Body solder?

In several locations on my truck I have welded in a line. The resulting patch is puckered from the weld, and heating/quenching, slide hammering, and the like only gets so far. The result is still a bit wavier than I would like when starting a thin layer of good filler.

So...

Solder?

Glass filled filler?

Anything else?

I am willing to try either one, and they seem to half reasonable success either way, and the cost isn't even that different.

Which one is the right choice and why?

lead

Lead is probably the superior choice, but learning how to use it is probably going to end up a project in itself.

I have nothing to add except I keep reading the thread title as "Baby Soldier". That is all.

I would stay away from lead with all the little tunalings around. I wouldn't want to create an environment with lead dust and children.

I think everyone recommending lead understands that we are talking about lead free body solder. No worries about lead poisoning. I wouldn't go there.

Are you sure you can't get it any closer with a hammer and dolly? If spend more time hammering, then use a quality polyester filler.

In reply to Tom Suddard:

Yes. I don't have a super fancy body slide hammer stud welder deal though, just a home made jobber.

Hammer and dolly is largely useless because these are double wall cavities like the b pillar. No way to get to the backside.

There is a reason bodyshops don't use lead anymore. Its because plastic fillers are so much better, faster and easier.

You can still buy lead kits from Eastwood. I have one in my garage. I use Bondo now.

tuna55 wrote: I think everyone recommending lead understands that we are talking about lead free body solder. No worries about lead poisoning. I wouldn't go there.

In that case, just use a good glass filled filler.

Streetwiseguy wrote: There is a reason bodyshops don't use lead anymore. Its because plastic fillers are so much better, faster and easier. You can still buy lead kits from Eastwood. I have one in my garage. I use Bondo now.

But I can't (shouldn't) build up 1/4" worth of plastic filler whereas I can with solder

Kenny_McCormic wrote:

tuna55 wrote: I think everyone recommending lead understands that we are talking about lead free body solder. No worries about lead poisoning. I wouldn't go there.

In that case, just use a good glass filled filler.

Lead free makes enough of a difference that you'd not use the new solder?

Known as "Kitty Hair". Glass reinforced filler. It is made for this. I have also used "All Metal" a silver metal filled filler. Unless you plan on showing the truck in a polished bare metal state, I suggest you are over-thinking this one seam.

The only caveat is if the leading edge of the door opening is going to get built up with filler; then you have a possibility of chipping any filler over 1/16".

Todays paints have a hard time sticking to lead as there lead free them selves now. The vintage repair shop guy I know hates to but he melts out lead and uses bondo so he has less comebacks of blistering paint down the road.

Yep, true. Also, lead isn't really a replacement for reinforced filler—it's more of a standard filler replacement.

Use duraglass (I think that's what it's called) then top it with a skim coat of bondo. That will be strong and smooth.

Kitty hair is the cat's you-know-what. Years ago, I chipped off the top corner of the trailing edge of the driver's door of my most-cherished Corvette. Learned a valuable lesson about backing up at a gas pump with the door slightly open - caught a bollard. A skilled body guy I knew said it was no problem. A few days later the car was back and the repair was literally invisible. No paint line, no nothing (he only painted the repair, not the door itself, probably did it with a small brush. Give the glass-reinforced filler a whack and tell us how it goes.

I'm looking at less-than-perfect door/fender gaps on a TR6 body shell that are not so bad as to weld in 1/8" rod. We're talking less than 1/16", but I still hate to idea of using bondo on a door/fender edge. I was thinking about trying the lead-free metal fillers, but am also worried about the skill level involved and whether they will bond well. I'll look into the kitty hair stuff the that and some other issues.

I've used All Metal extensively. Great stuff and I've never had it crack or blister. A bitch to sand, though.

Basil Exposition wrote: I've used All Metal extensively. Great stuff and I've never had it crack or blister. A bitch to sand, though.

The trick is to sand it when it's mostly, but not all the way cured. You'll go through sandpaper like nobody's business, but you'll actually be able to make progress shaving it down vs. after-cure.

Another idea would be to take a strip of cloth from a fiberglass repair kit and use it to build it up before filler.