Question I've pondered forever: Is there a way to salvage bondo that has started to get to stiff because some dumb-ass (usually myself) didn't put the lid on tightly? I'm about to throw out another 1/2 can and I figured I'd challenge the mindtrust on the HAMB.
I took the advice of some of the body guys here on the HAMB and stopped using it, I switched to rage gold. I did thin some once with laquer thinner, that made a mess. Into the dumpster it went.
Get rid of that brand because it clogs sandpaper and costs much more in money and especially labor, in the long run. You won't believe the difference in the better brands....honest
I switched to rage for most external, but I like good ol' traditional bondo at times. I'm building a heavily modified dash (started with a '63 vette dash), and using bondo for the quick and dirty work.
old hand held electric cake mixer with beaters, try mixing it to see if it will get peanut butter consistincy again, I have added a little fiberglass resin before but this has set really fast. this may not work if the bondo is too dry. others may have more ways to save it, but this has worked for me in a pinch and rage is better
Hey, An old buzzard I use to work for would add polyster resin to it, and strain it thru a piece of screendoor material. I wouldn't say that the end result was great, but at 1700 hours on a Sunday you do what you gotta do! " Meanwhyle, back aboard The Tainted Pork "
Heat it up to soften it then add some resin and mix it up. make sure their are no lumps in it otherwise when you go to file it you will have unmixed spots in it. the new bondo's have great working properties but have no flexibility at all.
Id try heat and mixing it up and start kicking the lid on the can ,If Im not using bondo or any filler within a few weeks I throw it away ,I never save it ...After 6 months trash ,I go even less ,Buy just what you need and use it up......
I agree with the above post's about Rage. Its night and day different from cheap fillers and may cost more but worth it.
Me . . . I'd buy what I need, use it and never worry too much about the future. Given the amount of time/effort it takes to do quality bodywork - why even think about screwing with materials that might be bad, might 'lift' later on, etc.. Stick with up-to-date products, the highest quality you can afford . . .
I can't believe no one has hit the obvious smart ass answer. Do your metal work right and you don't require bondo.
Take and put the lid back on the can and stick it up on a shelf for decoration and go with something new. Rage is great but since I tried Quantum, that is about all we use in our shop other than Upol's Fibral. The great thing about Quantum is I can forget it and come back a month later and it still sands easily. No 36-40 grit to get it shaped!! Ain't cheap though.
DIsclaimer before I post, this is like a late night or sunday-can't-get-none idea. The liquid in any plastic filler is polyester resin. Read the can. The solids are cabosil or a talc based substance. That being the case you can add small amounts of liquid resin to it, no activator, just resin. Make whipper out of heavy wire or a welding rod and stir slowly at 1st then get just a bit faster, add a few oz at a time until it has the right feel. Now, contrary to popular (and uninformed) opinion, NO LIQUID RESIN ACTIVATOR IS NEEDED IN THE BONDO AFTER YOU'VE ADDED THE POLY RESIN. Just use the good ol red oxide lookin shit (benzoil peroxide) and have at it. You can also use the blue for prettier lookin filler. This reponse will self-destruct as soon as you try this so as not reveal my "gotta get it done" past experience in the matter. I'll have to bribe safariwagon to keep his mouth shut...
I just used a gallon of bondo on my garage floor. Builder put in the formed large gaps, couldnt squeege worth a crap. Bondo - Floor Paint - Done
Ha...that would be the EASY answer. But since I'm modifying a fiberglass 'vette dash, any beating with a hammer and dolly is futile!! LOL I went out and bought a new can of rage since I didn't have any of that left on the shelf. However...very useful comments (polyester resin, "honey", etc). Deep down, I'm a cheap bastard so always looking for ways to save a buck. Again, I won't take risks on the body but on something like this dash - that may or may not actually end up being used depending on results - I don't mind playing around a bit.
I had one of them bondo mustangs when I was a teenager.A 1968 .It Only took a gallon to fix rust on trunk lid.Wonder why they rusted so bad?Too small body drains?Of course that undercoating is to blame for a lot of fords rusted out floors.Windows leak ,Floor starts rusting and can`t drain because undercoating acts like swimming pool and poof rusted out floors.I bought a 65 one time with undercoating.Looked great from bottom.I took carpet out and was looking at the undercoating and inside of what was left of subframes.Most complete floor rustout I ever saw.I like classic mustangs,they just seem to have a rust problem.
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Other than the fact that you end up paying about $120.00 a gallon for filler not including the price of the gun it's great. You can throw out alot of dried up filler for that kind of money.
Yup!! and here's why: Adding polyester resin or the "honey" which is the same product, will make the dried up filler more viscous but certainly not better. The dried up filler will be impossible to get back to the original mixture ratio of the filler and usually too much resin is added resulting in a very brittle and not as flexible product that will easily crack and separate from the metal. Some of the dried filler may have partially "kicked," as in cured, (it cures by heat), and that partially cured product will be unstable and not really show until after you have put about a $1000.00 worth of paint and primer over the old "I tried to save some money" filler, resulting in a very traumatic and expensive lesson. Even if you spend a $100.00 a gallon for filler, it's still the cheapest part of the repair materials and process. "Traditional filler" --- I liked that. What better place than a Traditional hot rod forum to have "Traditional filler". I'll leave it at that.
wow really? i had no clue, my buddy has it at his shop. they swear by it. but i really wouldnt know. my uncles shop does it the old school way!
My Dad had a old thing of 'Honey' from the late 60's/70's.. It was in a 6" tall 'hand soap type' dispensory bottle. In it's delapitated, original box, it had always just sat there . He never used it, so all this time I never asked about it. Recently he thru it away, but I can still see the yellow and red box. And like Gump would say "..and That's all I got to say, about that!"
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