Thread: Lead fill instead of Bondo... Any tips?

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Hi All,

I need to smooth some small dings on my running boards before I can get them powdercoated and plastic filler won't survive the process. Does anyone have any tips on doing lead type filling? I'm guessing that nowadays we use a lead substitute like the plumbers use, or maybe there is a special formulation for auto body use? I appreciate any help.

Hugs,
Eileen

Getting old isn't so bad, My piece of crap truck can now be called a Rat Rod and bellbottoms are back!

i am shure they make a filler that will not gas out in heat i have done lead work but you may want to metal finsh them .with no filler . both are not for beginers and there is a higher skill level to do them. this the old way. not to many bondo jockeys can do this. meal finsh or lead work but eastwood sells stuff to do all 3 ways

You will need several things, some paste flux, some lead bars, an acid brush, wooden spoons dipped in parafin wax, and an acetylene torch. Propane and propylene are not acceptable as they cannot heat as quickly as acetylene so the heat will spread to surrounding areas and cause increased warpage. You can buy paste flux and thin lead bars at some hardware stores. If you were to buy a kit for filling with lead, it would come with special paddles for pushing the lead around while it is semi-solid, but wooden spoons dipped in parafin wax are much cheaper. To actually apply the lead, you must first tin the part. You apply the flux to the area to be soldered with the acid brush, then heat it with the torch. Pass the lead bar over the surface frequently and when it starts to flow onto the surface, spread it around until you have a thin film covering the entire surface to be soldered. Be very carful while doing this because you are very close to the temperatures at which the steel will start to melt. Once you have the surface "tinned" let it cool. Patience is you're biggest friend when using heat around sheet metal. Now that the surface is tinned, you can basically melt the bar of solder into the dent, then add a little heat to the dent to get the solder to stick. Use the wooden spoon to push it around and get the shape you want. The solder will maintain a butter like consistency as it cools some. If you are having difficulty getting it the way you want it, stop and let it cool. If you spend too much time in one place it will warp. Once you've got a big blob of solder layed out, take a file with a very open tooth (not quite a rasp) and start working the lead into its final shap. An open tooth file is a must because a smooth file will load up very quickly.

the file is called vexin file or body file .yes you must tin it first but watch the heat. it will not take a lot of heat with the rigth lead to tin mix this need s to be for auto work . about a 1/2 inch thick sticks of lead is what i like . to tin it .it will have to be. clean .clean .heat it up with a long neutral flame use tip, tip of the flame watch heat you will need a tining acid like tins tighter or rubies whipe this on with a rag now heat it up get it warm drag the lead stick were you put the acid now if it is hot the lead will start ot melt at this point to work the lead with a rag on steel wool now it all should have lead on it tined. add some more tinning acid heat up and add the lead push the lead in with a twist in to the panle and work the 1 inch from bottom of lead stick with the flame to this will help from heat warp with a lead paddle you can use tran fluid or wax all this said i do not think you should try this first on some thing good like i said it is not for the beginners

You've got to begin somehow and rocker panels seem like a good easy place to start. Go to your hardware store and buy a piece of 18ga sheet metal. Practice tinning on that.

old junk fender or door. some thing so he get his heat rigth and to know what the lead looks like just before it hits the floor

Check out Eastwood's, they have a filler that is compatible with powder coating. Never have tried it myself, but Eastwoods claims it works.

Hey Eileen,
This is a lot of work and money for a few small dings. Just like Pat, I would recommend just picking them out and using NO filler at all. A few hits with a body hammer and dollie and you could smooth them off with a sanding board or file. This is the way it should be done and it will be much easier then trying to learn leading and warping the whole panel with too much heat.
Practice on a scrap panel but this old steel is MUCH easier to work then the thin stuff they make today.
Just my opinion...
Mark

".........I need to smooth some small dings on my running boards before I can get them powdercoated and plastic filler won't survive the process......."

I went by my friends Powder Coat shop a couple of weeks ago to see how he was doing. He showed ne some of the filler he uses that is compatable with the process, and some parts he had done using the stuff (I was impressed).

I would sugest that you go by the place your planning on doing the coating and see what they recommend.

lead work is the old school method and I think when restoring older cars it should be used....even if you are not powder coating .......its almost forgotten among newer body shops cause of the ease in plastic fillers......I think practice on some junk metal and get the hang of it.....just like welding, practice makes perfect.....I have tried the lead method...I am not near good enough yet to perform decent work but I am still practicing......good luck and go for it....like said earlier, got to start somewhere.......

Not to rain on the parade ,but,who makes paint formulated to stick to lead,I was going to lead in all the body work on my truck,but then a wise autobody friend ,let me in on the secret of, no paint stickum to lead ,sooo i did not do it.

Originally posted by shawnlee28
Not to rain on the parade ,but,who makes paint formulated to stick to lead,I was going to lead in all the body work on my truck,but then a wise autobody friend ,let me in on the secret of, no paint stickum to lead ,sooo i did not do it.

paint had lead in it and it did not fall off ?? all my cars were done in lead and metal finsh were this could de done .the body work on my cars is from the 80s and never had to do much with it when i re paint them i would get it all done and finsh at out with very thin coat of body filler it is still on there. now do i think lead is the best ? no i do not. but it works well in some places were bondo will not. i like no filler at all and try to do this on all of my work this is faster for me when i work in the body shops i did not have to set and watch things dry and the work was better. as fare has thing not sicking to lead the lead is tined to the steel and plastic fill is not so the lead will not just fall off i have done leading on a off for 29 years. me and my sister would ride are bikes to the paint store and get it for my 34 ford truck . pant will not stick good to aluminum if you do not know how to prep it to so i do not think much about that the paint falls off lead

Hey Pat---I've already been yelled at once today, but "in for a penny, in for a pound"-----thats a vixen file, (as in female fox) not a vexin file. Yeah, I know---picky, picky,---picky.

Don't use lead. With all these new fillers, paints and primers, etc bondo is the best way to go. For the powder coated parts you will need to use a product called "Lab Metal" or a product just like it. Like someone mentioned I think Eastwood carry's this and there are a few other places as well. Some places might carry something similar but with a different name. Anything like this should be used and nothing else. Lead is too much of a hassle and no need to try and be "old school" and some would say when you can go the better and cheaper route. Should it would be nice to learn how to lay down lead but unless you have a lot of time and money it's not worth it. Make sure you spread the lab metal a few inches around the dents as well and get it as smooth as possible. When you spray your powder and cure it then it will come out like glass and ANY low spots will show up since powder coating flows into every crack, indention, spot, etc.
Good luck.

Oh and I am sure SprayTech (Darrell) will come in here and say the same thing about lead. Actually I think he told me once before not to use lead.... Someone on here did.