Bondo that wont harden?

I know I'm gonna sound like a dumb*** with this, it's not my first time with filler, just first time with this issue.

Using some PPG lightweight filler. For some reason it won't harden for anything.
I put on the first batch, (with hardener) waited and 2 days later it wasn't a bit hard. S****ed it all off, mixed up another batch with considerably more hardener, now it's been a day and it's "cheese grater" hard.

The can may have frozen a while back out in my garage, but is surely thawed now, was also well mixed before usage this time. Hardener was kneaded and warmed before being added to the mix.

Any ideas WTF is going on here? Getting tired of s****ing the stuff off. I wanna get on with this project...


Thanks

 

As you stated, Bondo does not harden quickly in the cold but I would think 2 days is plenty. Maybe ya got a bad batch or its old or the freeze did it in.

 

I would go get a new tube of hardener and see if that works.

 

If its cold, it may never harden.. it will stay soft.. dont use alot of hardner either.. it will stain through all your top coats.. the temp should be no less than 70 above.. 60 above the lowest..

 

Freezing is no good, get another can and hardner. Also heat lamp the spot if it's really cold.

 

If its cold it won't harden correctly. If it was mine i would throw it out and get more. I would hate to have it fail later

 

I thought it was a chemical harden not a climate harden (not sure of the technical term) if its chemical it shouldnt matter what the temp is? should it?

 

Have you tried mixing in a little ******?

 

most paint supplies are junk if frozen. i know we have to protect our water bourne systems here from freezing.

as said, dont add too much additional hardner. alos dont use the red stuff, thats the one that bleeds.

i agree, toss the can and the hardner, start over. also never try to cure a unhardned batch by going over it with a hotter mix, just more problems down the road


good luck

skull

 

with bondo (and all polyesther products) the catylis causes heat, and speeds up the harnening process. in theory bondo and resin should harden eventually without any catylist , which is really an accellerant to the process. that said, ive never seen it get hard without some hardner.

but yes the temp is a big factor with that stuff

skull

 

See there, love the hamb, i learned something today.

 

once the can froze it doesnt matter what the temp is now, id toss it and start over.

25 bucks a gallon new, its not worth the ********

 

Curing time is directly related to the ambient temperature of the working environment. Get some heat in your shop before you begin to mix the Bondo and above all else, FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS ON THE CAN. They don't print that on the can to use ink, they know what works.

 

"Lead"
Hard when cool
No need to mix anything

 

Did you stir the filler in the container? Freezing may have separated the good stuff and it is in the bottom.

 

the resin should be good as long as the lid stays tight. what goes wrong is the MEK/peroxide hardner..loses it potency,so to speak. i have had to go buy just the harner and use it on the same can of filler and it perked it right up.
mek/ peroxide is a heating agent and it won't heat if it's reduced to not much more than water!!!

 

Good one

 

It may have frozen , causing your problems. I have used that stuff in pretty cold shops and have just mixed hotter battches (more hardener). And use the blue hardener, but only if it's not lumpy. that stuff has a shelf life. John Kosmoski (the founder of House of Kolor) says you can put the hardener in the fridge to keep it fresher longer.

 

the same thing happened to me with some iceing.dont mess around.yes new hardener will prob.work but if not is it worth grinding off again?

 

Lead would be awesome, just making it stick to fibergl*** is a pain in the ***.

Off to do some shipping, will grab more hardner and possibly another can of filler just to be sure.
Thanks guys.

 

get Mark to come over and apply the bondo for you.

 

There is nothing wrong !!
It's working temp. ! You must double or triple the hardner in cold temps down at 50 deg., try a small batch to test ( a tables**** full), Or get a heat lamp !!
Bruce

 

i wouldnt say that!!!i let the iceing dry for a week at 50+ deg.and it never dryed!!!!

 

I have found that normal proportions of mix and hardener with a 250 watt heat lamp work quite well in low temperatures. Don't go for too big an area and don't get it too hot, just warm.

 

maybe he scored that 10 # ball of silly putty and dont know it

 

I was concerned about temp. and mixing/applying body filler, just this week. I'm using UPOL which is a good product. There is nothing listed on the label, I checked an old can of BONDO I had, and it listed that it can be used in temperatures above 45 degrees. So, theres the answer to a few questions. I have used the filler on three occasions this week alone with a temp. in the neiborhood of 55 degrees, no problems, didn't mix the filler hot, no lamps. The filler was hard in the same amount of time, roughly 20min. Chemical reaction, not temperature. The heat you feel when you touch the filler is from the reaction.

 

How warm is it where you store it and where you are using it?
That stuff is designed to be used in heated shops that are above atleast 55 degrees all the time.
If it is in question at all, I would pitch it and the hardener and get a furnace in the garage, buy fresh bondo and hardener and get after it...
Just what I would do....

 

I remember when I was about 5 yrs old I made my dad a #1 dad trophy and it was a 2x3 1/4 plate of steal and I was going to glue a nut on it useing bondo and I never put the hardener in the bondo and he told me that it would never dry..... So I am 28 know and it is still on his trophy shelf and still soft.

 

BONDO 101

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=8318&highlight=bondo+101&showall=1

Long read, but you'll figure out what's going on.

 

What he said. If you don't have the scratch, try mixing the can thoroughly and trying a test batch off the car. Heat will help it harden faster, as mentioned.

RC, I'm going to need a larger size copy of your avatar for the garage wall

Flatman