can bondo get wet?

[jveik]

im in a process of restoration in which i am using paint stripper to remove the old finish from my truck's cab, but i am trying to keep the filler work i have already completed from being ruined. the paint stripper instructions say i need to flush the metal with water to get residue off and allow new primer to stick properly. can i do this with my powerwasher and not cause the bondo to become soaked with water and be ruined? i know the fiberglass mix of bondo can be wet, but what about the plain putty types of bondo? any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks,

John Veik

[TheSilentChamber]

Its kinda a tricky question, its very pourus so when it is wet the water will leak though to the metal over time. But if you just wash it and allow it to dry this wont be a big problem, just avoid long term exposure. You could also simply spray some paint over it for the time being. Be sure not to get stripper on it because it because you will have to redo it, it will eat up the filler.

[mike@af]

Strip the car. Clean it with a degreaser, water will make it rust. Spray your epoxy sealer, then bondo.

The epoxy sealer is extremely important. Using Bondo on bare metal will create bad results. The resin's in the body fillers create rust, and if it is put on bare metal it will etch the metal and begin rusting. From that point bondo doesnt stick to rust. The proper way to do a body filler job is to lay down a sealer and bondo on it because the bondo will etch into the sealer but will not rust the metal.

[TheSilentChamber]

Accually your wrong, you should only use polyester filler over paint, regular filler should never be applied over paint.

[mike@af]

Originally Posted by TheSilentChamber

Accually your wrong, you should only use polyester filler over paint, regular filler should never be applied over paint.

Look up the contents on a can of bondo, it says polyester putty.

[TheSilentChamber]

Some of the lesser quality brands do not use a polyester base though. Bondo is a very blanket term.

[jveik]

yeah im actually using bondo brand filler. it is the supposed professional grade stuff, not the old style red can stuff. i might just use this marine clean degreaser stuff i got with my Por 15 paint and it seems to work well and is water soluable so you can rinse off all traces of it. its pretty cool shit