Overheard a guy at the shop saying filler is for hacks

Had this older repairer at a shop I sub for in Denver telling me that using body filler means you screwed up the metal work. Told him I used about 3 pounds on a quarter panel last week and he just walked away shaking his head. Anyone else run into these old school purists who hate filler?

2 comments

2 Comments

jake19113d ago

I read something online from this old body man who said if you can hold a quarter to the panel and see daylight you're not done hammering yet. He was all about using lead instead of filler too which is crazy toxic if you ask me. I get that nobody wants a 1/4 inch thick glaze over bad work but a skim coat to smooth out a few low spots is just how the real world works.

joseph_coleman13d ago

@jake191 that quarter trick is a nice parlor game but not how real collision work gets done. You're right about lead being nasty stuff. I'd rather breathe dust from a little filler than melt lead all day. The guy who walked away from you sounds like the same type who thinks MIG welders are cheating because real men use gas torches. A 3 pound bondo job on a quarter panel might mean you skipped some hammer work but it also might mean the customer didn't want to pay for three hours of metal finishing. There's a middle ground between mud slinging and metal perfection. Sometimes filler makes the difference between a job that fits the insurance estimate and one that sits in the shop for a week.