Repainting bashed bits!

[bastonjock]

Guess that you know best then Julyian,i only repair about 40 dents a month

[Ex- Member]

Guess that you know best then Julyian,i only repair about 40 dents a month

 

Well maybe not, I have been out the business for 20 years plus plus , so fillers now might be more capable. But back then all dents were knocked out, ground back with 40 grit grinder, filled smoothed and finished with 80 grit production until the dent gone, then off to the paint shop for priming and finishing. Which was 150 wet and dry repair area flat remaining panel 360 W&D 5 coat prime repaired area and fill where necessary with primer putty, rub down again 360 w & D spot prime, nick in then 3 primer light 400 wet w & D mask then to finishing booth.

 

Job done LOL

 

Seems a lot of hassle when today they're sucking dents out with a myrriad of wierd looking equipment without damaging the paint

 

But on our boat the above is what I would do to repair unless something easier was to come to my attention.

Edited March 21, 2009 by Julynian

[bastonjock]

The part about sucking dents out is a myth,there are some gadgets available that suck the dent out but they dont do a very good job,what you do these days its called paintless dent removal and it is an art form,a real craft if you can do it well,You push the dent out using stainless steel rods,you eye up the dent using the way that light is relected of to it, im okay at it but the guy who works for me is fantastic

 

The newest thing to hit the market is stick on paint,some bright person has found a way to put paint onto a clear film and then add an adhesive backing,this means that you could do a perfect "respray" in two days,its mainly going to be aimed at the crazy paint job brigade,this stuff comes in such delightfull to apply shades such as "Candy Red" if you have ever tried doing candy red you will know what i mean.

 

i was talking to an old boy the other day who used to use lead to do filler work

[Guest]

The part about sucking dents out is a myth,there are some gadgets available that suck the dent out but they dont do a very good job,what you do these days its called paintless dent removal and it is an art form,a real craft if you can do it well,You push the dent out using stainless steel rods,you eye up the dent using the way that light is relected of to it, im okay at it but the guy who works for me is fantastic

 

The newest thing to hit the market is stick on paint,some bright person has found a way to put paint onto a clear film and then add an adhesive backing,this means that you could do a perfect "respray" in two days,its mainly going to be aimed at the crazy paint job brigade,this stuff comes in such delightfull to apply shades such as "Candy Red" if you have ever tried doing candy red you will know what i mean.

 

i was talking to an old boy the other day who used to use lead to do filler work

My neighbour, now about eighty years old, can (could) lead fill car bodywork to an amazing standard. He claimed that filler such as P38 (he calls it "cocky") is for amateurs! That said I have seen him use P38 when he used to do weekend repairs, largely for speed.

[Ex- Member]

i was talking to an old boy the other day who used to use lead to do filler work

 

This lead procedure had just come to an end in the body shop I trained in in Bath 1976 one of the panelbeaters had restored an E Type jag using all lead method, it is quite a skill though and quite time consuming. I reckon this an excellent solution for pitting in narrowboats IMO anyone out there skilled in this method could be on a good earner for this type application.

 

Thing is Plastic padding is so quick and labour so expensive it's a no brainer for use in the industry. I've repaired a multitude of stuff with plastic padding, even old wood framed windows, this stuff holds up pretty well though and if applied to a car will usually last the car's lifetime if not shunted in the same place again.

 

Stick on paint sounds good too LOL

[steelaway]

There's nothing wrong with car body filler on a boat, it will adhere the same to boat steel as it would to car. Nearly every boat on the canal will have body filler somewhere, boatbuilders use it to take out imperfections prior to priming. All the weld seams on the upper shell sides will have been ground back and filled with body filler, that's what it'r designed for, otherwise weld marks would be visible.

 

I have never sudggested it under the waterline, but under the gunwale above the water line is no different than elsewhere.

 

 

Hi

 

There is not one ounce of body filler on my boat!

Soar Valley Steel Boats (and most quality boat builders) pride them selves on not using any filler - any where.

They polished joints to perfection and would rather re-weld a joint than cover a bad weld with filler.

I would challenge any one to find the joints on my boats sides or roof .... and there are no ripples

 

Alex

[Ex- Member]

Hi

 

There is not one ounce of body filler on my boat!

Soar Valley Steel Boats (and most quality boat builders) pride them selves on not using any filler - any where.

They polished joints to perfection and would rather re-weld a joint than cover a bad weld with filler.

I would challenge any one to find the joints on my boats sides or roof .... and there are no ripples

 

Alex

 

 

Nearly every boat on the canal will have body filler somewhere

 

As I said, I appreciate there will be a few exceptions, ours might even be one LOL

 

Some boat builders we visited where excessive use of filler had been used were easy to illiminate as our boat builder. Most boat yards we visited filler was either in use or tins of it available to use.

 

Usually along the way during a build something will get gouged or dented and these might well be repaired with filler. I have to say I don't recall seeing any filler on ours but didn't see the boat immediately prior to priming but saw it being sanded back with grinder and DA and no filler visible then. I have rubbed down the roof and found no filler or traces of filler as filled patches will show through primer and you can also spot the pin holes from filled patches. When I get to the sides I'll check to see whether filler was used on ours. I would be surprised if it hadn't somewhere. Even so this wouldn't bother me, filler is perfectly adequate for use on a boat as long as applied correctly.

 

My point is that using filler for ongoing repairs of gouges or small dents is not detrimemtal and can adequately suffice as a quality long term repair if done properly.

[steelaway]

As I said, I appreciate there will be a few exceptions, ours might even be one LOL

 

Some boat builders we visited where excessive use of filler had been used were easy to illiminate as our boat builder. Most boat yards we visited filler was either in use or tins of it available to use.

 

Usually along the way during a build something will get gouged or dented and these might well be repaired with filler. I have to say I don't recall seeing any filler on ours but didn't see the boat immediately prior to priming but saw it being sanded back with grinder and DA and no filler visible then. I have rubbed down the roof and found no filler or traces of filler as filled patches will show through primer and you can also spot the pin holes from filled patches. When I get to the sides I'll check to see whether filler was used on ours. I would be surprised if it hadn't somewhere. Even so this wouldn't bother me, filler is perfectly adequate for use on a boat as long as applied correctly.

 

My point is that using filler for ongoing repairs of gouges or small dents is not detrimemtal and can adequately suffice as a quality long term repair if done properly.

 

 

OK ! Are we still pals?

 

Alex

[Ex- Member]

OK ! Are we still pals?

 

Alex

 

 

I never thought we weren't LOL

[ditchcrawler]

This lead procedure had just come to an end in the body shop I trained in in Bath 1976 one of the panelbeaters had restored an E Type jag using all lead method, it is quite a skill though and quite time consuming. I reckon this an excellent solution for pitting in narrowboats IMO anyone out there skilled in this method could be on a good earner for this type application.

 

Thing is Plastic padding is so quick and labour so expensive it's a no brainer for use in the industry. I've repaired a multitude of stuff with plastic padding, even old wood framed windows, this stuff holds up pretty well though and if applied to a car will usually last the car's lifetime if not shunted in the same place again.

 

Stick on paint sounds good too LOL

So what about the dissimilar metals, lead on steel in water?

[Ex- Member]

So what about the dissimilar metals, lead on steel in water?

 

 

Well there's clearly a technique for adhearing lead to steel, although recalling a chat with the guy who did lead filling I recall it's not actually lead but more of a solder. Probably a high content of lead though.

 

not sure how it would be from the environmental perspective though, but if filled with lead, or solder it would be covered and sealed with bitumen or epoxy coating.

[kayDee]

Thanks for everyone's additional help on this. As I said, they're not scratches actually into the metal and have not deformed the shape or anything, its just the slight difference in level with losing all those layers of paint.

Will update when I've got some of those blocks and tried out a few ideas suggested on here!

Kay

x

[RLWP]

Hi Kay,

 

could you post a picture of the damage on your boat? That way you may get a more focussed set of advice.

 

Richard

[kayDee]

Hi Kay,

 

could you post a picture of the damage on your boat? That way you may get a more focussed set of advice.

 

Richard

 

Will do Richard - thanks...

Kay

x

[limjamrace]

Why not try decorators Caulking as opposed to time consuming filler.

Comes in a mastic type tube dispenser for a mastic type gun ,and as it ouses out you can smear over with a wet cloth/sponge/fingers!

For oil based paints it has to go off just like "filler",like touch dry and for a boat will clear that step in paint levels quite satisfactory.

I use it to cover my welding on competition motor vehicles and makes it surprisingly neat!

David L.

[AlanH]

Me too.

I cant believe some people are actually using car body filler on a steel boat - especially below the gunnels

Its not a car ............ and it's continually going to get scratched in locks and moorings.

 

Alex

Me too. Life's too short to attampt to keep a boat pristine if its used at all.