body filler/bondo

[coolcar429]

what do you use to fill hole and patch gaps and where can i get it

[randx0]

for very small imperfections you can use glazing putty for more aggressive filling you should use a two part body filler like evercote or dynatron .bondo brand two parts do not sand as well . you can find these at your local auto parts store near the paint .hopre this helps .if you want more information on these check out some of the other threads there are tons of them on this subject!

[Eshaver]

Randy you are sooo sooo correct !!!!! Bondo is really a very cheap product to try and work with, even their " premium Gold is only slightly par in my opinion . " Go spend the big money on the Evercoat or the Dynatron two part fillers . Heck go to N A P A and try their Tec Glaze . You may have to got to the N A P A stores that mix and sell paint though as not all stores have that product . Still they can get it in a day from their warehouse . I actually still do some body and fender work as Im retired for the most part now . I came up learning to use tin/ lead ! Ed Shaver

[Nick Winter]

I've always used 3M's Bondo, never had a problem, you don't want the stuff in the can, but the spot filler and glazing putty.

[Zoom Zoom]

I saw it at Pep Boys. You can now get very inexpensive (~$7) catalyzed/2 part Bondo glazing & spot putty in a small tube, packaged just like their "vintage" glazing/spot putty, same look to the tube. No reason now to spend $20-$30 for large containers of Evercoat or Dynatron or similar, no reason to use the "vintage" air-cure stuff anymore unless you want your bodywork to show up again under your finished paint & enjoy waiting & watching grass grow & paint dry, no reason to use regular Bondo as it's harder to sand & the sanded surface will still need some sort of skim coat of glazing putty or a real thick primer to fill in the gaps from it's much coarser fill. I heartily disagree w/anyone who claims regular Bondo is just as good as any good catalyzed glazing/spot putty. I've used both, on models & 1:1. Using old-school Bondo is like using an anvil in a knife fight.

Glazing/spot putty is far more appropriate for model filling work than old Bondo. Using a catalyzed product means you can begin sanding (usually) in under 30 minutes, not overnight, you don't have to worry about applying in thin coats, and it won't shrink like the vintage air-dry glazing/spot putties that are more appropriate for filling coarse sanding marks than gaps or for bodywork.

If you're serious about your filling & your models, you will buy a catalyzed glazing/spot putty, and now that you can get it for well under $10, I can't imagine any reason in the world to avoid using it. When my current overpriced Evercoat dries up (I've thrown away 3/4 of what I've bought in the past 20 years or so), I'll switch to the small tube of catalyzed Bondo glazing/spot putty. Seems like the perfect solution...and please, don't use Testors or Squadron putty. That stuff is about 40 years behind current putty tech. Use regular Bondo instead, but it gets you only about halfway to the right stuff.

50% of the time for just small fill jobs, like a pinhole in resin or a small sink mark on styrene, a repair perhaps no bigger than a grain of rice or an uncooked lentil, I apply a drop of gap-filling superglue w/a toothpick, hold it up to a light to make sure it's "full", hit it with a couple drops of accelerator, and immediately sand the area smooth. It's a very time-friendly & economical way to fill w/o having to mix any putty. It's ready to sand right now, and you must sand it right now, right after you "kick" it. Wait too long & it crystalizes to a hardness beyond the plastic/resin. Sanding it immediately after it's set and it's just right. It polishes out like plastic & doesn't shrink.

[Jon Cole]

This may no longer be available in a metal can (old pic), now in a plastic container. Also comes with a tube of hardener.

Polyester filler & hardener, before mixing. And IIRC, that was a little too much hardener for that amount of filler.

UPDATE EDIT:

I just read what Bob Downie wrote, worth looking into, as filler is expensive!

Edited December 12, 2009 by Spyder

[Lordmodelbuilder]

I use ZapAGap with a little kicker. Works great.

[coolcar429]

kool thanks for the info i will have to try this stuff out

[Harry P.]

I agree w/Bob... for the amount we use in scale, the Bondo 2-part glazing putty (called "Professional" glazing putty) is perfect. Don't get the regular glazing putty, though... make sure it's 2-part catalyzed glazing putty. It's the best in terms of ease of use and cost per application.