3M Platinum Body filler
- Thread starter keith
- Start date
rusty428cj
Rusty Gillis
I have been using 3m Platinum a long time before they bought it from Marsons
Chad.S
Oldtimer
I have been going through different fillers like crazy lately, ,I have been a platinum user for quite some time, but lately I have been looking for something different. I feel like platinum has been changing, It's still one of the best out there but it just seems different, I have been getting more pin holes with it lately than what I did in the past.. I gave the new 3m select recently and I really liked that as well, then the automotive art fillers, their platinum is pretty good. Then recently I tried the rage ultra and ultra extra.. Everybody in the shop now prefers the ultra and ultra extra.
The ultra extra has a very long work time. You can spread it for over a half hour, it's a very slow drying filler.. The regular ultra is fairly quick drying. You can mix the two to get the dry time you want and that works really well for doing a full car. I noticed we have been getting less pinholes, and it seems to sand better.
If you are doing a large panel, mix them half and half. You get a good work time, but there is that sweet spot with filler where it sands easy.. This window is drastically extended when you mix the two. I can sand a full fender and the filler will still sand really easy. after about a half hour of sanding it starts to set up really well.
WARNING: We had a few batches not cure.. Event left it sit over night. What I found out is that if you use a different hardener than what comes with it, it may not cure.. the ones that come with them seem to be stronger. I think we scraped it off of 3 sections before we realized what was going on.. I even talked to the FE rep and the first question he asked "did you use a different brand of hardener" My answer was yes.. I'm not use to having all of these different filler hardeners.
Automotive Art for instance, has it's own hardener. with their line you only use about half of the hardener, if you use to much it will spread weird and start setting up really fast.
I have always had bulk hardeners in my store because you could use them in anything I carried. Well apparently things are changing and you can't do that anymore.
The ultra extra has a very long work time. You can spread it for over a half hour, it's a very slow drying filler.. The regular ultra is fairly quick drying. You can mix the two to get the dry time you want and that works really well for doing a full car. I noticed we have been getting less pinholes, and it seems to sand better.
If you are doing a large panel, mix them half and half. You get a good work time, but there is that sweet spot with filler where it sands easy.. This window is drastically extended when you mix the two. I can sand a full fender and the filler will still sand really easy. after about a half hour of sanding it starts to set up really well.
WARNING: We had a few batches not cure.. Event left it sit over night. What I found out is that if you use a different hardener than what comes with it, it may not cure.. the ones that come with them seem to be stronger. I think we scraped it off of 3 sections before we realized what was going on.. I even talked to the FE rep and the first question he asked "did you use a different brand of hardener" My answer was yes.. I'm not use to having all of these different filler hardeners.
Automotive Art for instance, has it's own hardener. with their line you only use about half of the hardener, if you use to much it will spread weird and start setting up really fast.
I have always had bulk hardeners in my store because you could use them in anything I carried. Well apparently things are changing and you can't do that anymore.
Chad.S
Oldtimer
elwood;n85340 said:
3m Platinum, 3m Select, Automotive Art platinum, and Rage ultra all have these characteristics. It seems that some of these newer high end thin fillers are what people are going to now. So all companies seem to be coming out with something that allows them to compete.
anotheridiot
Member
I got one of the 3M Bondo guns off ebay from a pawn shop for 80.00. Cartridges are pretty expensive, but considering what I usually waste, it can be pretty close. More pinholes in the cans are a reason to push the vacuum sealed cartridges IMO
John Long
Member
Just barely got my body filler on the frame within my 7 day window. I primed it on Thursday.
It is time to knock this thing down with some 80 grit and 180 and get it primed again. It appears to me it is going to work out very nicely.
John
BTW, I had an almost full gallon of Rage Gold but had heard so many people bragging on the Rage Ultra, I ordered a gallon, 8/10s anyway.
You can see in the above picture the difference in the Gold and Ultra. The interesting thing people were saying is that the Ultra does not skim and sands easier than the gold. After doing a side by side comparison on this chassis, I can attest to the fact that the Ultra works much easier in all respects than the Gold. It spreads, sands, and does not develop the skim on the suface like the Gold. It is an excellent product.
49 dollars from Amazon for the Ultra with free shipping. You professionals can probably beat that but I don't belive it is much higher than the Gold.
John
It is time to knock this thing down with some 80 grit and 180 and get it primed again. It appears to me it is going to work out very nicely.
John
BTW, I had an almost full gallon of Rage Gold but had heard so many people bragging on the Rage Ultra, I ordered a gallon, 8/10s anyway.
You can see in the above picture the difference in the Gold and Ultra. The interesting thing people were saying is that the Ultra does not skim and sands easier than the gold. After doing a side by side comparison on this chassis, I can attest to the fact that the Ultra works much easier in all respects than the Gold. It spreads, sands, and does not develop the skim on the suface like the Gold. It is an excellent product.
49 dollars from Amazon for the Ultra with free shipping. You professionals can probably beat that but I don't belive it is much higher than the Gold.
John
anotheridiot
Member
Jim C;n85362 said:
maybe to you, but buying one was a 500.00 range.
Jim C
Oldtimer
yeah i guess maybe they were selling them at some point. when they came out, for the first couple years or so i think the deal was you buy a box of filler cartridges and you get the gun for free. i have actually never heard of someone buying it BUT that was also a long time ago. that ship prob sailed some years back. i had one here and never used it. i can see it being good for a prod shop for going around a car fixing a ton of dings but for resto work no way.
C
chevy_power427
Evercoat has some filler in cartriges that can be used in any caulking gun, had a few samples at the dealership back then, wasn't too crazy about it. The price of the filler cartridge plus the disposable tips makes it expensive. They had a tip that didn't mix the products together and could be reused, but still not worth it. They ended up being used by the painters to mix small amounts when pinholes and deep scratches were left behind by the bodymen.