i have a small whole in the lip of my hood about the size of a corn kernel am considering filling it with lead solder what is your opinion on using lead?
If the hole is caused by rust, the back side, which you cant see, is much worse than the front side. You need to cut out a section much bigger than that hole to get the rust out. Then weld in new metal. If done correctly, you wont need any filler. With the quality and ease of use todays plastic fillers have, I dont know why anyone would use lead any more. JMO
or if your dedicated to metal, check a welding store because you can get spreadable liquid metal that is safer and sturdier than lead. it is a two part chem that is similar to bondo with a high metal content. there was a post on it on here and im trying to get some myself for my highboy.
Leading is an art dating way back in body work. From what I understand, it takes quite a bit of skill and practice to do it correctly, as well as having the correct impliments. It was used more extensively back in the day when body metal was significantly thicker than it is today, so it worked better than it would on today's thin body metal. Because of the heat involved, as well as the nature of the process itself, it is much more feasible to use more modern ways to fill holes.
Actually leading still has a place in the restoration of cars... not much of a place though. I am currently teaching myself to do it, just for kicks. With modern welding and tools I really have no use for leading, like I said, just for kicks. Dan
I just dont like the idea of breathing in the fumes and handling lead. Its probably not really dangerous, I am just paranoid like that.
