- Repair Small Scale Scratch and Dent with Bondo

Accidents happen, and sometimes a scuff, scratch, or small dent can mess up the lines of your sweet ride. Today we’re going to look at how you can use Bondo to fix small-scale vehicle damage without breaking the bank!

The Bondo brand offers a complete line of fillers, putties, and glazes for many applications, including automotive, household, marine, hobby, and more! The secret to a fast, strong, and permanent repair lies in the two-part technology—a reaction occurs when the filler and hardener are mixed together, allowing the product to chemically bond to the surface you are repairing. Whether you’re fixing a small dent in your car door or building that awesome replica battle helmet, Bondo’s got the product to make it happen.

Bondo Body Repair Products

Let’s start by taking a look at the original Bondo Body Filler. Here at ohcanadasupply.ca, we carry this product in either a 397g, 794g, 3.18kg can, or, in a complete body repair kit. The repair kit comes with filler, hardener, spreader, and a self-adhesive metal patch. Before you start to work with Bondo, be sure you’re wearing the proper safety gear—safety glasses, gloves, and masks are a must!

Did you know, the original Bondo formula was even used to patch a pothole during the 2010 Daytona 500 — keeping the race, and the cars, on track!

How to Use Bondo for Dent Repairs

First, you need to clean the repair area with soap and water and allow the panel to dry.
Use a residue remover, such as a general-purpose adhesive cleaner, or rubbing alcohol to remove any wax, dirt, or oils.
Sand the surface with sandpaper until you get to the bare metal and then re-clean it.
Take the closed tube of cream hardener and squeeze it between your fingers for about 30 seconds. This will ensure that the hardener is well-mixed and ready to go.
Next, place the amount of filler you need on a clean, flat, non-absorbent mixing surface.
Add a stripe of cream hardener across the middle of the filler and start mixing. Whatever you do, do not overuse the hardener! With more hardener means it will harden faster, which will make application difficult.
You’ll know it’s mixed well enough when the filler and hardener become one even color.
Now that we’ve added the hardener, the filler will start to firm up within 3 to 5 minutes, so you’ve got to work fast!
Apply a thin layer of filler with a spreader, making sure to apply firm pressure with each movement.
Apply additional filler in layers, building up the damaged area slightly higher than the surrounding surface. The filler should never be more than 1/8” thick!
Allow the filler to cure for 20 minutes.
After that, you can start sanding to get the proper contours for the damaged area.
Use a body file on the filler to get some of the roughest edges out of the way and then sand.
If more filler is needed, re-mix from scratch—never return mixed filler to the original can or try to mix the new filler with old.
Make sure you wait at least 45 minutes before applying primer and paint.

Other Bondo Products

Why wait hours or even days to complete a repair when you don’t have to? With Bondo’s Fibreglass Repair Kit, you can complete professional-looking projects in a fraction of the time. That’s one of the reasons it’s become so popular in the NASCAR circuit. That’s right, auto body technicians on the track know they have to get a repair done fast. Since most cars in the racing circuit are made with various grades of fibreglass, Bondo’s fibreglass products are an ideal solution.

When you’ve finished your project, but still find there are pinholes or other surface imperfections, you can use this glazing and spot putty or putty-cote to fill them in. These products are great for final finishing or filling scratches, small cracks, splits, and dings.

If you need extra resin, fibreglass mats/cloths, hardeners, or body filler we’ve got you covered. Now that we’ve built up our layers of information, feel free to contact us here. Don’t forget to follow us on social media and subscribe to our email list so you can stay up to date with our latest offers, flyers, new products, and giveaways.