Dont use to much filler!

[Corvette.Jeff]

I've been working on a little chevy s10 for a bit now, well last night i had the great idea to try to fit 69' camaro light bezels into the s10 grill, it worked fine when i used a drill bit to round out teh holes for the light bezzels, but as soon as i hit the holes with a small sandpaper stick(not the discs but he long skinny ones) the bondo got superheated(my dremel was on one!) adn the bondo started cracking, so i quit with that and tryed to sand it down a bit with 160, and the bumper broke off in my hand! and then the side skirts broke off, so it looks like i put a channleing job on it!

Just be warned to not use to much filler folks! we can tend to get a little carried away with customizing these models

[Foxer]

It's tough to call what happened there without seeing it, but sometimes reinforcement is needed if a lot of putty is used. I've never used any mechanical means when sanding down body filler, so I can't address heat as a problem. If I have a large goop or area to rough down I'll use a large file before going to the sandpaper. It doesn't take much to get it smoothed so I've never even considered using anything on my Dremal to help. I'd also wonder if pressure on the joint may have been a factor. Usually the problems with using too much filler involve shrinkage and slow curing, but when built up in thin layers it can be made into a complete body if desired.

Hope the S10 is recovering well.

[E St. Kruiser50]

It's tough to call what happened there without seeing it, but sometimes reinforcement is needed if a lot of putty is used. I've never used any mechanical means when sanding down body filler, so I can't address heat as a problem. If I have a large goop or area to rough down I'll use a large file before going to the sandpaper. It doesn't take much to get it smoothed so I've never even considered using anything on my Dremal to help. I'd also wonder if pressure on the joint may have been a factor. Usually the problems with using too much filler involve shrinkage and slow curing, but when built up in thin layers it can be made into a complete body if desired.

Hope the S10 is recovering well.

I agree with Mike here.

I always reinforce my work and make sure glued in pieces are completely dry before adding filler or doing any finish work. I use a lot of filler at times and build it up pretty thick, even cast some pretty large whole parts with it, and never had any problems you mention.

EverCoat Rage is what I've used for ten years, and I've has no problems with it. Doesn't even shrink.

[67PontiacGTO]

You might want to switch to the EverCoat that Dave mentioned. A friend told me about it and I haven't regreted do soo. The only down side is it is about $60 buck with the catalyst.

Clutch

[E St. Kruiser50]

.. The only down side is it is about $60 buck with the catalyst.

Clutch

YIKES

That must be for a gallon. I pay about $15.00 a quart and the hardener is included.

[nitrojunkie]

YIKES

That must be for a gallon. I pay about $15.00 a quart and the hardener is included.

Yeah here in NC $20.00 tops and that is on the high side.

Were you using actual filler with hardner or that lacquer based tube stuff?

[67PontiacGTO]

I am using the laquer evercoat in the squeeze bottle and I actuall did not pay 60 bucks, cause I bought the store's last bottle I got it on sale. But the guy told me the combo usually goes around $60.

Clutch

Edited August 3, 2009 by 67PontiacGTO

[Art Anderson]

I am using the laquer evercoat in the squeeze bottle and I actuall did not pay 60 bucks, cause I bought the store's last bottle I got it on sale. But the guy told me the combo usually goes around $60.

Clutch

Solvent based putties don't work very well in thick applications, because they are made with heavy solids, with a lacquer thinner as the solvent. Lacquers dry from the outside inward, which means that in a thick coating or buildup, it may seem solid as all get out on the surface, while the material inside the filled area will still be soft. The stuff is best used just as it's intended, as a skim coat over the surface, for filling shallow imperfections, such as tool marks.

On the other hand, catalyzed putties can be used to create thick body sections, with confidence that they will be both stable and strong. I've done it too many times to believe otherwise. While this stuff does heat up some when mixed in larger quantities, I've never had it get hot enough to warp or melt the underlying plastic. In addition, the stuff does not shrink once set up (it will shrink, about 1/10 of 1% when kicking from liquid to solid, but that's pretty standard for polyester resins, which is what catalyzed putties are, polyester resin with a hardening catalyst.

There are less expensive brands out there, in addition to Evercoat. I have used US Chemical & Plastics (USC) Icing for a long time, works just like Evercoat, but at half the price--about $15 for a 5lb tube, with hardener.

Art

[Fletch]

Art, I agree with you completely. Catalyzed fillers have little to no shrinkage at all and are normally pretty stable once cured. Dave and I have used Evercoat Rage for years, however the last time I needed to restock the auto parts store was out of Rage so I bought a tube of USC Icing and with the catalyst it was $42. Like everything the price keeps going up. The only filler that I have ever had a problem with actually warping plastic due to heat was a 2-part Plumbers Putty I picked up at Lowe's. With in 2-3 minutes of mixing the parts together it was so hot you couldn't even hold it in your bare hands. Of course it was hard as a rock in less then 10 minutes. Just not model building friendly. Not all 2-part A/B epoxy putties are created equal. With 2-part epoxy putties expect some shrinkage further down the road. Builds that seemed fine when completed, are now 10+ years later are starting to shrinkage in the seams where the putty was used as filler.

As silly as it seems the mesh cloth that they give you in the Bondo Kit will provide enough support to build up custom body panels.