Red Lead - Still Used?

One time, some of those guys at Orange County Choppers, they decided to apply some sort of fiberglass goop from a can on to a motorcycle steel seat.Then they changed their minds.They had to beat that fiberglass stuff off of there with hammers.That was some tough stuff.I think J - B Weld would do ok for small spots/repairs.About ten years ago, I was using some J - B Weld for something.I had a tiny dab of J - B Weld left over on a screwdriver, I put it on the outside top of the tail pipe on my 1978 Dodge van.That little dab of J - B Weld I put on there is still there, just as good as new. My 1983 Dodge van I bought over a year ago, the inside engine cover hood was broken in six pieces.I put them back together with J - B Weld.Then I sanded the area nice and smooth, then I painted it with a few spray cans of paint.I think it will last a long, long time. cuhulin

I was taught to only put it on with a razor blade or thick squeegee to fill very minor imperfections like sanding scratches and to use filler for anything that was actually "filling", so I doubt mine did much cracking, but your experience is noted!

Still, I wonder about the use of bondo type fillers. Do you put them on with a razor blade when you are down to some minor sanding scratches, or do you just fill with sandable primer until they're smooth?

I picked up some bulk lead a while back for another project. The price has become rediculous. I understand our conflicts abroad have resulted in much lead being turned into ammo never to be returned to the system. Ammo is also in a bit of a shortfall these days with an accompaning high price when available.

As far as the red lead goes, IIRC, all paint containing lead was banned by the Federalis in the late 60's or early 70's. It was good stuff for it's day but modern paints, fillers and coatings properly applied are far superior for metal protection.

Lugnut

Ford used over 30 types of paint to paint the Model T Ford cars.The final top coat of paint over the black paint was a deep dark purple paint.It didn't take long for that purple paint to fade to black. cuhulin

It is getting to the point where lead is being eliminated from most everything. Even wheel weights and ammo are starting to go lead free. I have been grabbing all the wheel weights I can just so I have something to use in the future.

Well sort of. Lead pigmented paint is illegal for the average homeowner to get. BUT industrial and military can both get is easy enough. We used some in the old shop and I have painted a LOT of it on ships... Some modern paint is good stuff. Some is real crap...

me wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

I've seen *actual* lead used to smooth out shape on cars. Much better way IMHO. The best way short of an English wheel and honest sweat. I had to wiki red lead. It *does* contain lead actually. It's a compound *of* lead.

Lead work is a dying art. Very few of us that still use it. English wheel, shot bag and hammer work are all becoming lost arts. The current trend is to slather a coat of bondo on and sanding it out. I still have all my picks and slappers in the box and use them if I need them.

Lead and Tin mix, I think it was.It was used in auto body work.I forget what the mix ratio was.I think there were at least two different mix/mixture ratios.Auto factorys used a lot of back in the old days/years. cuhulin

"Steve W." wrote in news:hqi179$2j6$ snipped-for-privacy@speranza.aioe.org:

Good man. Keep it up and you'll put Peter Klut out of business

Well, sure! Great as a top layer if I did a less than perfect body- filler job, or filling small dimples and gouges that fall between the realms of filler and high-build primer. Used some just today. It'll be ready to wet-sand, let dry, and prime tomorrow. I've used it to finish off a hole in a hollow interior door (destined for a fairly dark and opaque stain) as well, and that sort of thing.

Perhaps it's a generational thing, but I myself have never used lead, reaching instead for Bondo or reinforced fillers as step one. Pulling or welding/brazing to minimize a deep dent, and doing what you can behind the scenes to prevent flexing of the panel in service, is important as "step zero" no matter what filler you're using, of course. As various websites on the subject point out, any filler is superficial stuff, limited in depth compared to properly shaped and reinforced sheet metal of adequate gauge, and the more it just sits there without anything near structural levels of tension, compression, or torsion, the happier it (and the paint job above it) will be. See for instance

--Joe

Nice article for us lightweights. Thanks.