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Bondo

1K views 17 replies 13 participants last post by  topdog 
#1 ·
Hi everyone. Just curious, would anyone know how long Bondo or any facsimile has been on the market?? I used it in the mid 60's so I know its been available at least since then. I know they used lead at one time. Just amazes me how they got that so smooth to accommodate paint. Thanks, Carmine.
 
#2 · (Edited)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bondo_(putty)
It doesn't seem to want to come up, but here is what it says

History[edit]
Before the 1940s, body solder was often used to repair large imperfections prior to painting.[6] In both new cars and vehicle repair shops.[6] Solder repairs were conducted using a flame and wooden paddles covered in tallow or motor oil, which prevented the half-molten lead from sticking. After the war, automotive panels became thinner and larger, with a greater susceptibility to warping, making hot solder unsuitable.[7] The earliest 'plastic solder' can be traced to around 1940, a do-it-yourself solution to panel beating.
This gave the consumer the ability to attempt reasonably priced and long lasting repairs. These early fillers were epoxy-based and one part, drying by out gassing. Originally the plastic fillers performed badly compared to solder, but later improvements addressed this.[7] The most notable early filler was called Black Magic, and was popular before Bondo's introduction. Bondo, a two-part (resin with hardener added) mix of talc and plastic, was introduced in 1955.[7] It was developed by World War II veteran and automotive repair shop owner Robert Merton Spink of Miami, Florida.
 
#4 ·
Dad used bondo to fix a few rocker panels in his day. File it then sand it to get it in shape, then go over it with red claw glaze to make it smooth. A little flat black out of a rattle can and it looked like a factory paint job!
 
#5 ·
Facsimiles have been around since before cars were around, to touch up furniture and framing.
 
#8 ·
I've also used "nitrostain". Also called glazing putty. It's essentially the same thing as the old school red oxide lacquer primer surfacer except that it had a real high solids content. It's porous and unstable just like lacquer primer surfacer, except more so because it shrinks a lot.

While more modern "glazing putty" is more stable than that stuff, it's still porous and shrinks to some degree. The modern stuff is just body filler with less solids so that you can apply it in a thin and even coat, but at least it's 2 part.
 
#11 ·
There is certainly alot of bondo type products out there. Eastwood and Autobody Mart has a ton of them. So many, it can get confusing. I don't see any bondo in my future, but if I did, I don't think I would use "Bondo" per se. I think there probably has been much improvement in those type of products since I first used them, Carmine.
 
#12 ·
I have used a Glazing Putty called "U-Pol" and it works pretty well and does not develop pin holes at all. It is really hard once it sets and it sands and feathers well. I guess it is just a version of plastic filler but much thinner. Comes in a bag and pours out onto mixing palate. Uses VERY little catalyst. If you put just a little too much, it will set up before you can spread it.

Wayne
 
#16 · (Edited)
"Green Stuff" was a Lacquer Putty product commonly used in the 60's-70's to fill pin holes in bondo.

Bondo is not necessarily a great product, but if it is applied correctly over the top of epoxy primer, and then sealed with more epoxy on top of it, it will stay on the car and last a long time. It cannot be put on there 1/2" thick and be expected to hold up.

Wayne
 
#18 ·
Lead was always used on joints from the factory. The only exception that I know of is the roof seam under a vinyl top which a plastic filler was sometimes used. Modern vehicles don't use lead because the joints have been redesigned to avoid and need for filler.

The problem with Bondo is that it is not water proof and will bulge in areas if moisture gets behind it.
 
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