Yes, this is WWing related. Was about to patch a bad spot in an auxillary fence last night with some Bondo. Pulled it down from the shelf and discovered it needs sunlight to cure. They seem to thing this is a great idea, but since I live in the Great Northwest, and our sun has taken a 4- or 5-day vacation, I’m not so sure.
So, if I go out and buy some other Bondo that doesn’t need sunlight, what’s the big deal?
forestgirl — you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can’t take the forest out of the girl 😉
Another proud member of the “I Rocked With ToolDoc Club” …. :>)
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Never heard about the sunlight thing. Heat speeds the process -- heat gun (on moderate setting), or even a hair dryer.
Check the Bondo you bought to make sure it's waterproof. Amazingly, some auto body fillers are not, but others are, which is what you want for any wood repairs. Marglass is the one available locally which I use.
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"I tend to live in the past because most of my life is there."
-- Herb Caen (1916-1997)
Thanks for the tip on waterproof. Never occured to me that it might not be!
This stuff says sunlamps, incandescent, etc., will not cure it, so it sounds like real sunlight's the only thing. I think I'll get some regular stuff. It only has to fill a kerf-wide slit in an aux. fence.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
I used some of the UV bondo a couple of weeks ago. It is great stuff, in that you have all of the time that you need to spread out lots of it and get the surface fair and smooth before taking it out in the Sun. The biggest drawback is that it only cure about 1/8" deep, and there is a sticky surface residue.
It will still cure under cloud-cover, it will just take longer.
The problem that I have with the other kind of bondo is that I tend to mix it a little hot, and really have to race to get it all into place before it starts to kick. But No it does not need UV.
If you have large areas to fill, you may want to go to West Marine and get some fairing compound epoxy, although it would need to be painted to hold up in the Sunlight.
Doesn't really sound like the UV stuff is "the ticket" -- I want to have some stuff around I can patch inserts with, that type of thing. Don't anticipate having anything large at all.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
Forestgirl
As a related comment, I have used Bondo in the past and found that if you have the catalyst laying around for long periods of time it becomes grainy and will dry out. In the past, I had that same experience and went direct to their office in Anaheim Calif. and was told to keep the tube of catalyst in the refrigerator sealed and it would not get grainy. I tried it and have found it will last almost indefinitly. Try it
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T.O.
Woodmann, thank you very much for the tip. I'm sure one can of Bondo will probably last me 10 years, so it's good to know how to keep the catalyst fresh. Better label it well, though, so hubby doesn't put it on a sandwich or somethin'!forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
I think the guys or womens.. that invented it and perfected it when used in summer sun in a drive way,,,.. Why the sun is important!
I would put the tube in a sealed, glass jar! I think that catalist containes MEK> Pretty powerfull stuff to leave in the frig. where it can "talk' to food!If, at first, you fricascee, fry, fry a hen!
I rarely use Bondo in sunlight and have never seen that admonition. Bondo (polyester filler) is cured by an exothermic reaction which means it generates heat and is self curing. It requires that it be used at temperatures over 40-50 degrees and that higher temperatures will cause a faster cure.
On boats and in many auto body shops, infrared heat lamps are used to speed up the cure.
Howie, this is a specific type of "Bondo" (I'm using what may be a trade name as a generic term). After I go out to the shop this morning, I'll post the name of the product if you would like.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
Hey Gurl' what you want is Lacquer Putty or body filler
I used tons of it on wood and metal doors. if you must fill deep areas, apply in 1/8 " thick layers; then, before it 'skins over', scratch a bunch of hash markswith a stiff wire to create a 'grip' for any subsaquent layers.
Ed.
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