Posted by Model T1

It's too damned hot to mow the yard. I'm sure not about to use Bondo here in Floriduuuh.
You can tell by most of our answers we've used way too much bondo and other fume producing things.

yea but in the winter it takes to much beer waiting for it to set up

[Dennis D]

Originally Posted by 302aod

I'm having trouble with Bondo. After replacing rusted out metal in my 64 F100, the bondo I'm using to smooth it out, dries after a couple minutes. So dry that it won't spread. Do they make any slow drying hardener?

I keep my bondo and hardener in the house where the ac is on until I need to use it. Helps a bit. Dennis D

[larry k]

Sneek in the kitchen while your wife ain't lookin and put that gallon of mud in the refer ,not the freezer ! With lid on of course, when you wake up ,itt'l work slow as winter, cause, well, it thinks it is winter ?

[drjones96]

Originally Posted by stainlesssteelrat

could you think of a better time to learn?

no time like the present I suppose.

[Mopar Jack]

Yal,what they said...

[davidbistolas]

Originally Posted by chaos10meter

Had an old body shop guy tell me to add a couple drops of fiberglass hardener to the Bondo mix .
He said it will keep it open a bit longer & give a little more work time ?

Do you mean fiberglass resin, and not hardener?

[mj40's]

Too damn hot to work at all in Boise today. 108°

[Model T1]

Originally Posted by Model T1
It's too damned hot to mow the yard. I'm sure not about to use Bondo here in Floriduuuh.
You can tell by most of our answers we've used way too much bondo and other fume producing things.

yea but in the winter it takes to much beer waiting for it to set up

I fail to see the problem here !

[Reman]

LOL. Yeah, I am in nw Floriduuh too. And yep, its hot.

[Ob1]

Evercoat Quantum has hot and cold hardeners.

[blinddaddykarno]

I love walks on the beach, fine wine & poking dead things with a stick

Have you been dating my ex-wife!!!!!!!!!!!

[pro 39]

2% by volume is all that is needed for hardener.

[RagtopRides]

No offense intended. People have touched on it but never really said it... Bondo does not "dry", it cures. Two very different things.

[BORRACHO13]

i worked at a body shop once and the guys were putting what they called 'honey' in the bondo mix. i do not know what exactly it was but i was told that you put some in there in order to keep the bondo from drying in hot weather. the hotter it was the more they used in the mix and vise versa when it was not hot they did nt even have to put any in. cant remember the name but they call it 'honey'.. looked syrupy like honey and came in can

[BORRACHO13]

---

Quote:

Originally Posted by chaos10meter
Had an old body shop guy tell me to add a couple drops of fiberglass hardener to the Bondo mix .
He said it will keep it open a bit longer & give a little more work time ?

Do you mean fiberglass resin, and not hardener?


maybe thats what i mean lol...

[Rusty O'Toole]

Good advice to work in the shade or out of the sun, and to use less hardener. Also do a smaller amount of fill, like one dent at a time. It only takes a minute to file the bondo down if you catch it at just the right time. As long as you don't put on too large of an area.

[threedudesracing]

The "Honey" they were referring to is actually labled as a bondo thinner,believe it's actually fibre glass resin,looks,smells and tastes like it !!!! It will give you a little more work time plus will spread easier,provided you decrease your hardener somewhat. If you think your filler is trying too fast. Wait till you use your glazing putty,drys twice as fast as your filler does. I've had better luck using either one early early in the morning or later in the evening when it cools down a bunch.

[BORRACHO13]

That sounds about right... Resin, it works great to help it from curing and to spread much more evenly

[K13]

As has been mentioned Evercoat makes a filler (Quantum) that has different speed hardeners. The slow one gives you twice as much working time as regular hardeners at any given temperature and as an added bonus it sands about twice as fast.

[flatheadhero]

The rule is, squeeze one stripe of hardner the width of, or across your blob of filler. mix it in.

[swissmike]

Don't vary the amount of hardener! It will result in incompletely catalized filler.

[plodge55aqua]

Just dont mix it with your hands... .. I seen a guy do that once up here... a whole gallon in a wash Bucket with the hardner applied..

[davidbistolas]

Originally Posted by BORRACHO13

That sounds about right... Resin, it works great to help it from curing and to spread much more evenly

I've added it to improve 'flow'... it does cure slower too.

[Dave Zapatka]

Originally Posted by larry k

Sneek in the kitchen while your wife ain't lookin and put that gallon of mud in the refer ,not the freezer ! With lid on of course, when you wake up ,itt'l work slow as winter, cause, well, it thinks it is winter ?

This works Great ! 20% slower Good Luck !

[302aod]

Using less hardener worked great. Mine cures with air bubbles in it when you sand it, then you have to spread some more to finish the job. Any fixes for this? Thanks and I've learned a lot on here.

[40FordGuy]

If it's too hot to use Bondo,..it's too hot to be working anyway...Retreat to the airconditioned climes of the house ! (It's 99 here, at the moment)

4TTRUK

[K13]

Originally Posted by 302aod

Using less hardener worked great. Mine cures with air bubbles in it when you sand it, then you have to spread some more to finish the job. Any fixes for this? Thanks and I've learned a lot on here.

More pressure when you are applying the product. Really push the first swipe into the metal. You still may be using too much hardener. What you are getting are called pinholes and the number one cause of them is too much hardener as the chemical reaction heats up the air that is trapped in the filler and causes it to expand and then your filler cures too quickly and traps the air.

[chopolds]

Originally Posted by 302aod

Using less hardener worked great. Mine cures with air bubbles in it when you sand it, then you have to spread some more to finish the job. Any fixes for this? Thanks and I've learned a lot on here.

The way you mix it can make pinholes, as well. Don't "stir" it. Fold it onto itself, constantly scraping the bottom, and putting it on top, and pushing down and across.
If you get my drift!

[BORRACHO13]

Originally Posted by chopolds

The way you mix it can make pinholes, as well. Don't "stir" it. Fold it onto itself, constantly scraping the bottom, and putting it on top, and pushing down and across.
If you get my drift!

That's the best way I know how.. Works every time