Topic: bondo tonight

[cb650 bobber]

Got tired of waiting for a different tank without dents so I am going after my tank with bondo tonight. Any advice or experience would be awesome.

[WJL75]

Use as little as possible, and smooth out what you can before it sets.  Once it dries, use 60, then 150, 400, 600 (wet) grit sandpaper to smooth it out gradually.

[neil young]

once you add the hardener it sets really quickly.mix small batches

[matchanu]

Use as little as possible, and smooth out what you can before it sets.  Once it dries, use 60, then 150, 400, 600 (wet) grit sandpaper to smooth it out gradually.

Do NOT use wet sandpaper on bondo.

Bondo absorbs water and will swell and crack. Only wet sand after you spray primer.

[WJL75]

Opps...you are correct.   Scratch that part about wet sanding.

[matchanu]

One more thing. If possible, use duraglass on your first layer. It's a whole lot stronger than bondo and more flexible. It doen't finish as well, but then a very light layer of bondo ofver the duraglass works great.

[ProTeal55]

Bondo SUCKS !
I leave bodywork to people who know what they are doing, when it comes to that I do not..

[cb650 bobber]

this is going to be trial and error. It is a fairly decent size dent...should i do a bunch of layers to get it filled or should i wait till sand untill i am close to where it needs to be or do you have to sand every layer....also if it cracks can I just rebondo it.

[stearmandriver]

I have used the stuff over welded seems in cars and motorcycle tanks.  Use as little as possible as previously mentioned.  When sanding smooth, it helps to detect high and low spots if you wear a pair of thin nitrile or latex gloves.  The added layer between your skin and the surface helps you feel the imperfections better.  Don't ask me why.  It just works well for me.

Good luck
Dave

[cb650 bobber]

people that know what they are doing want more than i payed for the whole bike

[Swede]

When I did my tank (first bondo experience) I thought it looked pretty good until I sprayed with primer then I could see all that I had missed including low and high spots.

[mikedialect]

people that know what they are doing want more than i payed for the whole bike

I hate to say it, but welcome to owning an old bike

[stearmandriver]

Use a good wet sanding block as well.  Your fingers and bare hand will leave and uneven surface in the primer.

[BlindJoe]

I'd recommended going to a body supply store and ask them for their best body filler, it may be more expensive but it will save you a lot of frustration. I spent hours "bondoing" a tank one time and thought it looked pretty good, but when I put the primer on it looked terrible. If your dents are small you could probably get away with using bondo, but if they're the size of a quarter or bigger get the good stuff.

[sparty]

I love the smell of bondo.  It brings back some good and bad memories from my first car.

Sparty

[seaweb11]

A little dent in a gas tank sounds good about now!!!!!!!!  Day 17 filling and sanding............

http://www.sohc4.us/forums/index.php?topic=24474.0

[neil young]

A little dent in a gas tank sounds good about now!!!!!!!!  Day 17 filling and sanding............

http://www.sohc4.us/forums/index.php?topic=24474.0

lol ....no #$%* seaweb

[matchanu]

this is going to be trial and error. It is a fairly decent size dent...should i do a bunch of layers to get it filled or should i wait till sand untill i am close to where it needs to be or do you have to sand every layer....also if it cracks can I just rebondo it.

Did you try and pull the dent a bit first?

That crappy little "painless dent remover" you see on the infomercials actually works really good.

Basically glue a rod onto the dent, place on a slide hammer and pull it out.

It's easier to pull out a dent and grind it down (not too much metal) to smooth rather than fill a crater with filler.