I am in the process of finishing a repair to my truck and ran out of a small can of Bondo brand filler that I had left over from a different repair from earlier this year. I am reading a bunch of good reviews pertaining to Evercoat Rage and Evercoat Gold. Can I use the two together? Can I cover the Bondo with etch primer and then use the Evercoat? Should I wire wheel the Bondo off and start fresh? (Ugh, I really don't want to hear that) Thanks in advance guys and gals.
You should be OK to just put it right on. Don't use a product in between. You will never go back to that other brand. Just the savings in sandpaper not clogging will pay many times over. If it was a million dollar show car, I'd remove the other brand.
Hey, I'd not suggest that you use etch primer over any plastic filler, as the acid contained in etch primer will soak into the talc in the filler, and then lift the bond of the filler and cause it to wrinkle. All polyester based fillers can be used over each other providing they are properly mixed, and roughed up to insure good ''tooth''. If you're clogging paper when sanding plastic filler you either A, haven't mixed enough catylist into it, or B, failed to remove the skim coat of resin that forms on the surface of these type of fillers. The half round " Surf-Form" blades originally made by Stanley, have been used for decades to rough shape filler, and to remove that thin layer of resin that forms on the eairler type of fillers. Once the layer of resin is removed, they sand just fine with 36, 40 & 80 grit production paper. " Do not drink the Kool-Aid "
...or C, you bought the "B" brand. The inexpensive bottom line of Evercoat does not give me a problem with having to deal with a "resin skim coat". But no matter how hot you mix the "B" brand, it is sticky as heck. Maybe wait 6 months Rare moment to dissagree with a post from you.
Hey, I use to have a can of talc, or save sanded sweepings around the shop, to "fatten up'' the mix in the early, cheap fillers. There use to be a brand of filler called "Black Knight'', this stuff made the '' B'' brand seem like the $75.00 a can spread! Sometimes the BK wouldn't harden, other times like concrete, and it always clogged paper " Meanwhyle, back aboard The Tainted Pork "
I think about all brands of polyester filler today will be way adequate in a small thickness,and will last many years on a cars finish. Pimpin Paint is shoin his age with the Black Knight reference...Ha When I was a kid in 1969, I used "white Diamond" a regionally available low cost filler on my then driver-56 Chevy. I did the driveway repair[was not in the biddness back then]....I sanded faithfully with the typically available electric drill with an arbor holding a disc of sandpaper on it...well I then ran out of rattlecan black to spray on the repair. Fast forward to today= I have in recent years got the old 56 back again,and yes -right there is my 1969 repair,still having not ever being painted over and still right there like it was back then!!,doesnt look any much worse for the wear......
I used to use Rage gold and loved it, but then tried UPOL Flyweight. A quarter the cost, sands just as easy and no pin holes. Haven't looked back.
I've actually switched from rage gold to napa gold. I find it's the same and cheaper. The glaze is great to.
It's not any typing short the brand is UPOL flyweight. I use UPOL at work and love the stuff it sands very well and is a lot cheaper then evercoat
Thanks for all the replies guys. As for those high spots. They're killin' me. They look like they're high, but if you throw a straight edge across them, they show low. I can't wrap my brain around that one.
Go ahead and use whatever filler you want. No special prep necessary. When I was in the biz years ago I used whatever the boss bought, or whatever the parts store sent us that week. One brand on top of another. Never had a problem. Before sanding, you have to remove the top surface with a surform file. If it is just a thin skim coat and you do not want to file it, wipe the sticky surface film off with a rag and lacquer thinner.
throw that straightedge in the toolbox drawer and learn this about auto body panels.... There are very very few spots bigger than your fist on any body panel of any cars, that does not contain a compound curvature even if it is a very slight number of degrees of said curvature..... that is why that darned filler repair spot keeps sanding out flatter than the surrounding area.... .....
Hey, Like Kenny says '' throw that straightedge in the toolbox drawer '' The straight edge is probably resting on the high areas of the edges of that panel, and showing that you've ''hollowed'' out the filler inbetween! Your eyes and your hands will become two of the most important tools you'll ever have! Low/no crowned panels are seldom used in vehicle panel design as they don't handle flex or torsional loads well, without flexing or buckling. Check the panel on the other side of the vehicle, and try and draw an average as to what the finished panels will have to look like. They both had a slight crown to them originally, and thats what you'll have to create with your filler and sanding. " Life ain't no Disney movie "
X3 Close your eyes and run your open hand, long sweeps over big areas, to get the feel of what they are saying about compound curves. Heck, go out to your daily drivers and do the same, it should help retrain your brain.
If you still can't get a feel for it do the same with a rag under your hand. This helps magnify the feel for it.
Ive always understood, that you want to mix up the filler before using to mix in the resin, as it belongs in the putty, but separates from sitting for any length of time. Ive never heard of that one. Are you sure that there was enough hardener in it, or that you let it cure long enough? Or is this a problem with only a specific economy brand of filler? Im guessing that you are thinking they are high because thats were you sanded through to the metal at, so you would suspect it would be high? Correct? Im kinda lost, as to were you are talking about. Maybe a quick circle or arrow with paint or photoshop to show were you think its low. Try both of your hands, usually one works better than the other for people. keep your palm almost straight with your arm, do not bend your wrist at a 90, and glide your palm across the panel. Did I mention try both hands. You can also look away or close your eyes to get rid of visual illusions if it helps. Brian
"ve never heard of that one. Are you sure that there was enough hardener in it, or that you let it cure long enough? Or is this a problem with only a specific economy brand of filler?" Most fillers have a tacky surface when they harden. You do not want the filler to be completely hard. You want to file it when it has a cheese like consistency, about 15 or 20 minutes after you apply it. File it down while it is soft then board file with 40 to get the shape you want. When it is completely hard you can sand it smooth. If the filler has a tacky surface you can wipe it off with lacquer thinner on a rag. If it does not have a tacky surface, don't worry about it. Some fillers don't. If you leave the filler for days or weeks even the tacky kind may dry completely but who has that kind of time in a production shop? "Ive always understood, that you want to mix up the filler before using to mix in the resin, as it belongs in the putty, but separates from sitting for any length of time." The cheaper brands used to separate and it helped to stir them up. Otherwise the top of the can was too thin and the bottom was too thick. Not so much of a problem anymore unless the can has been sitting around for months. Incidentally you can avoid this problem by storing the can upside down. The filler will mix itself overnight. Or if you leave it too long at least it will be easier to stir up, with the thick part at the top. Same trick works for mixing paint.