Got schooled on using a heat lamp for filler by a guy at a trade show

For years I'd just slap on body filler and wait, sometimes a full hour in the shop. At a show in Indianapolis last fall, an old-timer saw me and said, 'You're wasting daylight.' He showed me his setup with a simple 250-watt infrared heat lamp about three feet back. Now I hit it with that for 15 minutes and it's ready to block. Cuts my time on a quarter panel repair by more than half. Anyone else use heat to speed things up, or got a different trick?

3 comments

3 Comments

paulw6322d ago

That old timer in Indianapolis saved you a ton of time. I used to do the same thing, just staring at the filler like it would dry faster if I watched it. My game changer was a cheap space heater from the hardware store. I set it up on a low setting a few feet away and it knocks 45 minutes off the wait on a door skin repair. It feels like you're getting away with something.

wade_perez15d ago

Hold up, you can't just blast heat at filler like that. That's a fast track to shrink cracks and bond failure. The chemical reaction needs to cure, not just dry the surface. You're basically baking the outside and trapping uncured goop underneath. That's why it feels soft when you sand it later. A little warmth is fine, but low and slow is the only way it works right.

hugo_nelson22d ago

You're right about the space heater trick, but I've found you have to be careful with the heat on bigger areas. It can dry the top skin too fast and leave the under layers soft, which causes problems when you sand. I aim the heater at an angle now, not straight on, and keep it moving a bit.