first time bondo
Junior User
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 73
Likes: 0
Bondo is fine as long as you use it properly. I personally don't use it, I do use plastic fillers though.
I like to work the bare metal, weld whatever to the point where a couple skim coats of body icing can be used to fix the rest.
I like to work the bare metal, weld whatever to the point where a couple skim coats of body icing can be used to fix the rest.
Elder User
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 999
Likes: 1
From: Willamette Valley Oregon
<cr>
Bondo is a trade name and carries with it, a negative aspect. My first suggestion is to eliminate the word from your vocabulary and replace it with "filler". Rather than say, "I filled the dent with Bondo", say instead, "I smoothed out the metal with some filler."
99.999% of all body repair has had filler applied to it. There are those that can repair a dent without using filler but it is a time consuming procedure. That translates into money. If you buy a car that has been involved in an accident, you are buying a car that has had filler applied. Don't be afraid of it. Filler is not evil.
The whole secret to using filler is to properly prepare the metal before applying it. The means hammer and dolly work. You get the metal back to the proper shape (within a 1/8"), apply the filler, and sand to shape. The filler fills in the low spots, not a dent.
Bondo is a trade name and carries with it, a negative aspect. My first suggestion is to eliminate the word from your vocabulary and replace it with "filler". Rather than say, "I filled the dent with Bondo", say instead, "I smoothed out the metal with some filler."
99.999% of all body repair has had filler applied to it. There are those that can repair a dent without using filler but it is a time consuming procedure. That translates into money. If you buy a car that has been involved in an accident, you are buying a car that has had filler applied. Don't be afraid of it. Filler is not evil.
The whole secret to using filler is to properly prepare the metal before applying it. The means hammer and dolly work. You get the metal back to the proper shape (within a 1/8"), apply the filler, and sand to shape. The filler fills in the low spots, not a dent.
Fun stuff, filler that is. 
