Bondo is a

polyester Polyester is a category of polymers that contain one or two ester linkages in every repeat unit of their main chain. As a specific material, it most commonly refers to a type called polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Polyesters include some natura ...

putty PuTTY () is a free and open-source terminal emulator, serial console and network file transfer application. It supports several network protocols, including SCP, SSH, Telnet, rlogin, and raw socket connection. It can also connect to a se ...

product originally marketed as an automotive body filler. Nowadays the brand name is used by 3M for a line of American-made products for automotive, marine and household repairs. The term ''Bondo'' is trademarked by 3M, but is commonly used to refer to any brand of automotive repair putty due to its popularity. It is also used by

sculptors Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable ...

History

Before the 1950s, body solder was often used to repair large imperfections prior to painting in both new cars and vehicle repair shops.

Solder Solder (; North American English, NA: ) is a fusible alloy, fusible metal alloy used to create a permanent bond between metal workpieces. Solder is melted in order to wet the parts of the joint, where it adheres to and connects the pieces aft ...

repairs were conducted using a flame and wooden paddles covered in

tallow Tallow is a rendered form of beef or mutton suet, primarily made up of triglycerides. In industry, tallow is not strictly defined as beef or mutton suet. In this context, tallow is animal fat that conforms to certain technical criteria, inc ...

or motor oil, which prevented the half-molten

lead Lead () is a chemical element; it has Chemical symbol, symbol Pb (from Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a Heavy metal (elements), heavy metal that is density, denser than most common materials. Lead is Mohs scale, soft and Ductility, malleabl ...

from sticking. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, automotive panels became thinner and larger, with a greater susceptibility to warping, making hot solder unsuitable. The earliest 'plastic solder' can be traced to around 1940, a

do-it-yourself "Do it yourself" ("DIY") is the method of building, modifying, or repairing things by oneself without the direct aid of professionals or certified experts. Academic research has described DIY as behaviors where "individuals use raw and semi- ...

solution to panel beating. This gave the consumer the ability to attempt reasonably priced and long lasting repairs. These early fillers were

epoxy Epoxy is the family of basic components or Curing (chemistry), cured end products of epoxy Resin, resins. Epoxy resins, also known as polyepoxides, are a class of reactive prepolymers and polymers which contain epoxide groups. The epoxide fun ...

-based and one-part, drying by outgassing. Originally, the plastic fillers performed badly compared to solder, but later improvements addressed this. Bondo, a two-part mix (

resin A resin is a solid or highly viscous liquid that can be converted into a polymer. Resins may be biological or synthetic in origin, but are typically harvested from plants. Resins are mixtures of organic compounds, predominantly terpenes. Commo ...

with hardener added) of talc and plastic, was introduced in 1955. It was developed by WWII veteran and automotive repair shop owner Robert Merton Spink of

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

. Bondo was acquired by 3M in 2007.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bondo (Putty) 3M brands Brand name materials Automotive technologies Polyesters