 3M's Bondo logo | |
| Product type | Automotive body filler |
|---|---|
| Produced by | 3M |
| Introduced | 1955 |
Bondo is apolyesterputty product originally marketed as an automotive body filler. Nowadays the brand name is used by3M for a line of American-made products for automotive, marine and household repairs.[1][2] The termBondo is trademarked by 3M, but is commonly used to refer toany brand of automotive repair putty due to its popularity.[3][4] It is also used bysculptors.[5]
Before the 1950s,body solder was often used to repair large imperfections prior to painting[6] in both new cars and vehicle repair shops.[6]Solder repairs were conducted using a flame and wooden paddles covered intallow or motor oil, which prevented the half-moltenlead from sticking.
AfterWorld War II, automotive panels became thinner and larger, with a greater susceptibility to warping, making hot solder unsuitable.[7] The earliest 'plastic solder' can be traced to around 1940, ado-it-yourself solution to panel beating.This gave the consumer the ability to attempt reasonably priced and long lasting repairs. These early fillers wereepoxy-based and one-part, drying by outgassing. Originally, the plastic fillers performed badly compared to solder, but later improvements addressed this.[7]
Bondo, a two-part mix (resin with hardener added) of talc and plastic, was introduced in 1955.[7] It was developed by WWII veteran and automotive repair shop owner Robert Merton Spink ofMiami,Florida.[8] Bondo was acquired by3M in 2007.[9]
3M is well known for ... Its abrasives and metal-smoothing Bondo putties are standard in wreck repair shops nationwide.
Bondo (BON-doe) n. Any polyester-based auto body filler. The extreme popularity of the Bondo brand has led to its name being used in a generic manner.
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