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Old timer at the shop gave me a tip on using a cheese grater on filler
This guy named Frank who's been doing body work since the 70s saw me sanding down a big glob of filler on a Dodge Ram fender last week. He said to just stop and grab a cheese grater from the hardware store to shape it before it fully hardens. I tried it on a patch job after that and it cut my sanding time by like half. Has anyone else used one of those or is it just an old school trick that fell out of style?
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the_laura5mo ago
The coarse one wesley mentioned is a game changer for those big flat panels on trucks. I've got this old Stanley cheese grater I found at an estate sale for like three bucks and it works perfect. The key timing thing you said about glazing putty is spot on too, I usually wait about 15 minutes past what the can says depending on humidity. But honestly the rinsing thing matters way more than people give it credit for. I keep a bucket of water right next to me and dunk the grater every few passes, otherwise that dried filler turns it into a useless brick in about ten minutes. Also if you ever do motorcycle tins or smaller parts, try the finer side of a box grater for those tight curves - it saves so much sanding paper.
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shane_carter5mo ago
Frank from YouTube said you gotta scrape it perpendicular to the filler strokes.
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wesley6395mo ago
and a cheese grater is just the start of that whole world. the key is catching it at the right stage - too soft and it'll smear, too hard and you're back to sanding. I keep a few different ones around, a coarse one for hogging material off big repairs and a finer one for more delicate spots like door skin edges. the thing people don't realize is you gotta rinse it off before the dried filler clogs it up, otherwise you're just scraping with a jammed up tool. also works great on glazing putty if you let it set just a hair longer than the label says.
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