harrisonm
Well-Known Member
Over the years, I have had lots of problems with working time with fillers. Sometimes you are working on an area where you want some extra time to smooth out, feather the edge, or sculpt the filler. After a few minutes, specially in hot weather, just when things are starting to look good, the filler starts to harden, and you are done. Sure, you can mix up smaller batches, but then you are not really “sculpting’ the way you would like. Plus, it seems like there is always some filler still left on the paddle when it starts to harden. If you mix up 6 ounces of filler, and there is about 1.5 ounces left on the paddle and/or the spreader when it starts to harden, that is about 25% waste. And since I stopped using cheap fillers years ago, that adds up. I have been using Evercoat Rage Gold for several years. But it still cures too fast; specially on a warm day. You can cut back on the hardener a little, but you have to be careful. If you reduce the hardener by too much, the filler does not harden. I have heard that adding fiberglass resin to filler will extend working time a bit, but I have never tried that. Here is what I did find. I watch a YouTube channel called Sylvesters Customs. He does higher end work, and I have learned a LOT. One of his shows was called, “Filler Drying too Fast”. In it, he talks about mixing Evercoat Rage Ultra and Rage Ultra Extra to get greatly extended working times. The chart below is directly off of the Evercoat website. They designed the fillers to be mixed to adjust cure times to your liking. The fillers are not cheap, but if you want extended working time, specially in hot weather, this is the way to do it. You can have up to 13 minutes of working time in 105 degree weather this way!