this is a dying art, I used to do a great deal of this, type of panel repair on older muscle cars, but epoxy bondo is now used more frequently, its not nearly as good in my opinion, because bondo doesn,t have the firm grip on the metals surface ,or tend to resist the formation of rust, like a tinned solder does, the tin acts a bit like galvanization, or an anode , it resists rust, nor can moisture get under the solder like it can with bondo, but it takes much less skill to smear and sand, bondo .
the key in using tinned lead as a filler, but only clean steel thats been fluxed with the correct paste, or acid flux, (tinning butter) will absorb or stick to the filler, once its tinned,the secret is in surface prep, and in understanding the metal must be absolutely clean, with a new rotary wire brush, then degreased, cleaned, and fluxed, a paraffin flux will help but a acid flux, (tinning butter) tends to work a bit better, youll need to keep the area your working on heated and constantly refluxed, a 6" square pad with about 12 layers of denim, and heat resistant gloves are mandatory, and having the pads surface soaked in paraffin helps smooth the lead which should be about 30% tin and the auto body metal must be constantly brushed with acid flux.
lead won,t stick to steel, lead will stick to tinned steel so flux and a lead tin solder on very clean steel is used
http://www.eastwood.com/ew-7-piece-prof ... r-set.html
http://www.eastwood.com/soft-flame-propane-torch.html
http://www.eastwood.com/file-holder-fle ... -file.html
theres a miss conception that you fill in dents with the tinned lead, thats almost a myth, the fact is you were expected to bend, weld,cut or replace damaged metal to almost factory condition, then and only then fill in the seams and minor surface flaws with the tinned lead. but remember the practice is from a time when actually fixing the damage to a much larger degree rather than just covering the reworked metal up with bondo, was the norm, not the exception.
youll need to work in a well ventilated area as theres lots of smoke from hot flux and hot lead vapors not good to breath
READ THRU THE LINKS!
http://www.tptools.com/p/493%2C201_Auto ... older.html
http://www.ehow.com/how_7837521_use-lea ... iller.html
http://www.automedia.com/Getting_the_Le ... 041001ld/1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsDxqb2p5OM
http://1956f100.com/General/lead_solder_filling.htm
http://www.ehow.com/how_4693422_do-lead-body-work.html
http://www.tptools.com/p/464,201_Starte ... r-Kit.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtvtNJnn7Do
http://www.eastwood.com/ew-body-solder- ... h-dvd.html
http://www.millerwelds.com/resources/ar ... -GMAW-GTAW
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_mpQtzFjC4
http://freespace.virgin.net/tommy.sandham/leading.htm
http://www.eastwood.com/ew-tinning-butter-1-lb-jar.html
the heated and cleaned surface is tinned and flushed with the tinning butter/flux
once the surface is completely tinned,and coated with the tinning butter or flux that allows the tinned lead to adhere to the steel in the body work, the mix of hot tinned lead is wiped into and over the joints and surface irregularities, then a draw file and sand paper are used to smooth the surface for primer coating
How to Use Lead for Body Filler
By Paul Miceli, eHow Contributor
Print this article
How to Use Lead for Body Filler thumbnail
Oxyacetylene torches are ideal for melting lead onto auto body panels.
Although body filler is widely used in the automotive repair industry as a finishing surface on body panels, older vehicles are often brought back to shape using lead. Modern vehicles tend to use thinner metals, which can cause elasticity in panels when heat is applied. However, classic cars with a thicker gauge are often rectified using lead filler techniques. When lead is used as filler, a scratch-free metal finish can be achieved and there is no risk of the surface splitting or cracking after long-term exposure to ultraviolet sunlight.
Other People Are Reading
How to Repair an Auto Body With Lead
How to Use Lead As a Filler
Things You'll Need
P40-grit sanding disc
P80-grit sanding disc
Random orbital sander
Show (8) More
Instructions
1
Sand down the dented area to bare metal using a P40-grit sanding disc on a random orbital sander. Ensure all traces of paint and primer are removed to help the lead adhere to the surface of the panel correctly. Place a metal dolly behind the dent and tap the other side with a metal flip to lift it out. Continue until the majority of the dent has been removed.
2
Wipe the surface of the panel with a cloth soaked in degreaser to move grease and oils. Light an oxyacetylene torch and apply gentle heat over the dent to warm the panel. Keep the oxyacetylene torch moving at all times to avoid burning through the metal. Once the panel is warm, apply gentle heat to the end of the lead bar and place the end of it at the center point of the dent.
3
Continue to apply a gentle heat at the point where the auto body panel and lead bar meet until a paste is formed. Roll the wrist slightly as you move along the length of the dent to twist the lead onto the panel and to stop it from dripping onto the floor. Continue adding lead until the entire dent has been filled. At this stage, the main concern is simply to have enough lead on the panel to work with.
4
Take a wooden paddle and add more heat to the applied lead. As the lead softens, dab it gently with the flat side of the wooden paddle to create a flat surface on the auto body panel. Ensure the lead spreads out beyond the perimeter of the dent, and don't worry if there is a slight surplus above the panel surface as this can be removed at a later stage.
5
Leave the lead to cool until the surface of the panel can be touched by hand. Take a metal dreadnought file and place it flat on the panel over any surplus layers of lead. Move the file back and forth while applying light pressure to bring the lead down to a flat, even surface. Sand out any remaining scratches with a P80-grit sanding disc to complete the repair.
a few other tools and some related info, that can come in handy with auto body repairs
http://www.harborfreight.com/1-4-quarte ... 93389.html
http://www.harborfreight.com/pack-of-10 ... 96550.html
http://www.harborfreight.com/air-die-gr ... 99698.html
http://www.welders-direct.com/mm5/merch ... ory_Code=M
http://www.welders-direct.com/mm5/merch ... Code=m-mig
http://www.harborfreight.com/3-piece-lo ... -6002.html
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/sum-g ... dia/images
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/sum-g1851
http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/show ... php?t=7845
http://www.skinpins.com/fastclecotemp.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgEIVUVLrnQ
http://fergusoncoachbuilding.blogspot.com/
the key in using tinned lead as a filler, but only clean steel thats been fluxed with the correct paste, or acid flux, (tinning butter) will absorb or stick to the filler, once its tinned,the secret is in surface prep, and in understanding the metal must be absolutely clean, with a new rotary wire brush, then degreased, cleaned, and fluxed, a paraffin flux will help but a acid flux, (tinning butter) tends to work a bit better, youll need to keep the area your working on heated and constantly refluxed, a 6" square pad with about 12 layers of denim, and heat resistant gloves are mandatory, and having the pads surface soaked in paraffin helps smooth the lead which should be about 30% tin and the auto body metal must be constantly brushed with acid flux.
lead won,t stick to steel, lead will stick to tinned steel so flux and a lead tin solder on very clean steel is used
http://www.eastwood.com/ew-7-piece-prof ... r-set.html
http://www.eastwood.com/soft-flame-propane-torch.html
http://www.eastwood.com/file-holder-fle ... -file.html
theres a miss conception that you fill in dents with the tinned lead, thats almost a myth, the fact is you were expected to bend, weld,cut or replace damaged metal to almost factory condition, then and only then fill in the seams and minor surface flaws with the tinned lead. but remember the practice is from a time when actually fixing the damage to a much larger degree rather than just covering the reworked metal up with bondo, was the norm, not the exception.
youll need to work in a well ventilated area as theres lots of smoke from hot flux and hot lead vapors not good to breath
READ THRU THE LINKS!
http://www.tptools.com/p/493%2C201_Auto ... older.html
http://www.ehow.com/how_7837521_use-lea ... iller.html
http://www.automedia.com/Getting_the_Le ... 041001ld/1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsDxqb2p5OM
http://1956f100.com/General/lead_solder_filling.htm
http://www.ehow.com/how_4693422_do-lead-body-work.html
http://www.tptools.com/p/464,201_Starte ... r-Kit.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtvtNJnn7Do
http://www.eastwood.com/ew-body-solder- ... h-dvd.html
http://www.millerwelds.com/resources/ar ... -GMAW-GTAW
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_mpQtzFjC4
http://freespace.virgin.net/tommy.sandham/leading.htm
http://www.eastwood.com/ew-tinning-butter-1-lb-jar.html
the heated and cleaned surface is tinned and flushed with the tinning butter/flux
once the surface is completely tinned,and coated with the tinning butter or flux that allows the tinned lead to adhere to the steel in the body work, the mix of hot tinned lead is wiped into and over the joints and surface irregularities, then a draw file and sand paper are used to smooth the surface for primer coating
How to Use Lead for Body Filler
By Paul Miceli, eHow Contributor
Print this article
How to Use Lead for Body Filler thumbnail
Oxyacetylene torches are ideal for melting lead onto auto body panels.
Although body filler is widely used in the automotive repair industry as a finishing surface on body panels, older vehicles are often brought back to shape using lead. Modern vehicles tend to use thinner metals, which can cause elasticity in panels when heat is applied. However, classic cars with a thicker gauge are often rectified using lead filler techniques. When lead is used as filler, a scratch-free metal finish can be achieved and there is no risk of the surface splitting or cracking after long-term exposure to ultraviolet sunlight.
Other People Are Reading
How to Repair an Auto Body With Lead
How to Use Lead As a Filler
Things You'll Need
P40-grit sanding disc
P80-grit sanding disc
Random orbital sander
Show (8) More
Instructions
1
Sand down the dented area to bare metal using a P40-grit sanding disc on a random orbital sander. Ensure all traces of paint and primer are removed to help the lead adhere to the surface of the panel correctly. Place a metal dolly behind the dent and tap the other side with a metal flip to lift it out. Continue until the majority of the dent has been removed.
2
Wipe the surface of the panel with a cloth soaked in degreaser to move grease and oils. Light an oxyacetylene torch and apply gentle heat over the dent to warm the panel. Keep the oxyacetylene torch moving at all times to avoid burning through the metal. Once the panel is warm, apply gentle heat to the end of the lead bar and place the end of it at the center point of the dent.
3
Continue to apply a gentle heat at the point where the auto body panel and lead bar meet until a paste is formed. Roll the wrist slightly as you move along the length of the dent to twist the lead onto the panel and to stop it from dripping onto the floor. Continue adding lead until the entire dent has been filled. At this stage, the main concern is simply to have enough lead on the panel to work with.
4
Take a wooden paddle and add more heat to the applied lead. As the lead softens, dab it gently with the flat side of the wooden paddle to create a flat surface on the auto body panel. Ensure the lead spreads out beyond the perimeter of the dent, and don't worry if there is a slight surplus above the panel surface as this can be removed at a later stage.
5
Leave the lead to cool until the surface of the panel can be touched by hand. Take a metal dreadnought file and place it flat on the panel over any surplus layers of lead. Move the file back and forth while applying light pressure to bring the lead down to a flat, even surface. Sand out any remaining scratches with a P80-grit sanding disc to complete the repair.
a few other tools and some related info, that can come in handy with auto body repairs
http://www.harborfreight.com/1-4-quarte ... 93389.html
http://www.harborfreight.com/pack-of-10 ... 96550.html
http://www.harborfreight.com/air-die-gr ... 99698.html
http://www.welders-direct.com/mm5/merch ... ory_Code=M
http://www.welders-direct.com/mm5/merch ... Code=m-mig
http://www.harborfreight.com/3-piece-lo ... -6002.html
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/sum-g ... dia/images
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/sum-g1851
http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/show ... php?t=7845
http://www.skinpins.com/fastclecotemp.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgEIVUVLrnQ
http://fergusoncoachbuilding.blogspot.com/