Bondo Removal

[SoCal Zo (.)(.)]

Has anyone tried heating up Bondo with a heatgun or butane torch then scraping it of once its soft with a putty knife? I've read about it online, but just wanted to know if anyone has had any success with it.

[dads_69]

No, thats how you get bondo to dry while waiting to sand it, not remove it. IMO, heating it up only causes it to crack later on, some guys do it, but I don't.

[69charger440]

i have done it. it doesnt work that well. Just take your time with it and sand it off. Good luck!

[JimShine]

I like those 3M abrasive wheels. It isn't a wire wheel, but an abrasive material that looks like hard sponge. It rips right through the bondo. I use the sofeter version so it doesn't put dips in the metal.

[69charger440]

Just be careful, I did it on my cuda, and it was a mess! Once you get closer the the metal take you time!

[Troy]

Has anyone tried heating up Bondo with a heatgun or butane torch then scraping it of once its soft with a putty knife? I've read about it online, but just wanted to know if anyone has had any success with it.

Yes, it works rather well. Thin Bondo will peel right off but the thick stuff just softens. I use a propane torch but be careful! DropTop told me once that when (not if) it catches on fire not to breathe the smoke.

Recently I started using a knotted wire wheel on my grinder and it is by far the fastest method of Bondo and paint remover that I've used yet. If you have a light touch you won't even leave marks in the metal. Be sure to wear a mask! It's a good idea NOT to do it in the garage with your clean, shiny, other cars.

My favorite before that was the 3M Clean-n-strip pads but they tend to wear out quicker and also sand the surface below. Aircraft stripper will also do a fair job of removing thinner spots of Bondo but just makes the thicker stuff messy. It works great if you're already using it to remove paint because you can scrape the paint off and over onto the Bondo so you get double the work out of it.

Troy

[Mike DC]

 
Another vote for the plastic "sponge" wheels that Jim Shine mentioned. 


They start getting expensive if you've got a lot of car to do, but I think it's usually worth it.  Good results cost good money.  (And if the area is too big then you should probably have been media-blasting it clean anyway.)

[chargercalvin]

if u r trying to remove old bondo use tal-strip or airplane piant stripper. it wont hurt the metal and its cheap. a thin layer will turn a third of an inch of bondo from hard to as soft as sponge cake in about two minutes. than just scrape it off with a paint scraper or bondo spreader. easy no hastle way to get rid of unwanted bondo, be careful not to get the stuff on ur hands though it burns like crazy. u can get it at walmart or advanced 4 about 7 bucks.
-calvin

[jerry]

wire wheel on 4 1/2 " grinder. fastest easiest way there is.

[poppa]

I was going to use an ax on mine but decided to replace the panel....