# Coloring Bondo Black



## Jim Jakosh (Nov 24, 2009)

*Coloring Bondo Black*

Does anyone know of a colorant to color Bondo ( body filler) black? I can only find blue and red hardener and the best I can do is a gray color. I want to color it black to fill some large voids in a piece of mesquite for a lamp base. I don't want to use Epoxy because it would take a tub full. It is a polyester resin so I don't thing black oil based paint would mix well with it.
Any suggestions?..............Thanks ,Jim


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## cutmantom (Feb 2, 2010)

Slovenian said:


> *Coloring Bondo Black*
> 
> Does anyone know of a colorant to color Bondo ( body filler) black? I can only find blue and red hardener and the best I can do is a gray color. I want to color it black to fill some large voids in a piece of mesquite for a lamp base. I don't want to use Epoxy because it would take a tub full. It is a polyester resin so I don't thing black oil based paint would mix well with it.
> Any suggestions?..............Thanks ,Jim


epoxy is the only thing that ive seen for this done on the NYW, you could try charcoal powder but i think it could interfere with the bonding, wouldn't hurt to experiment though on scrap


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## rance (Sep 30, 2009)

Slovenian said:


> *Coloring Bondo Black*
> 
> Does anyone know of a colorant to color Bondo ( body filler) black? I can only find blue and red hardener and the best I can do is a gray color. I want to color it black to fill some large voids in a piece of mesquite for a lamp base. I don't want to use Epoxy because it would take a tub full. It is a polyester resin so I don't thing black oil based paint would mix well with it.
> Any suggestions?..............Thanks ,Jim


Black Laser printer toner? Wear a mask though, and DON'T SNEEZE. It also comes in a sorta yellow, blue, and magenta.


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## Rob_n_Wood (Mar 25, 2009)

Slovenian said:


> *Coloring Bondo Black*
> 
> Does anyone know of a colorant to color Bondo ( body filler) black? I can only find blue and red hardener and the best I can do is a gray color. I want to color it black to fill some large voids in a piece of mesquite for a lamp base. I don't want to use Epoxy because it would take a tub full. It is a polyester resin so I don't thing black oil based paint would mix well with it.
> Any suggestions?..............Thanks ,Jim


I would try a product called lamp black that is a pigment dye for paints I was able to buy a pint of it years ago 
when I did stained glass and used it in my putty to darken it. I have used it in a variety of different things 
epoxy, putty, I think that I even used it in bondo come to think of it


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## ptweedy (Feb 9, 2009)

Slovenian said:


> *Coloring Bondo Black*
> 
> Does anyone know of a colorant to color Bondo ( body filler) black? I can only find blue and red hardener and the best I can do is a gray color. I want to color it black to fill some large voids in a piece of mesquite for a lamp base. I don't want to use Epoxy because it would take a tub full. It is a polyester resin so I don't thing black oil based paint would mix well with it.
> Any suggestions?..............Thanks ,Jim


Go down to woodcraft and get a small bottle of transfast black water soluble dye. It should wook like a champ. phil


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## HalDougherty (Jul 15, 2009)

Slovenian said:


> *Coloring Bondo Black*
> 
> Does anyone know of a colorant to color Bondo ( body filler) black? I can only find blue and red hardener and the best I can do is a gray color. I want to color it black to fill some large voids in a piece of mesquite for a lamp base. I don't want to use Epoxy because it would take a tub full. It is a polyester resin so I don't thing black oil based paint would mix well with it.
> Any suggestions?..............Thanks ,Jim


I'd try Ritt Dye. You can get a 4oz package at the grocery store for about $2 a package. When I use it to dye wood, I mix the powder in denatured alcohol and then filter it through a coffee filter to remove the solids that didn't go in solution. I've got several bottles of Trans-Tint from Woodcraft, but I can't tell which glass jar of brown liquid is TransTint and which is Ritt dye after a few days. They both look the same. Try mixing the powder with the bondo before you add the hardner. You are only out $2 if it doesn't make the dark black color you need.


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## tyskkvinna (Mar 23, 2010)

Slovenian said:


> *Coloring Bondo Black*
> 
> Does anyone know of a colorant to color Bondo ( body filler) black? I can only find blue and red hardener and the best I can do is a gray color. I want to color it black to fill some large voids in a piece of mesquite for a lamp base. I don't want to use Epoxy because it would take a tub full. It is a polyester resin so I don't thing black oil based paint would mix well with it.
> Any suggestions?..............Thanks ,Jim


I also came in here to say printer toner. I've done that before with wild success.

I imagine Rit Dye would work great, too..! I've dyed wood putty with it before and it came out pretty true to the colour.


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## HalDougherty (Jul 15, 2009)

Slovenian said:


> *Coloring Bondo Black*
> 
> Does anyone know of a colorant to color Bondo ( body filler) black? I can only find blue and red hardener and the best I can do is a gray color. I want to color it black to fill some large voids in a piece of mesquite for a lamp base. I don't want to use Epoxy because it would take a tub full. It is a polyester resin so I don't thing black oil based paint would mix well with it.
> Any suggestions?..............Thanks ,Jim


Jim,

Don't color the bondo… When you pack it into the voids, leave about 1/4" to the wood surface and after the bondo has hardened, fill the space that's left with black epoxy.


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## SgtSnafu (Jun 11, 2009)

Slovenian said:


> *Coloring Bondo Black*
> 
> Does anyone know of a colorant to color Bondo ( body filler) black? I can only find blue and red hardener and the best I can do is a gray color. I want to color it black to fill some large voids in a piece of mesquite for a lamp base. I don't want to use Epoxy because it would take a tub full. It is a polyester resin so I don't thing black oil based paint would mix well with it.
> Any suggestions?..............Thanks ,Jim


I see many good answers here, but ran across this which may help too..

Link


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## Jim Jakosh (Nov 24, 2009)

Slovenian said:


> *Coloring Bondo Black*
> 
> Does anyone know of a colorant to color Bondo ( body filler) black? I can only find blue and red hardener and the best I can do is a gray color. I want to color it black to fill some large voids in a piece of mesquite for a lamp base. I don't want to use Epoxy because it would take a tub full. It is a polyester resin so I don't thing black oil based paint would mix well with it.
> Any suggestions?..............Thanks ,Jim


Thank you for all the excellent leads. I think I'll get the RIT dye first and let you all know if it worked out. I have lots of Bondo from car repair jobs. I did have some lamp black years ago when I built a brick fireplace and used it to color the mortar black. It worked great for that, but I could not find it. It was very messy like the Iron Oxide sounds.. Thank you all for the help. I'll report back soon!..............Jim


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## joew (Apr 22, 2008)

Slovenian said:


> *Coloring Bondo Black*
> 
> Does anyone know of a colorant to color Bondo ( body filler) black? I can only find blue and red hardener and the best I can do is a gray color. I want to color it black to fill some large voids in a piece of mesquite for a lamp base. I don't want to use Epoxy because it would take a tub full. It is a polyester resin so I don't thing black oil based paint would mix well with it.
> Any suggestions?..............Thanks ,Jim


How about clear epoxy with sawdust. You might have some sawdust from the wood you are working with.


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## Woodbutcher3 (Jul 1, 2010)

Slovenian said:


> *Coloring Bondo Black*
> 
> Does anyone know of a colorant to color Bondo ( body filler) black? I can only find blue and red hardener and the best I can do is a gray color. I want to color it black to fill some large voids in a piece of mesquite for a lamp base. I don't want to use Epoxy because it would take a tub full. It is a polyester resin so I don't thing black oil based paint would mix well with it.
> Any suggestions?..............Thanks ,Jim


I came to make a suggestion or two, but thet were already here. What a fantastic forum when people bring all their hints and techniques at a moments notice to help a fellow woodworker. All y'all are great. Thanks for being members and thanks for sharing! Ya make me proud to be part of this group.

Chips a' flyin'


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## Jim Jakosh (Nov 24, 2009)

Slovenian said:


> *Coloring Bondo Black*
> 
> Does anyone know of a colorant to color Bondo ( body filler) black? I can only find blue and red hardener and the best I can do is a gray color. I want to color it black to fill some large voids in a piece of mesquite for a lamp base. I don't want to use Epoxy because it would take a tub full. It is a polyester resin so I don't thing black oil based paint would mix well with it.
> Any suggestions?..............Thanks ,Jim


well. I have been looking at that big slab of mesquite and that Rit dye box too long. I mixed up a batch of body filler and put the black Rit dye in it. *Not Good!* It did not change the blue color of the filler at all. Instead it dried like sand particles in it. I should have tried it on a scrap piece. Now I have this lamp base with all this blue filler in it. I wish it would have been a shade of turquoise. that wold look okay with the mesquite.
Oh, well, that is not a priority project. I'll keep looking for some black hardener! I think it will actually take a liquid colorant.

...............Jim


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## Jim Jakosh (Nov 24, 2009)

Slovenian said:


> *Coloring Bondo Black*
> 
> Does anyone know of a colorant to color Bondo ( body filler) black? I can only find blue and red hardener and the best I can do is a gray color. I want to color it black to fill some large voids in a piece of mesquite for a lamp base. I don't want to use Epoxy because it would take a tub full. It is a polyester resin so I don't thing black oil based paint would mix well with it.
> Any suggestions?..............Thanks ,Jim


Scotty, I just sent a note to Marson asking if they had a colorant for their body filler…........thanks, Jim


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## Jim Jakosh (Nov 24, 2009)

Slovenian said:


> *Coloring Bondo Black*
> 
> Does anyone know of a colorant to color Bondo ( body filler) black? I can only find blue and red hardener and the best I can do is a gray color. I want to color it black to fill some large voids in a piece of mesquite for a lamp base. I don't want to use Epoxy because it would take a tub full. It is a polyester resin so I don't thing black oil based paint would mix well with it.
> Any suggestions?..............Thanks ,Jim


I found the colorant. It is Testers model paint! It works great for epoxy and Bondo because it is oil based not water soluble like Rit dye. it dries at the same rate as Bondo or epoxy too!

Someone told me to try this at one of our guild meetings when we were kicking the subject around!!

Thanks for all you input!!..............Jim


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