The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop Body filler won't set up

HELP, I picked up a gallon of body filler two days ago. I mixed a 1/2 cup or so with about 3/4 inch of an old tube of hardener. Applied it and it didn't set very well ... about an hour later in a warm shop all it did was ball up and fill the paper right off - no dust. I mixed up some more about the same quantities with the new hardener and darn same thing ... I have a heat lamp on it right now but it's still kinda soft 12 hours later ... what do I do now?

Experiment - try a little more hardener and make some samples up. It should be set in 20-30 minutes. When you find the right ratio, then put it on the truck. If it doesn't set despite a heavy hardener mix, the hardener's old - did it come from a high-volume shop? Stuff that's already down and not setting I'd strip off.

Chuck, I was basically using this batch to fill the deeper scratch marks made by the 40 and 80 sandpaper. Then I started sanding with 220 and that's when it filled the paper far to quickly. I even ran a piece of 80 grit over it and it to was full after two or three passes.

How would I best get this off now? If I make up another test batch and it hardens - if I put more on top of what is there is there any chance that it would help cure the existing stuff?

If not I'm snookered, because this bad batch is deep in the scratches ...

Man I've been heating, shrinking and banging for two months on the back of this cab and I hate the idea of starting all over again ... may have to take the bar sander to it all and just get rid of all the filler and start at square if I have to I have to ... maybe time to start the days with a large shot of Rum ... seemed to work for the first 45 years of my life ... lol

What temp are you trying to mix the filler at, if the steel is cold it takes quite a while, found some filler's don't really get too hard on the surface and gum up paper like nothing. How old is the filler? You might have to use a course disk to remove the soft filler and the reapply with a new batch.

Albert, hard to tell how old the hardener is but I just bought it three days ago with the gallon of filler, I mixed up a bit more and it is as hard as ever but has a surface that seems to be kinda sticky ... put it this way it's not glassy you can't run your had over it like normal ... your hand kinda gets hung up ... it's wierd ... the shops is warm enought that I work in my tshirt. Seems like Murphys Law ... if I accidently dropped a little bit of hardener in the gallon can, the whole thing would be as hard as a rock by tomorrow morning - but come up short in a half cup of the stuff it won't set up for love nor money ... ain't life wonderful?

Skip,
Go ask Kevin Tetz at www.paintucation.com, one canuk to another. Kevin grew up over in Oliver BC, now residing in Pulasky Tn. In one of his videos he talks about this sticky filler phenom.....

The other spot would be the guys at www.autobodystore.com message board.

Love your analysis about a freighter full of the stuff would set up like a rock by morning but let me get just a teany little bit to do this one spot??? Murphy and all his laws.HA!!!!

Cheers.....

FatFenders,
To remove the soft filler, you might try some lacquer thinner or acetone and a scouring pad. I've had some luck removing filler from tools, mixing boards,etc. with this method.
Good Luck!

fatfenders

Must be all that rain north of Victoria. High humidity can play havoc with epoxy.
I used to remove my f@#*-ups with aceton.
Also find out how old the stuff is. The problem could be the age. Epoxy fillers have a shelf live.

Fritz
ex- Victoria/Sidney resident

Thanks everyone ... this batch is going back ... I mixed about 1/2 cup full of it with 1 1/2 inches of hardener - it hardened up 3 hours later it's still sticky to the touch and loads up sandpaper - right now ... no dust at coming off the project ... warm shop ... damp outside but the roof doesn't leak ... lol ...

I'll take the Toad out in the morning and get after it with a scotch pad and some laquer thinners. Not to big a deal not a lot on there as I was just filling the scratch marks with filler ...

I'll pick up some filler putty tomorrow when I return this batch ...

I will tell you right now, there is not a problem with that filler. Look else where for the cause. First thing, did you "kneed" the hardener? If you squirt some hardener out and some watery stuff comes out, that filler will NOT harden. I have had that happen to me a number of times in the past. I don't know what causes it, but it happens. Second, what brand is the filler? Some fillers are not very user friendly and the resins come to the top. When you sand it the darn paper will clog up like the filler is wet. Third, was the filler stired up good? If you scooped some out and got a bunch of resin with it, it ain't gonna harden well either.

You really need to find out what the problem is, because a bad filler would be REALLY, REALLY rare. In fact, I have NEVER seen it.

MARTINSR, I am totally into trouble shooting thanks for the guidance.

The hardener although I did not knead it was not watery. The filler was homogenous and did not have resin on the top of it. I tried the hardner I had left over from the last gallon of filler and it gave the same results ... hard enought but had a "sticky" surface and as you suggested clogged the sandpaper in two or three passes.

Tomorrow I will stir the filler, and knead the hardener and give it another go.

This filler that I'm using is called "feather-rite" made by USC (U.S. chemical & plastics") they list a website as www.uschem.com

Interesting mixing instructions ... "for an amount the size of a golf ball use a 1-1/2 inches ribbon of hardener" says setting time is 3-4 minutes .... lol .... I guess so ... I'd barely get the darn stuff mixed and wouldn't be able to get the spatula out of the stuff ... let alone apply it to anything ...

For about a cup or a little less I generally use 3/4 - 1 inch of hardener maybe a little more if anything ... and mix until the colour is uniform ... I try to spread it on in one pass if I can ...

Fatfenders just a suggestion, if you get another gallon of filler as the store where you got it to throw it on their paint shaker for a minute or 2. I learned this for a old time body man.

I've used that brand of filler, and it might look stirred up when it's not. The resin seems to float in the middle of the can somewhere. Give it a good stir. It worked ok for me when I used it on my jeep as long as you mix it well enough. It didn't load up the paper. My climate is about the same as yours.

That can whip air into it. Air=pin holes.

I went out this morning and "stirred" it a little. It seems homoginized - no layering or pockets of resin. I made up a small batch of it and it seems better at least I got some dust this time. I'm almost convinced that I didn't use enough hardener. Hard to believe after some of the mistakes I've seen and done ... just a little and it still seems to set up just takes a little longer. I'll go out tomorrow morning - roll the ol girl out onto a tarp and take a scotch pad and some lacquer thinners lightly to it ... as suggested. I hope it doesn't weaken the remaining filler ...

Rear fenders are done ... hood is done - cab is done except for the new interior tin ... hell it's a happening ... getting closer every day.

Bruce that address you gave me is a dead end? Did you get it correct?