how to lead???

[GREASEMONKEY72]

can anybody tell me how to or have any how to links for leading? i dont want to use bondo and i want to learn how to lead anyway but its not going as easy as i expected, its not sticking and im putting a tinning fluid on it before i put on the lead but it just falls off and what doesnt fall off i can take off fairly easy

im heating up the metal and letting the lead melt on the hot steel and not the flame and just kinda globing it on a bit in various spots, then letting it set and then heating it and trying to shap and move it with a piece of wood but all it does is fall off and i dont get why its not sticking

[special-K]

Sure,just follow me....

[cdowns]

what percentage of tin is in your lead alloy??for best results it should be 15/85 tin to lead

i think eastwood has books and videos as well as supplies// you might also want to do a search on the hamb theres a lot of threads there

[GREASEMONKEY72]

i dont know what the percentage is, i melted down wheel weights and made my own and had the tinning fluid that i wiped onto the fender

i forgot about the HAMB, ill check it out there

[john]

Does tinning fluid eliminate the need for tinning? I thought the tinning fluid was an acid to prepare for tinning. I might be wrong but I've always seen the area tinned before the lead. That is the base for the lead to adhere to. Might not be a bad idea to buy a stick of new lead that is free from impurities to try.
Eastwood has some lead kits with video. Leading is hard enough for a beginner but you need the right equipment and knowhow. You ought to ask the question in the body work section. Some pros over there. Good luck sounds like it would be a good skill to learn.

[Rokcrln]

Ok I am a total beginner at lead work but this is what has worked for me so far. I bought a Lead free kit (body solder) from east wood and it came with tinnin past, body solder stixs, maple wood paddles and body files. I did the front edge of my hood on Low Buck when I cut down a 68 hood to fit my 70 grill. I first cleaned the metal real well by sanding off all paint, rust and anything else I saw. I then took thetinning past and heated up a small area (5-6") and brushed on the past then wipped it off with a lint free rag. You should be able to see the tinning past that is left on the surface. Then with out letting it cool down I heated it up just a bit more with the jewlers tip on my tortch untill I could rub the lead stic on the hood and it would start to melt. I also lick the lead stick with the tortchas I am doing all this to soften it up some. Once it starts to melt I take a lint free rag again and wipe off the lead and it should stick to the entire area that was tinned with paste. If the entire spot has lead stuck to it then I start pileing on the lead making sure not to get to much heat on any one area and cause more work that I started with. I also will use the maple paddle to shape and push the lead were I want it with out letting it ever cool. The file it down and do any touch ups you want before I use a very small amount of glazing puddy to finish it off.

Now with that all being said I only will use lead on "high impact areas" like hood edges, door edges and places that are prone to getting chipped, bumped alot or just alot of vibration as you shut the door and so on. For everything else I use the Evercote body filler. This stuff you get now is nothing like Bondo was 15yrs ago. In most cases it will out last and out performe body solder.

So this is just what I have found that worked for me but I still have alot to learn about it so take this as you want.

Kevin
LFD Inc.