It doesn't specifically reguire 3 days, however, plastic body filler was invented for the body shop industry. Fill, spray, out the door. Who cares what it looks like in a week, let alone a year.   There is a reason I still use lead for some repairs...

Etching primer has an acid base. It "eats" into the substrate. I have had excellent results with Plasti-kote brand, part number 470 grey. I get it at Pep Boys. You can get similar from Autozone, Schucks (aw shucks, we ain't got it) part of the Checker/Schucks/Kragen parts empire, and where you are, GI Joes. Pep Boys carries Plasti-kote, the others carry Dupli-color. Same idea. Next? Glad to help, I love doing body and paint.
-WD

those new plastic paints are good.... but painting plastic is age old technology. Well... not that old but old enough to be perfected.

The problem with those paints is your limited by color selection they make them in. And they make no metalics in those and they are VERY limited. But  they do work because they incorporate chemicals in them that have long been used in body work on plastics.

Painting plastic parts in body work with matching paints has been done for years. One product I use with regularity and great sucsess is called "Bulldog". It's a plastic adheasion promoter and elastisizer that you spray on first and let flash off and then you proceed as normal with your base and clear coat. You can see that T5 I did. It has mucho plastic parts up on the headset. All done in the very same Metalic flake black and clear coat.

Its been used for years on bumpers and plastic trim on cars...etc...  Simple and easy to do. The stuff works great. A quart lasts forever. It has to be sprayed at a lower pressure than paint. About 30psi but it covers well and flashes off in less than 30 minutes and is ready for color then.

Not maybe what it sounds like.... No fire involved unless of course you are into that kinda thing!  

Just dry fast. Wait till its a bit past tacky stage is all it means. And dependent upon weather, temp and humidity that is going to vary. Basicaly its dry but not really worried about if it's cured all the way in this case for this product.

Note: you still want to scuff pad the plastic parts before you apply this but do not scuff pad this before you apply the Primer/Paint.

I buy this stuff in a Quart because it comes out cheaper. But it does come in a rattle can as well

cphilip wrote on 12/31/69 at 16:00:04:


Okay.  That's kinda what I quessed.  I figured that is was close to being "dry".

BTW - I also scuffed the clear coat on my engine cases before I applied the ceramic engine paint.  That plus actually baking the paint, made it very tough.

Lookin good Greg.

Is that your name thing you got taped off up there?  

More Bondo on the floor aint such a bad thing. Its like sex... better too much than too little!

Paladin. wrote on 12/31/69 at 16:00:04:


Thanks.  It was tough and I challenged myself more than I thought to do the job....tomorrow I will wet sand and paint some more.

From now on I have more respect for the guys that do this stuff on custom bikes to be sure.  It takes a lot of "feel" to do it....you gotta look at it from all kinds of angles, and your fingers have to be real accurate.  You got to just sense shape and it isn't easy.

Not sure if I've done it well enough, yet.  If I don't like it, I'll redo.  Tomorrow I wet sand and repaint.  That will tell.

Greg, here's another little "trade secret" to make sure your putty work is acceptable and ready for paint.  Ask your wife for a hand sized piece of nylon stocking material. Put it on your hand like a mitten, rubber band it over yor wrist. Place that hand over the piece you want to inspect. Close your eyes and rub your hand over the panel or spot repair. The nylon lets your hand "slip/glide" without getting skin oils all over the part. By closing your eyes, you feel blemishes that your eyes would cause your hand to miss. Trust me, it works.

As far as Bondo dust goes, 90% or more of the wet putty put on had better wind up on the floor as dust. Body fillers, even the newer formulations, are for less than 1/16th inch, preferably less than 1/64th inch, skim repairs. They work in thicker layers, but are more fragile. Polyester and talcum powder with red or other dye to show consistency. Think contaminated fiberglass resin, without the glass reinforcing strands.

If the green sections don't transition well, instead of sanding your name off, mask them only. Cut out the tape around them and give the entire green section a pass or two. Clear it, pop the tape off, clear it again. No biggie, just a few extra steps. The way it is raining a couple hours north of you, I hope you painted the parts in the house. I watch the Portland news, you've been getting wet too. Come summer, the paint may try to "gray out". Bomb can paints and humidity do not get along very well. At the very least, cure the paint in the front room, not the garage. Saves alot of grief later inthe year.
-WD