Is there a way to moisten dry body filler in the can?

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PostPosted: Wed Sep 28, 2016 2:40 pm
I know this may sound stupid as in just another can dummy, BUT, here is whats going on.

I've got a half a can of Bondo [yes I know there is better filler today], but its dried up a bit, not hard, but stiff.

I just need to fill in some pin holes in a fiberglass top I'm working on. The holes are few, and not very big which is why I don't want to buy another can of filler only to have it dry up as I won't be using very much.

Can I use a bit of lacquer thinner to soften it up?

Thanks.



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PostPosted: Wed Sep 28, 2016 6:15 pm
M-train wrote:I know this may sound stupid as in just another can dummy, BUT, here is whats going on.

I've got a half a can of Bondo [yes I know there is better filler today], but its dried up a bit, not hard, but stiff.

I just need to fill in some pin holes in a fiberglass top I'm working on. The holes are few, and not very big which is why I don't want to buy another can of filler only to have it dry up as I won't be using very much.

Can I use a bit of lacquer thinner to soften it up?

Thanks.

Id give spot and glazing putty a shot. $4 for a tube from Walmart or auto parts store



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PostPosted: Wed Sep 28, 2016 8:41 pm
I posted this question on another car forum, and got this

Its made exactly for that. Plus you should have some left over if you need it again.

I know this sounds like I'm being extremely cheap, but with body filler prices continuing to rise it makes sense to try to save it when you can.

I've even had a mostly full can of the expensive stuff dry out on me once, so this "plastic thinner" would have been great to have known about at that time.

Here is it is, I just ordered some.
http://www.usatoolwarehouse.com/usatool ... aQodo14ILA

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PostPosted: Wed Sep 28, 2016 10:21 pm
My paint jobber has always carried this by Evercoat, same principles I would assume....
http://www.evercoat.com/product-detail/ ... 101249/us/
We were in the middle of a big restoration project one time and one of our warehouse storage areas must of gotten a little too warm. A case of gallon cans all thickened up and we were able to save them with the Evercoat Honey.
Metal, wood, fiberglass, we work it all... www.furniturephysicians.com We can restore the irreplaceable!



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PostPosted: Wed Sep 28, 2016 11:17 pm
I have used gun wash with no issues

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PostPosted: Thu Sep 29, 2016 10:04 am
Swinging_nuts wrote:Id give spot and glazing putty a shot. $4 for a tube from Walmart or auto parts store


Those 1k putties will cause you a lot of problems when used with 2k products. Best to avoid them.
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 29, 2016 2:08 pm
SpaceAge Paint here in Arizona does a 50% off sale Mon-Friday from like 3-5p on all Evercoat filler. They call it Happy Hour. haha

*for anyone in Arizona (east valley)



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PostPosted: Thu Sep 29, 2016 10:29 pm
'68 Coronet R/T wrote:
Swinging_nuts wrote:Id give spot and glazing putty a shot. $4 for a tube from Walmart or auto parts store


Those 1k putties will cause you a lot of problems when used with 2k products. Best to avoid them.


I had no idea there was a specific product for restoring dried filler. That in mind, I was offering what I know as a cheap option ( vs buying another can of filler ). Thanks for the heads up though. I've only paint a few things so far and they've all been small projects that I've used the glazing putty on with no problems. When and if I ever do high end work though I'll step it up to a 2k product
Glad the OP found the right stuff!



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PostPosted: Wed Oct 12, 2016 8:10 pm
Swinging_nuts wrote:
'68 Coronet R/T wrote:
Swinging_nuts wrote:Id give spot and glazing putty a shot. $4 for a tube from Walmart or auto parts store


Those 1k putties will cause you a lot of problems when used with 2k products. Best to avoid them.


I had no idea there was a specific product for restoring dried filler. That in mind, I was offering what I know as a cheap option ( vs buying another can of filler ). Thanks for the heads up though. I've only paint a few things so far and they've all been small projects that I've used the glazing putty on with no problems. When and if I ever do high end work though I'll step it up to a 2k product
Glad the OP found the right stuff!


Yeah, that stuff works great! For a poor man like me it sucks to have almost a whole can of filler just dry up, and have to be tossed out.

I do know that you can make cans of paint last longer if you put them in the refrigerator. I had issues with POR-15 drying up on me, and at approx $100 per gallon it was expensive to loose.

I put a used can in the back of the fridge, and it stayed good until I used it up over a years time.

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