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Old school filler work vs. the new feathering methods, which side are you on?

I've been doing this for about 15 years now, mostly in the Denver area. Back in the day, I was taught to slather on filler thick and block sand until my arms fell off. We'd use a long board and just pray the high spots came out. Now I use a stud welder and a mini sander to pull dents first, then only use a thin skim coat of filler. The repair is way faster and I don't worry about it cracking later. But I had an old timer tell me last month that my way makes panels too thin and weak, and he still does it the heavy way. I feel like the materials changed so much that the old approach is just waste, but he's got 30 years on me. What do you all think, is there still a place for thick filler work, or is it just lazy? Has anyone else switched methods and seen a real problem or benefit down the line?

2 comments

2 Comments

smith.blair19d ago

Those 30 years gave him habits, not science. Thin coats hold up fine.

robinson.paul19d ago

You said he's got 30 years on you, and I'm sitting here wondering how his arms still work after all that block sanding. That heavy method made sense when filler was garbage that shrunk and moved, but modern stuff doesn't need a half inch of material to stay put. I switched to thin skim coats years ago and never had one crack or fail on me, so I'll take the faster repair that doesn't leave a giant blob of bondo on every panel.