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Had a bodyshop owner tell me I was overthinking my filler work
I was at a local collision supply shop in Phoenix grabbing some 80 grit last month and this old timer who runs a shop down on 27th Ave just looked at my cart and laughed. He said I was spending too much time trying to get the filler perfect on the first pass, that I should just lay it on thick and block it down. I always thought you wanted thin coats to avoid pinholes but he showed me a door he did that had like 1/4 inch of filler in one spot and it came out smooth. Made me wonder how much time I've wasted feathering stuff. Anyone else get told they're overcomplicating body work?
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wren6522d ago
Man I gotta say, I think the climate thing is huge and nobody's really talking about it enough. @paulb98 mentioned waiting before sanding, but here's the thing - if you're in a dry place like Arizona, thick filler can actually skin over on top before the bottom cures right. My buddy in Tucson had a hood come back with a big crack down the middle six months later because he laid it on too thick in July. I'm not saying thin only, but maybe split the difference - put it on a little thicker than you normally would but don't go full 1/4 inch unless you're waiting a full day between coats.
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the_julia1mo ago
Nah man I gotta push back on this a little because I've been burned too many times by thick filler. I get what the old timer is saying about blocking it down and it works for some guys but I've had 1/4 inch of filler shrink back on me after a few months in the sun and then you're sanding it all over again. I've also found that thick filler really traps solvent and you get those little craters showing up after primer. I'm not saying thin coats are the only way but I've had way better luck with two or three thin passes than one giant glob even if it takes more time. Maybe his shop has better materials or different climate tricks but here in Arizona the heat makes thick filler act weird.
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