Why use automotive putty??

[Bill Wilcox]

I was watching a video on YouTube of David marks. He was turning a hollow vessel and the base was out of polar. He added a top piece and a turned segmented ring. He was in the process of hollowing this vase and was telling how he was adding automotive putty to the poplar in layers. This piece was to be shown at the 2010 symposium.
The piece was spectacular with his patina and "scrafito" (sp.?)embellishments.
My question is: Why would someone use automotive putty ( bondo) to the base of a turning like that? I know he is a busy man however I did email him with that question but no reply.
Thanks,
Bill Wilcox

[Michael James]

I cant speak for D Marks, but bondo has been a mainstay in furniture repair and resoration, probaby since it was invented. I watched a boss of mine replace a corner piece broken off a table top, with a chickenwire form and bondo. It was a black lacquer finish and was basically flawless. Also you can "paint" wood grains for amazing repairs if you can't or dont want to replace the area. Just my thougts

[John Hart]

All I can think of is that it is strong and won't gum up your sandpaper like epoxy. Or maybe it's consistancy? Easy to apply or something.

Makes me want to try it out on my next composite piece.

[Bill Wilcox]

Thanks guys. I am not sure either but it sounded different so I thought I would ask. Here is the video that shows the bondo.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Um789LA6is8

and here,


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWkh7XIM7oQ


Thanks,
Bill

[Bill Wilcox]

Well I finally figured out why David Marks is using the bondo in his turnings. Upon watching the videos of him turning I see that his Poplar base is composed of 3 pieces and his center base is turned so as to use a face plate. The use of bondo is so he doesn't have any glue line in his final work and he can then sand to his desired dimensions. Pretty neat idea. I need to file this away for further use.
However one question still evades me is to why he has 3 pieces in his lower section. Any ideas?? I was figuring that it is so he doesn't have any end grain to deal with.
Thanks, Bill Wilcox

[John Hart]

Well...my take on this is that, first, he's using bondo on the poplar to provide a perfect base for his copper leaf.

The reason for the 3 layers of poplar, I can only speculate, but you could be right....since he doesn't care what it looks like on the outside, he's making the 14" reach easier by making it all facegrain.

But then again....He doesn't need to make it easier...because he is a god. So...another speculation could be that he will actually add stability to the form by layering the poplar...and alternating the grain direction.

[Bill Wilcox]

Well...my take on this is that, first, he's using bondo on the poplar to provide a perfect base for his copper leaf.

The reason for the 3 layers of poplar, I can only speculate, but you could be right....since he doesn't care what it looks like on the outside, he's making the 14" reach easier by making it all facegrain.

But then again....He doesn't need to make it easier...because he is a god. So...another speculation could be that he will actually add stability to the form by layering the poplar...and alternating the grain direction.

very good point. thanks

[Robert McGowen]

The use of bondo is so he doesn't have any glue line in his final work and he can then sand to his desired dimensions.


He will not have any glue line one way or the other as the base will be covered with metal.



However one question still evades me is to why he has 3 pieces in his lower section. Any ideas?? I was figuring that it is so he doesn't have any end grain to deal with.


He is using kiln dried wood for stability. You probably can not get kiln dried wood as large as he needed for the base. He simply laminated 3 pieces together to get the size that he needed.



another speculation could be that he will actually add stability to the form by layering the poplar...and alternating the grain direction.

It would be much more stable if it was laminated face grain to face grain, which is the way that he has it. Also, if he alternated the grain direction, then the middle piece would be showing all end grain, which it is not, and would be a pain to turn.


.....using bondo on the poplar to provide a perfect base for his copper leaf.


I think that this is correct and that there really isn't any mystery about the base at all.

Retired, bored, and giving opinions! :)

[David DeCristoforo]

Bondo is your friend. There is no better filler to use under paint or "faux" finishes. I'm sure it was invented for this use and then someone discovered that it worked pretty good on cars too...

[Jeff Nicol]

Bill, The stuff he is using is glazing putty, which is a very thick basically primer. It is used to fill in small imperfections on the car after the primer has been applied and sanded back to show low spots etc. It comes in a tube and is very easy to apply and sands very quickly. It is not as hard as the true "BONDO" which is good for filling big holes, while the glazing putty is for smothing and is easier to build up for a flawless surface to apply the copper sheet.

You will find lots of things transfer over to woodturning!

Jeff

[Chris Haas]

we use bondo on almost all of our paint grade flush joints just because it wount shrink or crack over time, plus, it is a chemical dry, so you dont have to wait for an hour before sanding. after all, time is money right.