# Bondo question



## OkSixPack (Mar 22, 2015)

A new guy with a question. I've read about using bondo in woodworking before…..is this the same stuff used to repair cars or is there special wood bondo? Also, I guess you would apply it before turning? I could have searched for this but I needed one more post to get to five for sending p.m.'s…..thanks!
Jim


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## MrUnix (May 18, 2012)

Same stuff as used on cars. I use it all the time as a wood filler as well as for filling voids in cast iron and repairing dents on machine cabinets before painting - and all sorts of other stuff. It's pretty versatile, and a can will last quite a long time.

Cheers,
Brad

PS: MinWax High Performance wood filler is just Bondo… but ccsts about three times as much.


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## CFrye (May 13, 2013)

Jim, Todd Clippinger talks about using bondo in this video. Not related to turning but may help.


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## wapakfred (Jul 29, 2011)

I think a can of Bondo (from the auto parts dept.) is as essential to a handyman's arsenal as a roll of duct tape….has a million uses.


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## bonesbr549 (Jan 1, 2010)

I great stuff that has its place in the toolbox. Charles Neil introduced me to its uses in his period bed dvd. He used it to hold bed bolt in place to make assembly fool proof. It's also used by antique restorers for moldings.

Like JB weld would not be without it


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## dhazelton (Feb 11, 2012)

If you go to the Depot and look in the paint section you will find various wood fillers, one of them being bondo. I don't think it's any different than what you buy in the auto parts store. I always used to use the Durham's water putty for filling rotted wood sills and things but it crumbles and cracks after a while.


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## Wildwood (Jul 22, 2012)

Bondo makes wood filler, not sure would use this product or auto body bondo before turning! After turning that will be painted okay.

http://bondo.com/bondo-wood-filler-20082.html

You do not want cracked/split wood coming apart as you turn. Getting anything used as filler can be iffy filling entire cracks & splits. Sometimes can get away with turn fill, wait for filler to cure and turn depending upon product used.

I have done this with regular carpenter's & CA glue and saw dust, coffee grounds on small cracks.

If saw a picture of wood you are talking about might recommend throwing it away or send it out for stabilization or buy resin and do it yourself.

http://www.stabilizedwood.com/price.shtml


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## OkSixPack (Mar 22, 2015)

Thanks everyone, guess that's one more thing to add to the list.
Jim


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## OkSixPack (Mar 22, 2015)

Wildwood, I really don't have one particular piece of wood I'm talking about. I cut down a couple of pieces to get rid of a split or two, and it got me to thinking about the bondo. I can't remember the name of it but I did get a can of stuff that mixes with water and is supposed to be for filling larger holes…at least that is what the label says. I may be old but this is a new game to me….LOL. Thanks again,
Jim


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

Bondo is great for filling rotten wood sills,patching jigs that have been damaged,patching holes in woodworking.
The one thing you want to consider is that it does not accept finish. If it's used on a finished piece you may have to break out your artist paint colors and try and match it that way. Another thing to consider is that bondo has 3 different hardner colors,red,blue,white,the white is much easier to cover than the other colors.I've only been able to find the white at auto paint suppliers.


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## Planeman40 (Nov 3, 2010)

A few years back I bought four surplus glass pane doors to close up an exterior entrance where a sliding glass door had been. The surplus doors had round holes for door handles cut into them. I used plain ole auto Bondo to fill the holes, over filling them a tad so I could sand them even with a belt sander. I painted the doors and you can't even tell where the holes had been. This has held up perfectly for more than five years with exposure to the outside. Great stuff that Bondo!


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## rick1955 (Jun 26, 2014)

http://multimedia.3m.com/mws/mediawebserver?mwsId=SSSSSuUn_zu8l00xM8tvmxm95v70k17zHvu9lxtD7SSSSSS--
Bondo is very toxic!!!


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## jeffswildwood (Dec 26, 2012)

I have not used bondo, I may give it a try myself. I have used sheet rock speckling as a filler for my kreg holes before though and it works great. Mostly in box bottoms and then cover with felt for a smooth bottom.


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## OkSixPack (Mar 22, 2015)

Good grief….hope I don't have to memorize that!


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## Harryn (Apr 25, 2011)

I used Bondo on a sailboat some years ago, and found that the difference in expansion and contraction between it and wood caused it to become loose and separate. Don't think it was just water immersion cause it was not in the water that much.


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## DrDirt (Feb 26, 2008)

bondo (the car stuff) is great for taking care of damage. As jim mentioned replacing rotten stuff.

But it also carves so you can repair damage from dogs chewing on table legs/carved feet.
like this from Tim Puro - 
http://monroefurniturerestoration.com/dont-despair-spot-repairs-can-restore-cherished-antiques/


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## rad457 (Jun 15, 2013)

I thought the only place you found Bondo was in Chev products? LOL! 
This here is Ford Country! on a quiet night you can hear the Chevys Rust!


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## DrDirt (Feb 26, 2008)

> I thought the only place you found Bondo was in Chev products? LOL!
> This here is Ford Country! on a quiet night you can hear the Chevys Rust!
> 
> - rad457


remember it is "like a rock!" that can't rust :^P


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## OkSixPack (Mar 22, 2015)

I thought all vehicles were being made out of fiberglass now…..so does bondo work on that? Just joking btw.


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## Oughtsix (Mar 9, 2015)

10 years ago I built a shelf to raise our washer and dryer to a non back breaking height. I built a frame out of jointed and planed 2×4's and inlaid 3/4" plywood. To make a nice smooth surface I Bondo-ed all the joints, screw holes and seams then sanded and painted. With the damp nature of the laundry room and constant vibration from the spinning of the washing machine and dryer there is not a single crack in the paint or Bondo in 10 years. I don't know how you could give bondo on wood a tougher test?

I have built several cabinets this way for the garage and shop and filled in gaps with Bondo before painting. It works great and leaves a very nice smooth finished look. I have even smoothed shop grade plywood on shop cabinets with bondo… it works but it is a lot of work filling in the grain with Bondo and then sanding… not really worth the effort for the couple bucks I saved on cheap shop grade plywood.


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## Dark_Lightning (Nov 20, 2009)

Fords use baling wire instead. 8^P

Back on topic, I've used Bondo and even caulk on real live wood projects, depending on the application. I once built a book case (knotty pine) on which the crown molding had a gap which I filled with almond caulking. NOBODY saw it, even the picky people. Of course, I didn't point it out…but even I had to look carefully to see it, and I applied it.


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## splatman (Jul 27, 2014)

I have used Bondo on various projects. The same stuff used to repair cars. The latest use was a couple years ago, I fixed up a shed I built in Spring, Y2K. Most of the exterior is Grade A 1/2" plywood I got used from various sources, so it had dents, nail holes, bolt holes, tearout, and other damage. I had a Bondo-thon that lasted several days, along with plenty of sanding, paint-stripping, replacing of rotted boards, and more sanding. Then I sprayed Rust-Oleum Primer on all the Bondo patches, waited for that to dry, then primed and painted the place with latex primer and white latex paint. I did not want to take any chances of the paint/primer peeling off the Bondo patches (don't know how well it sticks), so that's why I used the spray primer.

The shed looks as good now as it did the day I finished painting it, save for a bit of dirt and webs (and a cracked window. DK how that happened).


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## Bluepine38 (Dec 14, 2009)

Got curious and checked the big box, Bondo has a Home Solutions All Purpose Putty in 1 gal cans for less
than the auto body Bondo. They say it is thicker so you can repair upright sections without it running.
I have to repaint some sections of my deck that the wonderful wood putty I used fell out, so I will be 
using this and give a report when it is finished. Hopefully it is better than the famous stuff that is 
supposed to keep you from leaking, creaking, rusting, busting or falling apart at the seams that granpa
used to sell from the snake oil wagon.


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## OkSixPack (Mar 22, 2015)

I checked it out on line just now, and it is a couple of dollars higher than the regular stuff here. It may be worth it for the extra thickness and quick set up time though. Thanks for all the ideas and suggestions everyone.
Jim


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## HTown (Feb 25, 2015)

Like others, I used it to patch an exterior door with dry rot before repainting. Cheaper and quicker than a new door. I couldn't tell the difference afterwards.


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## Dan658 (Dec 3, 2014)

> bondo (the car stuff) is great for taking care of damage. As jim mentioned replacing rotten stuff.
> 
> But it also carves so you can repair damage from dogs chewing on table legs/carved feet.
> like this from Tim Puro -
> ...


What impresses me is how he managed to match the colour so well.


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## OkSixPack (Mar 22, 2015)

> bondo (the car stuff) is great for taking care of damage. As jim mentioned replacing rotten stuff.
> 
> But it also carves so you can repair damage from dogs chewing on table legs/carved feet.
> like this from Tim Puro -
> ...


 Hey, it ALL impresses me….
Jim


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