Bondo Tutorial

G.I. Jesus

Well, I have seen a lot of people asking how to use bondo, so here's a tutorial.

Alright, well since I had to re-bondo the top, I figured I should take some pictures of the bondo process and explain it best I can.

First off the supplies needed:
Bondo
Cream Hardener (should come with bondo)
Tac Cloth
Small Acrylic Sheet
Putty Knife
Tool to Open a Paint Can
(all seen below)



First thing you want to do is remove any dust from the place you are filling. You do this by using a Tac Cloth. They are very cheap and can be found anywhere sanding supplies are sold. Once it's clean, set your victim on a level surface.
Now it's time to mix up the bondo!
Take your tool/screw driver and open the bondo can. Yes, it's going to be a light gray color. At this time it's OK to leave it open for a minute or two while getting your mixing sheet/acrylic sheet and putty knife ready.



Once it's opened, make a rough guess on how much you will need. Just remember: try not to be short. It's better to have a little too much than not enough. Scoop the desired amount onto your mixing board (my acrylic sheet).



Once you have the right amount spread out, take the cream hardener and squirt a small amount onto the gray bondo.



Now it's time to mix it up; it should be a redish/pinkish color. If it seems too gray then add a little more. Once this is mixed you only have about 2-4 minutes of spread time.



Spread desired amount onto the needed area. Try to blend a little, too; make as thick as you want.



Bondo takes only 30-45 minutes to dry if it's 1/2 inch thick. So before you go sanding, make sure you wait at least 30 minutes. Then sand like you normally would.

Hope this was helpful; just remember to be confident! It's easy!

Till next time.

illustrious

I like it. I want to go out and buy some now (for who knows what reason).
Good job another great tut by you.

keybenusa@aol.c

that looks great !!
bondo looks awesome

pinkpanther

Nice tut man..+rep, I didn't even know what bondo was until I investigated this thread

keybenusa@aol.c

yea bondo is awesome im gonna get some when i need it

StaticMind

I did that same thing a while ago but put a lcd screen in the center!

looks good. Being at mustang shop i love the smell of bondo and body products

slavearm

Wow.. I never expected to see a bondo how to on a computer website. Nice little write up.

WhiteBoy88

Cleaned up and Stuck in our Tricks, Tips, & Tools section.

lukeisthecoolest

i was wondering how to cover up those pesky ventilation holes!!!! thanx the tut was great

lolhalol

bro can bondo be drilled? like if i cover up the exhaust fan hole, when dry will it crack if i drill through with a hole saw?

wolan9004

I have never done it but i dont think so man that stuff is hard as metal when it bries but i would try drilling it somewhere else before you put in on your pc.

The time of it dring can be shortened by adding more of that red stuff if you put alot it will dry in like 5 minutes.

WhiteBoy88

You can drill it with a hole saw, but try to be careful. Take it slow and steady; don't just try to push through it.

lolhalol

ok guys thx alot... learned something new....

G.I. Jesus

Awesome, didn't even know this was stickied! Thanks for cleaning it up too, I can only imagine the amount of errors lol.

WhiteBoy88

A little behind the times, are we?

G.I. Jesus

Well I did stop coming to xoxide for like 3 years. Yeah, 'behind on the times' would be correct.

jeni38

1. When first molding things you want to use Bondo Body Filler. It is stronger than Spot Putty.
2. Take a paper cup and take a regular spoon and put in about 4 spoonful's of the filler in the cup. You might need to use a Popsicle stick to scrape some of the filler off the spoon
3. Now take a clean Popsicle stick and make a line at the 0in and the 11/16in. mark. Then take the hardener and squirt it out from the 0in mark to the 11/16in mark on your Popsicle stick.
4. Now stir the filler with the Popsicle stick that has the hardener on it and stir it until it looks like its all one color.
5. You have about 15-45min to work with it depending on how well it's mixed.
6. Plop a hole bunch on the area that you will be working on such as: For wide body kits plop a whole bunch on the side, for custom body kits plop a bunch on the bumpers. The bondo will try to drip so you might want to use some masking tape around the area that your working on such as: fender flares or WBK's, tape behind the wheel wells.
7. DO NOT TRY TO SHAPE THE BONDO AT THIS TIME. Let it dry for about an hour. It will be really sticky for a little while.
8. Once its dry you can start shaping. For the basic shaping use x-acto knives.
9. Then once the basic shape is layed out its time to sand, sand, and sand. When sanding work your way up to the higher grit paper. Start off with about 220 then work your way up to 600 grit. If you need to create holes in the bumper use X-Acto knives.
10. After all the shaping is completed, you get to sand some more. Use 800-1200 grit sand paper now for the final touches.
11. There are most likely little holes in the molding now. This is when you will use Bondo Spot/Glazzing Putty to fill in those tiny holes. Do not use a big glod of it, just take a toothpick with some putty on it and dip it on the hole. Let it dry then sand it smooth. Once again use the 800-1200 grit sandpaper to finish it up.