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Bondo!

3K views 20 replies 15 participants last post by  Bluepine38 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
Well, there I was, using my router to make a template so I could rout the recess for my new router plate. I let it get away from me in one corner and messed it up. Three perfect corners and one bad one. :-(

Recently, I had purchased a can of Bondo All Purpose Putty so this was a good opportunity to test it out. I am not a paint and body guy so this was my first time to use Bondo of any kind.

Reading the instructions, it appeared I had a pretty small window in which to work, so I mixed up some on a plastic plate and commenced to fill in the corner and one other place that was uneven.

I noticed in about 15 minutes the leftover mixture on the plate was hard. Since I had filled in a nice gash made by the flush trim bit, I decided to let it cure overnight.
Textile Table Flooring Font Wood


The following day, it only took a minute to sand the sides flush and true up the corner (1 1/2 inch radius) on the oscillating sander.
Rectangle Wood Floor Flooring Composite material


The repair worked well, and was so easy to do.

Street light Rectangle Gas Wood Tints and shades

I got a good fit with both plates.
Bondo saved the day for me.
Furniture Table Automotive design Art Wood
 

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#5 · (Edited by Moderator)
You'd be surprised/appalled at how much filler is used on big machinery like mills and lathes. There is even filler on my 36 pound "cast iron" vise. It's really obvious when you do a little welding and/or hammer work, and pieces blow off. I say filler, because 'Bondo" is a brand name, and there are other brands, not to be a wise guy. Most of my filler work has actually been done with the Bondo brand.

Here's a real cheat for you- I built a bookcase many years ago out of knotty pine, which I lacquered. When I did up the top molding (a crown and dentil) I had some wanes in the crown molding. I used almond caulk to fill in the gaps. It was impossible to tell that it was there. I got really lucky.

BTW, JohnHutchinson, I absolutely adore the grain in that cabinet behind your (really nice) ribbon table. Gotta love that white oak!
 
#8 ·
Hey John, just love that ribbon table. Tell me, I see the brass hook on the right, what is the one on the left for.

Great job.
 
#10 ·
Minwax has a two part wood filler I have used before. To my thinking it's on the pricy side for such a small can but it does work well in some cases. The thing that I wonder is is it the same thing as the bondo, or other automotive fillers out there? it looks the same smells the same and works the same if so if you screw up a lot you can get that stuff by the gallon from the auto parts stores. anyone know the answer to this one ?
 
#12 ·
JoeinGa: I never noticed the drawer pulls in the photo before, but you're right, they're on the dresser. The strange thing is that the pull on the left seems to be a double, up-down pull. I'm thinking it's the pull behind the glass top as well as a reflection of the pull on the drawer above it.

I can't say for sure because I didn't take the pic. Chris Schwarz at Popular Woodworking took it at their offices in Cincinnati and that's Bob Lang's dresser. Chris thought the two pieces went together so well (complete opposites) that he titled the photo "Buddies".

Now let's get back to Bondo. :)
 
#15 ·
Absolutely love Bondo for repairs on stuff that will be painted. Used it extensively on our deck railing made with construction timbers. Fills in loose knots and ill fitting joints…the latter is probably unfamiliar to most of you.
 
#18 ·
Nice fix. It works well for paint jobs. I've called the auto parts store before asking for "lightweight polyester body filler" not wanting to say the Bondo name (they command a premium price over the other brands, and some of the others have been said to be superior). They had no clue what I was asking. I waked in and read the can out-loud.
 
#19 ·
Love me some bondo. I was a commercial superintendent for a while on a hospital. We bondoed (sp?) every single hollow metal door on that job.

Hole? Bondo
Dent? Bondo
Scratch? Bondo

I'll have to start using it on some of the stuff I screw up. Sounds like a winner on wood
 
#21 ·
Gene Howe, those are not ill fitting joints we cut, that is where the inexpensive wood shrank (sp) away
from the other piece of inexpensive wood. because I underestimated the amount of wood I needed and
since the railings were the last item up, they did not get the 6 month drying time the rest of the project
did.
 
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