> Subject: More on Dashes, Bondo, SOL Laws
>
> Dashes
> ------
> Roland Dudley writes:
>
> > A couple of prep comments: wet the surface and let it dry before
> > final sanding. This will raise the grain. Minor dents and gouges
>
> The varsol will raise the grain as water... I'm not a fan of putting
> water near wood, but if you do, I would use a spray bottle or a damp
> sponge to prevent soaking the wood.
No, you don't want to saturate the wood; but I wouldn't be too concerned
about using water. Remember that wood co-exists with water in nature.
That's certainly not the case for paint strippers and most other
chemicals used in wood re-finishing.
Raising wood grain with water and removing dents with steam are common
practices in furniture refinishing. I'd recommend getting a couple of
books out of the library on this subject as a starting point for any
wood reconditioning project. And if it's exposed wood I would pick up a
book on wooden boat building too. I've pick up lots of good ideas from
my dad who has been building boats as a hobby for over 50 years.
BTW, the wood steering wheel refinishing article I've sent out in the
past tells how to remove oil from wood. The oil the article is
referring is body oil from handling the wheel, but I suspect it would
work for most oils. A mixture of trichloroethane and whiting (cement
dye generally available at hardware stores) is applied to the wood,
allowed to dry and then removed. This is repeated until the oil is
gone.
> Bondo
> -----
> > > Just say no to Bondo
> >
> > Bondo works fine if it's properly applied.
>
> I've heard this, and believe it, but my concern was in the task of
> removing the bondo someday. Isn't removing bondo a difficult thing?
> I've never had the pleasure, but I guess it all depends on how much
> and where. So what is the proper method of installation? Thin and
> don't just glop it on?
Ideally you don't want to use any filler, but since we live in the real
world...
The sheet metal should be worked to the point where a minimum of filler
is needed. Then it should be applied in thin layers with the total
thickness being as small as possible, an 1/8" or less seems to be the
accepted limit.
The best method I have found for removing bondo is to grind as much off
as possible, then to use paint stripper to get what's left. In this
regard it has an advantage over lead because you can get every last
trace off. On the other hand, trying to remove thick layers of bondo
with stripper alone is a long term project. Lead, I suppose, could
just be melted off with a propane torch, though I wouldn't want to
try that on an aluminum bodied car.
Roland
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