P38 Filler - crumby within seconds

[jb2000]

Steel, POR Metal-Ready etch & zinc phosphate coat, water wash, dried a day, P38 filler.

P38 fully mixed with a bit of red hardener - goes "crumby" in seconds.
P38 fully mixed with less red hardener - bit "putty" 12hrs later (thin layers).

How do I get it to stay as "pliable cream" for steel ruler smoothing?

I am sure the stuff is going off too quick, like out of date plaster?

 

[steveo3002]

sounds like its gone off , should be gone rock solid in 20 mins in warm weather

filler is a bit thicker than cream , but decent stuff should spread on nice , try not to do it in the sun etc if you need to play around with it

 

[steveo3002]

when ive been desperate in the past , celly thinners mixed in might get you out of a bind , but really id sling it and use a new can

 

[paintpot]

going of to quick.you should mix this stuff under a minuite . Get your self plastic padding ,its what we use in body shop,

 

[jb2000]

Date on the base of the tin is 2004.
Sounds like manufacturing date and this is old stock someone picked up cheap.

I am mixing fast, quarter of a golf ball amount, first spreader is smooth, third is tearing and going off. Talking seconds. Got to be old stock. Used stacks of 2pk wood filler (& wood hardener first) over the years and nothing set this fast even when the tin was oval and the lid round!

 

[jaykay]

i put mixing board in fridge,this time of year.
but as said out of date,dump it.

 

[jb2000]

Just been out to the car, it is raining, filler covered up.

Ran the back of a stainless fork through every layer of filler, like a hard crumbly cheese. 48hrs since the first layer.

Will scrape it off then clean-n-strip back to bare metal, POR Metal-Prep acid-etch & zinc phosphate, 90% zinc primer over top. Off to email the ebay seller of the filler!

Gone with Plastic Padding.

 

[pedrobedro]

I've got some P38 I had given me over 10 years ago in a great big tin and I still use it with no problems. I stir it well before using it as it has a layer of liquid on top when I open it, mix it back in and away it goes.

 

[Hitch]

Most of these type of things have a shelf life. For the price of it, just get a new tub.

 

[jb2000]

The other problem with the "wood 2pk filler tins" is the tins are known to be non-round by design. The lid will only fit and seal properly one way, with the plastic over-cap being important for final sealing.

A plastic zip-bag over the lot is good, but it helps to have fresh stuff to begin with. L-Ion batteries in the fridge... we eat odd things here :-)

Now the weather forecast... Noah...

 

[jaykay]

just a thought,your filling over paints/primer.you should go onto bare metal.
could well be one of them product could be affecting it.
try it on a board/can side,see if it hardens.

 

[Chickenjohn]

Steel, POR Metal-Ready etch & zinc phosphate coat, water wash, dried a day, P38 filler.

P38 fully mixed with a bit of red hardener - goes "crumby" in seconds.
P38 fully mixed with less red hardener - bit "putty" 12hrs later (thin layers).

How do I get it to stay as "pliable cream" for steel ruler smoothing?

I am sure the stuff is going off too quick, like out of date plaster?

Yes, sounds like the hardener has gone off- either an old tube of hardener or the shop sold you an old stock tub. You can buy new tubes pf hardener from Auto paint factors.

 

[jb2000]

Filler on car.
Layers shaved off in soft & sticky ribbons, layers not stuck together, but the base layer was stuck a bit better to the car etch primer.

Filler on mixing boards.
Scrapes off easily, breaks up into crumbs, sticky, be it 24 or 72hrs old.

It hardens to crumbs too fast, but never goes hard.

 

[langy]

As said earlier its gone off mate, throw it away. P38 is very old hat anyway, the modern fillers are light years ahead, get yourself some Upol fantastic and you will see what i mean. Its not dear