Spot putty?

[tomplum]

I'm in process of repainting the outside of a 1909 cast iron bathtub for the misses. It's is pretty much stripped and it is not necessarily a smooth surface. Some pits in the casting , seams etc. I find that I can blend the seams a blemishes with flap disc pretty well, but would like to smooth out a few of the pits. Would I use something like spot putty to fill them or is there something better? Fill and then prime? Any thoughts would be appreciated.

 

[widefat]

I've had success with JB Weld putty epoxy. It's malleable, sandable.

 

[radios1]

it don't have a porcelain finish on it??. that's what keeps it from rusting and pitting. it's very hard, like China..

 

[RNeumann]

it don't have a porcelain finish on it??. that's what keeps it from rusting and pitting. it's very hard, like China..

If you are going with porcelain I don’t know that process. But if you are doing “normal” paint you would treat it like a car and use body filler like Bondo and then block sand it.

 

[JPRambo]

for minor dips and pits I used 'Feather Fill' when prepping my '65 Malibu for paint.

 

[tomplum]

Thanks guys. The inside of the tub has good porcelain, the outside was paint. I didn't know that they came that way. It is kind of utilitarian when you look at it as you can see the seams from the molding process. Dunno if this was made to be a low budget tub for the county farm or what. The guy at the paint store gave us some kind of hybrid paint. Said we could prime it w/ red primer or tint up some of the shellac that I had. In the end, it will be sealed and red.

 

[chim]

If you ever need some filler that is extremely hard, try Alvin Lab Metal. It's a one-part filler that gets a lot harder than regular body filler.

 

[EddieWalker]

Good ole automotive Bondo should work perfectly for this. Easy to use, easy to sand and it stays in place forever.

How big are the pits that you are trying to fill?

If they are small, I would also try the better quality caulking. Put just a little on and then get your finger soaking wet and spread it out.

 

[tomplum]

I initially ordered the JB putty from the big a figuring that I'd always have a use for it after filling the pits. I still may need to smooth parts out. But, then again- it adds character... My auto body skills are- horrendous. We'll see what is really visible. Why a woman in her 60's needs a clawfoot tub,.,

 

[fried1765]

I initially ordered the JB putty from the big a figuring that I'd always have a use for it after filling the pits. I still may need to smooth parts out. But, then again- it adds character... My auto body skills are- horrendous. We'll see what is really visible. Why a woman in her 60's needs a clawfoot tub,.,

"Why a woman in her 60's needs a clawfoot tub..."

Women think it is cute.......we think a 10 lb. sledge would be best.

 

[EddieWalker]

... Why a woman in her 60's needs a clawfoot tub,.,

One of the building Trade magazines that I get did a study on jetted bathtubs and found that most people use them 3 times. A big part of my remodeling business is removing the bathtub and making the shower as big as possible. I think bathtubs in the Master are a thing of the past and slowly fading away.

 

[timswi]

One of the building Trade magazines that I get did a study on jetted bathtubs and found that most people use them 3 times. A big part of my remodeling business is removing the bathtub and making the shower as big as possible. I think bathtubs in the Master are a thing of the past and slowly fading away.

Agree with that. When we built our house, they put in a massive master bath tub that couldn't be filled with a 50 gal HW tank LOL..I replaced that with a smaller one that worked with that tank. Been used maybe twice in 20 years...Now we're talking about replacing the tub with a large shower and turning the existing shower into another closet.

 

[timswi]

To the OP--Go to an autobody supply shop and get Evercoat Polyester Gazing Putty. It's super smooth, sands easily and doesn't shrink. It's a 2 part system. I've used it on car restorations for decades.

 

[ray66v]

To the OP--Go to an autobody supply shop and get Evercoat Polyester Gazing Putty. It's super smooth, sands easily and doesn't shrink. It's a 2 part system. I've used it on car restorations for decades.

I also used it in the body shop all the time. It's a good product, although it's not a cheap option.

If you don't need a lot, and you are not real great at applying filler smoothly, Evercoat Metal Glaze sands like primer, and is the best option.

If you need to do large areas, a decent body filler is going to be much less costly. Evercoat makes Z-Grip, which is pretty good, and not crazy expensive. It's almost as creamy as the metal glaze, and you get a gallon for about the same price.

We would also often mix both products together for the last coat of mud, to make it easier to smooth it out, but still cost effective.

Both are on Amazon for a decent price.

 

[timswi]

I also used it in the body shop all the time. It's a good product, although it's not a cheap option.

If you don't need a lot, and you are not real great at applying filler smoothly, Evercoat Metal Glaze sands like primer, and is the best option.

If you need to do large areas, a decent body filler is going to be much less costly. Evercoat makes Z-Grip, which is pretty good, and not crazy expensive. It's almost as creamy as the metal glaze, and you get a gallon for about the same price.

We would also often mix both products together for the last coat of mud, to make it easier to smooth it out, but still cost effective.

Both are on Amazon for a decent price.

Thanks for the info. Never used the other stuff mentioned although Evercoat stuff is generally top shelf. I tend to stick with what has historically worked for me (for better or worse sometimes)...I generally don't let cost be a factor in my materials as cheap stuff is usually harder to work with or haunts me later.

 

[tomplum]

One of the building Trade magazines that I get did a study on jetted bathtubs and found that most people use them 3 times. A big part of my remodeling business is removing the bathtub and making the shower as big as possible. I think bathtubs in the Master are a thing of the past and slowly fading away.

Yeah, the people that had the house before us removed a jetted tub and put in an over sized shower in the master which is nice. The misses will be removing the dated shower tub in the guest bath and making that a ladies room I guess. Her daughter visits more that anyone and calls it her vacation spot. So 8 baths a year.....

 

[tomplum]

A closer look and a bottle of the Evercoat glaze is on order. Can't wait.