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Just say “Bondo” mon!

Hudson Valley Carpenter | Posted in General Discussion on August 19, 2009 04:57am

Who’d a thunk it?  Bondo for wood repairs? 

Hey, why not?  I had a couple of doug fir doors to repair, with a dog’s teeth and claw marks in them.  Mastiff I think, so you can imagine the damage.

I remember reading several suggestions here about using Bondo for that kind of thing so…I went and dug an old can of it out of the garage.  

I needed a fresh tube of hardener so where did I go?  If there’s one place where Bondo is king, it has to be Pep Boys, right?  Well, Autozone is closer so I stopped in there first.  No problem.  Got a tube of hardener for $2.49.   

Mixed up a small batch and started to apply it.  Got about half way done and…you guessed it…solid lump of body filler.  So what?  Tried again, mixing and applying faster this time and…Viola!

Gave it ten-fifteen minutes then hit it with the palm sander and some 80 grit.  Worked down quickly, leaving a few small voids.  Mixed another small batch and filled the voids.  Sanded again later for a couple of minutes and…done.

Thanks to all the Bondo Believers for sharing that knowledge.  It has to be the fastest and easiest way to do repairs without shrinkage. 

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Replies

  1. KenHill3 | Aug 19, 2009 05:03am | #1

    Yeah, my painter bro had the same thing from his 120# golden lab. Persistent lunge/scratching over a long period of time had made that old fir door look like a mondo cheese grater had been used on it.

    Bondo-rific for an excellent save!

    View Image
  2. barmil | Aug 19, 2009 05:06am | #2

    Some years ago, I was backing out of a shopping center parking lot, and an older car driven by someone who must like speeding in parking lots got in the way of my bumper. Most of his front quarter panel fell to the pavement, made of Bondo (it was pink). There must have been pounds of it. I had to laugh, though I gave him insurance information. Never heard from him. I would imagine Bondo use on a door would be less of a risk.

    1. Hudson Valley Carpenter | Aug 19, 2009 05:42am | #4

      That's the Pep Boys customer!  Gets it by the gallon. 

      Edit: I guess Mike shops there too.  ;-)

      Edited 8/18/2009 10:44 pm by Hudson Valley Carpenter

    2. User avater
      Huck | Aug 19, 2009 09:53am | #7

      On car repairs, the metal should be straightened as much as possible, with a dent puller.  Bondo should be applied sparingly.  Bondo with glass added is much stronger.  Sounds like a D-I-Y car repair.  The pros know better, the good ones, anyway.View Image bakersfieldremodel.com

  3. mike_maines | Aug 19, 2009 05:39am | #3

    I've probably got dain bramage from the gallons and gallons of Bondo I've gone through on carpentry projects.  Not sure what that says about my carpentry skills....

    I find I go through almost twice as much hardener as they give you, so grab an extra tube while you're at the store. 

    Mix up small batches.  You can carve semi-cured Bondo with a sharp chisel for tricky shaped repairs.

    Bondo doesn't take well to wide, deep repairs but some sheetrock screws left a bit proud will give it purchase.

     

    1. dovetail97128 | Aug 19, 2009 08:25am | #5

      ""Bondo doesn't take well to wide, deep repairs but some sheetrock screws left a bit proud will give it purchase."" Especially when driven through expanded metal lathe.
      They can't get your Goat if you don't tell them where it is hidden.

      1. Piffin | Aug 19, 2009 01:41pm | #9

        I just drill a few 3/16" x 3/15" holes for purchase.That is even better when the repair is for rot and you have to use Git-Rot or wood hardener first. It has a place to puddle to soak into the grain 

         

        Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!

    2. Piffin | Aug 19, 2009 01:39pm | #8

      I have a tendency to use less hardener than they provide!;) 

       

      Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!

      1. User avater
        PaulBinCT | Aug 19, 2009 01:44pm | #10

        Hey hey hey... let's keep it clean fella, no one needs to hear that kind of bragging...PaulB

        http://www.makeabettertomorrow.com

        http://www.finecontracting.com

        1. Piffin | Aug 19, 2009 01:58pm | #12

          LOL, I missed that and had to go read to see what in the devil...???? 

           

          Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!

      2. mike_maines | Aug 19, 2009 04:44pm | #19

        I've had several occasions where it hasn't hardened at all, so I overcompensate.  Maybe I shouldn't let the cans freeze in between uses <G>?

        1. Mooney | Aug 19, 2009 05:19pm | #21

          I thought we all did that . <G>

          Youre not supposed to?

          Im a fan as well.

          Repo houses are full of abuse .  

        2. alwaysoverbudget | Aug 19, 2009 07:28pm | #24

          this is coming from a bodyman, if your plastic is not drying [and i would say as a norm firming in 5 mins and ready to sand in 15-20 in 75-80 degrees] the first is obvious you didn't put enough harder in it. but you really have to miss alot for it to not kick.

          the other is it's not completely mixed. there is a reason the harder is a different color than the plastic is it has to be completely mixed to a consistent color [usally blue]with no signs of "gray" in it.  i bought some one time that the harder was clear,what a mess. threw that gal.

          it doesn't hurt to over do the harder as long as you can get it on and worked out. you can go so far as to have it harden before you get over to the project on hot days.

          if you threw out a gal of plastic and a tube of harder,mixed them good they should be fine to kick . if your using 2 tubes per gal, you must be fast!

           

          edit ,i forgot to say,always if the harder has not been used for several days ,knead the tube so that it is mixed well in the tube.

          the older i get ,

          the more people tick me off

          Edited 8/19/2009 12:29 pm by alwaysoverbudget

          1. User avater
            mmoogie | Aug 20, 2009 12:01am | #30

            >>i bought some one time that the harder was clear,what a mess. threw that gal.<<There are quart cans of what is most definitely bondo re-packaged as multi-purpose wood filler at one of my local stores. But they give you a white hardener creme with it. Useless. Impossible to gauge by color. I walk past it and go for the automotive section. But on the rare occasion where that was all that was available, I've bought it and used remnants of old tubes of red hardener with it.I'm not a big fan of the blue hardener. Blue is too close to grey. I can tell by eye best with the red. I can make a tube of red go further than the can it came with.Steve

          2. mike_maines | Aug 20, 2009 12:03am | #31

            Red is tough to hide under white paint though. 

          3. User avater
            Sphere | Aug 20, 2009 12:53am | #32

            General rule I use from my auto body days in High school is Golf ball and Pea. Thats a good mix for general use. Golf ball marble if in a hurry.The goop from a can of stain ( unstirred minwax) can be mixed in with RED hardener and make a nice walnut precolored filler too.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks

            Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations

            "If Brains was lard, you couldn't grease much of a pan"Jed Clampitt

            View Image

          4. Jer | Aug 20, 2009 01:48pm | #40

            I have mixed powdered pigments into Bondo with great results. Ya gotta play with it.West System is great but you gotta order it. I think there's a Marina a little south of here that carries it. Newtown Pa. Hardware store stocks the full line of Abitron products, even the 5 gallon buckets of the dough. Surprised the hell outa me because it's one of those old timey stores. Same price as online too! Prepare thyself to mortgage the house to buy it though.

          5. Piffin | Aug 20, 2009 02:15pm | #42

            Locality disclaimer.Since I am on the coast and there are boat builders here, west system is as easy to buy as apples and bananas, but to get Abatron I have to order from the west coast 

             

            Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!

          6. User avater
            Sphere | Aug 20, 2009 02:33pm | #43

            we got horse apples and lime here in KY. Abba what? LOLSpheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks

            Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations

            "If Brains was lard, you couldn't grease much of a pan"Jed Clampitt

            View Image

          7. Piffin | Aug 20, 2009 06:59pm | #44

            give up on bull's blood did you? 

             

            Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!

          8. User avater
            Dam_inspector | Aug 20, 2009 07:16pm | #45

            I thought it was horse hair and lime.

          9. Piffin | Aug 20, 2009 08:54pm | #46

            You are making plaster, Sphere is chinking logs and I am laying floors, LOLWho is bringing the thatch for the roof? 

             

            Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!

          10. User avater
            Dam_inspector | Aug 20, 2009 10:02pm | #47

            Margaret Thatcher.

          11. User avater
            Dam_inspector | Aug 20, 2009 10:03pm | #48

            Frenchy is talking shellacked black walnut hand splits though.

          12. Piffin | Aug 20, 2009 10:38pm | #49

            Good, that froe work will keep him out of trouble for a while 

             

            Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!

        3. Piffin | Aug 19, 2009 09:55pm | #28

          I've never had a problem with them freezing as long as I warm it up before using.There are little blue pills to help it harden or so I've been told. but if you are happy with overcompensation, have at it!;) 

           

          Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!

      3. Scott | Aug 19, 2009 09:41pm | #27

        >>>I have a tendency to use less hardener than they provide!That's actually a good thing, as long as you mix it well. My FIL is a salty old shipwright, used to build big fishing ships all the way back to the days when keels and ribs were formed by adzes and drawknives. Anyway, he also worked with massive amounts of fiberglass over the decades. He says that the biggest mistake many people make is to mix the resin too "hot" (too much hardener). Fiberglass is like concrete; it's a chemical reaction that never stops. Too much hardener will eventually turn the mixture brittle.Scott.

  4. User avater
    Huck | Aug 19, 2009 08:39am | #6

    I treat the adjacent wood with fiberglass resin first, to stabilize it, and for a better bond (because unlike the bondo, it will soak into the grain), then sand, then bondo.

    View Image

    View Image bakersfieldremodel.com
    1. Hudson Valley Carpenter | Aug 19, 2009 05:08pm | #20

       

      I treat the adjacent wood with fiberglass resin first, to stabilize it, and for a better bond

      That sounds like the answer to my only concern about using Bondo on wood.   In the present case, the teeth and claw marks on the door gave the body filler plenty of real tooth.

    2. woodway | Aug 19, 2009 09:34pm | #26

      doesn't the resin require some catalyst application too?

      1. User avater
        Huck | Aug 20, 2009 04:51am | #33

        yesView Image bakersfieldremodel.com

        1. woodway | Aug 20, 2009 05:07am | #34

          So then you must be mixing the resin/catalyst ahead then spreading before it sets up ...right? I remember playing around with some fiber glass resin way back and just for fun I tripled the catalyst amount and the whole can caught fire. Kinda cool but not very practical. Ah the joys of youth...enjoyed some of your early motorcycle pics too...I was doing the same but over here closer to the coast. Nearly killed myself more then once and just didn't grasp the serious nature of the consequences.

          1. User avater
            Huck | Aug 20, 2009 05:21am | #35

            Yeah, the ratio is explained on the can.  Do a trial run to make sure.  Used to use this stuff to repair surfboards all the time.  In high school I built a model sailboat from it.  Shame kids today don't get some of the cool "industrial arts" classes we used to have!View Image bakersfieldremodel.com

  5. User avater
    Matt | Aug 19, 2009 01:53pm | #11

    Bondo is the "only way" to repair dents in metal doors too.    If you hold back a little on the hardner it gives you a bit more working time.  Be sure to mix it well though.  2 thin coats are better than one deep one.  Also you can let the first coat dry about 80% and then use one of those cheese grader rasps on it to shape it some.

    >> Worked down quickly, leaving a few small voids.   <<  if they are really small use automotive spot putty - red stuff in a tube - to fill the little air bubbles or whatever.  It's a little easier to work with.

    Questions for all:
    1) do you like using one of those plastic spreaders for spreading bondo or just your drywall knife?
    2) what is the difference between the bondo body filler they sell in Lowes and the other product that is just called general purpose plastic filler or similar?  Seems the same but the GP stuff is 1$ less I think.....
    3) what is a trick to protect metal doors during the construction process - besides installing temp doors until later (PITA).   

    1. Jer | Aug 19, 2009 02:45pm | #13

      !: Putty knife
      2: No difference whatsoever. I use both, it's the same chemical formulations.
      3: Remove the doors or pad them out with cloth & paper duct tape.

      1. Adrian | Aug 19, 2009 02:56pm | #15

        I have resorted to it at times.....upholstered furniture shops are another big user. If a customer ever sees me using it and you get the raised eyebrow, it becomes 'proprietary non-shrinking polyester resin filler".

        If wood movemnet is ging to be an issue though, I spring for the Abatron stuff....epoxy consolidant and epoxy-based filler. It is supposed to be formulated to act more like wood.

         

         Cabinetmaker/college woodworking instructor. Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.

    2. Hudson Valley Carpenter | Aug 19, 2009 05:24pm | #22

      1) do you like using one of those plastic spreaders for spreading bondo or just your drywall knife?

      The plastic spreader worked fine for the small amount I was mixing.  They're made to take the shape of the metal surrounding a dent in a fender or car door.  I used the spreader to mix the stuff on a plastic coffe can lid.  Easy clean up, nothing stuck.

      3) what is a trick to protect metal doors during the construction process - besides installing temp doors until later (PITA).   

      I'm not sure how effective it is but most commercial jobs I've worked on there was a double layer of heavy cardboard duct taped to both sides of the metal doors.

  6. Jer | Aug 19, 2009 02:52pm | #14

    I'm not as crazy with the Bondo as I used to be, especially on exterior work. It doesn't move with the wood. I will try the fiberglass resin as suggested though.
    Mostly I use this for rot. It's what it was formulated for.
    http://www.abatron.com/cms/buildingandrestorationproducts/woodrestorationmaintenance/woodepox.html
    It's expensive but really worth it.
    I still use Bondo, just not for everything. It's good for surface repairs like what you're talking about. I buy it by the gallon.

    1. User avater
      Sphere | Aug 19, 2009 03:21pm | #16

      I don't like the Abatron liquid at all, takes way too long to kick, and always stays a bit tacky. It repels latex I found out, and its finiky that it must be a 50/50 mix almost exactly.The west pumps are much easier to deal with a set faster. I'm liking the FG resin idea more and more.The abatron putty tho' is the cats meow.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks

      Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations

      "If Brains was lard, you couldn't grease much of a pan"Jed Clampitt

      View Image

      1. User avater
        mmoogie | Aug 19, 2009 03:39pm | #17

        My only resistance to abatron is that you can't run to the hardware store and get it when you need it.The local lumber yard here has started stocking some abatron knock-off a/b putty mix and separate bottle of liquid hardener. I don't recall the name of it... it's out in the shop and I'm not going out to see what it is right now because the grass is wet and I'm in my slippers, but I picked up a small package of it to see if it's any good. haven't had a chance to use it yet.Steve

  7. rdesigns | Aug 19, 2009 04:30pm | #18

    I used Bondo just this past weekend to repair a friend's antique oak office swivel chair.

    To match the finish, which appeared to be an orange-ish shellac originally, but layered over with poly or lacquer, I bought a cheap ($5) set of tubes of acrylic paints from the artsy-craftsy section of a big box store. The set has about a dozen tubes, and you can mix colors to get the base color you want, then overlay that with whatever is needed to imitate the grain patterns. A small palette knife and your finger work work well to apply the paints.

    Now that it's done, nobody else could find the repair.

    1. Hudson Valley Carpenter | Aug 19, 2009 05:25pm | #23

      Thanks for that description of your furniture repair.  Lots of useful information in there.

  8. woodway | Aug 19, 2009 09:31pm | #25

    If you wait till the bondo just begins to set up, then hit it with a surform plane to take off the rough bits, sanding becomes a whole lot easier later on. The trick becomes finding that sweet spot where the bondo is soft enough to plan off without building up inside the holes, it's a short time frame before it becomes too hard to do without just sanding alone.

    1. Hudson Valley Carpenter | Aug 19, 2009 10:04pm | #29

      just begins to set up, then hit it with a surform plane to take off the rough bits, sanding becomes a whole lot easier later on.

      I found it to be pretty easy stuff to sand when hard, #80 grit knocked it down quickly with a palm sander.   I'll keep the surform idea in mind.

  9. alwaysoverbudget | Aug 20, 2009 06:10am | #36

    a product that is out there that i never have heard anyone mention is dyna glass. it's a bondo product with fiberglass strands in it. if a person is really filling a large area it would probably be worth using. finishes a little bit harder than regular but it does have quite a bit more breaking strength. 

    the older i get ,

    the more people tick me off

    1. User avater
      Huck | Aug 20, 2009 09:05am | #38

      a product that is out there that i never have heard anyone mention is dyna glass. it's a bondo product with fiberglass strands in it.

      from post #8 in this thread: "Bondo with glass added is much stronger."View Image bakersfieldremodel.com

    2. Hudson Valley Carpenter | Aug 20, 2009 10:44am | #39

      The idea has been proposed in this thread but I believe that you're the first one to mention a product name.  Dyna Glass is now permanently etched in my memory.  Whether or not my addled brain will be able to locate it again is, however, doubtful.  Nonetheless, thanks...

      1. Piffin | Aug 20, 2009 02:12pm | #41

        "Whether or not my addled brain will be able to locate it again is, however, doubtful."LOL, yopu must have something in common with Microsoft. I've got it running a search now for something I know is there. 

         

        Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!

  10. cowtown | Aug 20, 2009 08:08am | #37

    Hudson Valley Carpenter was ecstatic over the utilization of Bondo.....

    Look carefull now at G1S fir ply and  now you'll see the distinctive red colour on smaller defects.

    hvc says it doesn't shrink, but it does.

    Painter's have long used Bondo's weak-butt cousin "glazing compound" to fill nail/brad holes in paint grade MDF constructs, and it also shrinks.

    I've used bondo it to skim coat countertop substrate over joints, repair damage to MDF cabinet doors, etc, even used it to make custom fitted sanding blocks...just lay some saran wrap over the profile, toss on a piece of sandpaper, a large dollop of bondo and push it in with a piece of scrap ply...Get it set up, and add another dollop of bondo and set in a compatable coupling with your profile sander, and presto instant profile sander attachment.

     

    You can use bondo in a similar fashion  to copy texture patterns as well. I believe that the Gougeon folks describe this in the West system epoxy manual.

    When it's in the "almost hard"  state, it pares easily with a chisel or a block plane, but you'll have to wait till it's hardened to sand it.

    Bondo is a constant supply item in my shop, despite it's distinctive smell.

    For the colour concious (that red is not the easiest to cover with lighter paints or finishes, there is "white lightening" which is white and uses a blueish hardener)

    The stuff is tenacious. Once I spilled a dollop on the shop floor, just figured I'd let it harden and knock it off, but it was still there 4 years later despite me kicking at it every time I passed it- finally just chiselled it off when the annoyance overcame the experimenter in me..

    BTW, if I only need a small amount (typical) I fish it out of the can with a small piece of laminate or  a laminate sample chip, put it on a scrap of wood from the trash, and use that to mix the hardener, and then further use that as the "putty knife" to apply it, then just toss it.

    File it away in yer bag of tricks....

     

    WTG Hudson Valley carpenter.

     

    Eric in Calgary

     

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