as title says, when did they switch to blue hardener? just bought a can of real bondo, usually buy generic branded. fist time I've had a can of bondo in maybe 3 or 4 years .
when did Bondo switch to blue hardener ?
- Thread starter The Cobbler
- Start date
OP
wow, I think it was always red here, even up to 3 or 4 years ago
Firebrick43
Well-known member
3M has a sister brand dynatron, that is blue. Its the same as the red except the color. Its undoubtedly made in the same plant, just different color/can. Maybe the shipment of chinese red didn't come in and they are using a patriot blue color in place of it.
ZRX61
Well-known member
Autobody stores will sell you red, blue or clear (white) I always use blue with Rage Gold.
TractorJeff
Well-known member
I was told many years ago the color is so that you tell its thoroughly mixed? I would hate to have a soft spot in a Bondo job because of poor hardener distribution!
240sxguy
Well-known member
That's awesome news. I'm red green colorblind and always struggled to tell if I had it mixed adequately.
Metal-Marc
Well-known member
They switched to the blue hardener when they ran out of the red hardener.
Zeke
Well-known member
You could have always added a little universal color pigment, black or blue. I color grey filler with raw sienna and use red catalyst. That way when I repair new wood, it's the color of pine, fir or red oak.
slowtwitch73
Well-known member
I too remember it being red, but the stuff I bought to use on our house this summer is blue.
I bought some other 'bondo' at Ace that had hardener the same color as the putty and it is a pita to mix.
I bought some other 'bondo' at Ace that had hardener the same color as the putty and it is a pita to mix.
Bill Bowman
Well-known member
As mentioned, in the past, the red hardener (in past days) would "bleed" and show up on the surface of the clear. Typically, it was a yellow bleed through at the repair area. PIA
rayra
Well-known member
It doesn't bleed through in the way most people understand that word-concept. It's just tougher to hide stuff in that color spectrum. Takes more work / $.
K13
Well-known member
So much misinformation.
Staining has nothing to do with the color of the hardener. There are two reasons for staining, under and over catalyzing filler.
One, (amine stain) is caused because the chemical reaction of curing body filler produces a photo reactive chemical that would migrate to the surface of the paint with the solvents of the the paint. If not enough hardener is used it doesn't fully cure this chemical. If it is able to make it all the way to the clear then UV rays will turn that chemical yellow. It could take months depending on how good the UV protection the clear provided.
The second (bleaching) was a result of using too much hardener when mixing. The extra benzoyl peroxide that was not consumed in the chemical reaction would also make its way to the surface with the escaping solvents and bleach the color out of the pigments in the paint.
Quality fillers now use high quality resins that are designed to resist staining. Cheap ones do not so you can still get staining.
Staining has nothing to do with the color of the hardener. There are two reasons for staining, under and over catalyzing filler.
One, (amine stain) is caused because the chemical reaction of curing body filler produces a photo reactive chemical that would migrate to the surface of the paint with the solvents of the the paint. If not enough hardener is used it doesn't fully cure this chemical. If it is able to make it all the way to the clear then UV rays will turn that chemical yellow. It could take months depending on how good the UV protection the clear provided.
The second (bleaching) was a result of using too much hardener when mixing. The extra benzoyl peroxide that was not consumed in the chemical reaction would also make its way to the surface with the escaping solvents and bleach the color out of the pigments in the paint.
Quality fillers now use high quality resins that are designed to resist staining. Cheap ones do not so you can still get staining.
CraigStu
Well-known member
This is my experience. it's been 20+ years but I was taught alternate color for each application of another layer. I have to admit though, since I was nothing but a rookie, I had trouble because my 3rd coat was back to the original color. Guys who knew what they were doing rarely had a 3rd coat.
My preferred methong was to give the panel a coat of primer/sealer right before paint and give it a light sanding trying not to sand through. That way the base is all one color.
AK 99
Active member
Body filler, plastic filler, etc. I've always called it "mud".
Metal-Marc
Well-known member
Mud is for drywall.
AK 99
Active member
It's also for wet dirt.
Seriously though, it's a location thing. Where I grew up, it was usually called "mud" or "bondo".
Do you feel the same way when someone says Tylenol or Motrin....?? lol
We called it mud too.
Nope... Bondo bothers me for some reason.
Zeke
Well-known member
"Bondo" comes in different grades. The stuff in the box stores is unacceptable for auto body work. It won't feather. I use fillers all the time.
Agreed. I use RAGE Gold.
Semantics maybe. But Bondo is a trade name for an (IMO) a substandard body filler. Lots of better ones out there. Rage gold mentioned above is one. I use red or blue interchangeably. No difference in performance. Some brands come with d9 fferent colors depending on some random thing, location purchased? day of the week? darned if I know but they do. All of them find a home on my little mixing cart and I just grab the first one I see. Bondo, brand X, glaze etc, they all work.
AK 99
Active member
Same here, I have been sent either red our blue hardener with a can of filler. There doesn't seem to be any ryme or reason to it. Except for the USC Duraglass that I get on occasion, it always comes with white hardener.
I think we can all agree that the Bondo brand of filler is ****.