GB2332649A

GB2332649A - Manual device for profiling or shaping filler in vehicle body repairs

Info

Publication number: GB2332649A
Application number: GB9727280A
Authority: GB
Inventors: David Weight
Original assignee: FINISHPOLISH Ltd
Current assignee: FINISHPOLISH Ltd
Priority date: 1997-12-24
Filing date: 1997-12-24
Publication date: 1999-06-30
Also published as: GB2347896B; GB2347896A; AU1768599A; WO1999033578A1; GB9727280D0; GB0015042D0

Abstract

The profiling device comprises an elongate body including a core 3 of bendable material (eg a lead bar) which retains its shape when bent. The device includes an outer layer 5 of a flexible or semi-flexible material (eg rubber). The core 3 may be sandwiched between plates of sprung steel 4. The device may include a blade 9 defining a profiling face 10. The ends of the device may be closed by rubber stoppers 7.

Description

A METHOD OF SURFACE TREATMENT AND A DEVICE THEREFOR The present invention relates to a method of surface treatment and a device therefore, and in particular to a device for use in the profiling of a plastic filler composition.

In the repair of vehicle bodies (eg cars or boats) it is generally known to treat damaged areas of bodywork which are dented by first beating out the dents as necessary to minimise the degree of denting. The dents are then filled with a hardenable filler composition which is initially applied as a plastic paste, which later cures to a hardened state. Typically, such a filler may comprise a two part composition, which is mixed just prior to use, having a curable first part and a second part comprising a hardener. Similar techniques are also used in the repair of holes or dents in other surfaces such as walls or sculptures.

In use, the above technique results in a number of difficulties. First, it is difficult to trim or profile the filler once applied so that the filler once hardened is as near to the profile of the adjacent bodywork as possible.

Secondly, it is not easy to avoid creating a filled dent in which at least some of the filled portion is below the required bodywork level; requiring the process to be repeated. Thirdly, it is not easy to minimise the amount of filler used or the amount of excess filler removed and sometimes consequently wasted.

A number of devices have been proposed in the prior art, all of which suffer from various disadvantages. For example, USA 4 631 019 discloses a resilient spreader for use in the application and shaping of filler. However, the spreader as disclosed is a flat, quadrilateral spreader which can be bent transversely but not longitudinally. Thus, the spreader can adopt only a simple curved shape which can barely follow the simplest of bodywork profiles.

Similarly, the spreader disclosed in USA 4 097 951 is a quadrilateral which bends only sideways and not end-to-end.

While an end-to-end bending spreader is disclosed in EP 0 333 934, the spreader as described is relatively complicated. In particular, the disclosed design requires the presence of a control rod (14) which holds a shaping member (10) in a desired configuration. The rod (14) is operated via a threaded bracket (1 2) which enables the rod to bring the necessary pressure to bear on the member (10) to hold it in a desired shape.

Furthermore, the stresses required to bend the spreader disclosed in EP 0333 934 mean that the size of the spreader is severely limited.

We have now found surprisingly that a filler profiling device can be produced which is economic to manufacture and which is simple in design and easy to use by basing the device on a rod-like body member comprising a core of bendable material which can retain a shape configured to a relatively complex profile, for example, a vehicle bodywork profile; and an outer layer or layers of flexible or semi-flexible non-reactive material.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a profiling device having an elongate body comprising a core comprising a bendable material, which core can retain its shape when the profiling device is configured to a profile, and an outer layer or layers of a flexible or semi-flexibie non-reactive material.

In a particular and preferred embodiment of the present invention there is provided a profiling device for use in profiling hardenable filler in vehicle repair, which device has an elongate body member comprising a core of bendable material, which core can retain its shape when the profiling device is configured to a vehicle bodywork profile by moulding the body member against the profile, and an outer layer or layers of flexible or semi-flexible non-reactive material, the body member being generally rectangular in plan and having two long sides and two short sides, one of the long sides bounding in use a lower elongate profiling surface having a thickness less than the length of each of the two short sides and constructed and arranged to present a profiling edge along the length of the lower profiling surface.

In cross-section, the device of the invention may be generally circular, wedge shaped or square; however it is also preferred that the crosssectional shape is modified to provide ease and comfort of handling and most preferably also to provide a blade which defines the lower profiling surface.

In the profiling device of the invention, the elongate body member is sufficiently flexible in one plane such that the lower profiling surface may be moulded to match a reasonably complex bodywork profile but is preferably not flexible in any other plane, such that, in use, the profiling device remains substantially rigid as it is drawn over the area to be profiled.

The device of the invention is preferably from 1 50 mm to 600 mm in length, although sizes above or below this may be useful for specific applications. Most preferably, the device of the invention is from 250 mm to 450 mm in length, for example 380 mm. The device of the invention may have any suitable width limited only by the requirements of use, i.e. the device must be small enough to be graspable but large enough to provide a convenient profiling surface. In practice, the width of the device of the invention will vary from approximately 1 5 mm to 1 50 mm, depending also upon the length of the device. Preferably, when the device of the invention is 1 50 mm to 400 mm the width will be approximately 20 to 30 mm and when the device of the invention is longer than 400 mm the width will be 40 to 80 mm or larger.

In the device of the invention, the core of bendable material may comprise any suitable bendable material.

Suitable core materials include any materials that are sufficiently bendable to be bent by hand to form a relatively complex curved profile but which will retain that profile once bent. The materials must also be resilient enough to be bent and straightened out frequently without breaking or forming kinks. Suitable core materials, therefore, include hard plastics and metals such as lead or soft steel.

If the core is of metal, it may be in the form of a bar having a generally square, circular or wedge shaped profile. Metal cores may also be produced in the form of a wire cable or a coil wherein the metal is coiled around either a soiid or a hollow inner core. Preferably the core is in the form of a bar having a generally square profile and is made of lead.

It will also be appreciated that the core may comprise more than one component. For example, the core may comprise two bars both having rectangular profiles and placed side by side or one above the other. In this case, the two bars may be of the same or different materials; for example, a bar of slightly greater flexibility may be placed below a bar of lesser flexibility and nearer to the profiling surface.

Preferably, further components are used in the cores of the devices of the invention that act to assist the desired properties of mouldability of the lower profiling surface but relative rigidity of the sides. Such components include sheets of materials that bend only in one plane, for example, elongated flat plates of relatively hard plastic or of metal, for example sprung steel. Most preferably, the device of the invention will comprise a core comprising a bar of lead that is generally square in cross-section and having a layer of sprung steel below and/or above the bar in relation to the lower profiling surface of the device. Most preferably, where the device of the invention comprises a core comprising a bar of lead being generally square in cross-section, the surface of the bar that is farthest from the lower profiling surface of the device will have a series of nics cut into the surface to assist bending of the core; most preferably, the nics will be perpendicular and will run across the whole width of the bar at 3 mm intervals.

The size of the core of the device of the invention will depend to a large extent upon the size of the device itself. Preferably the core will have a length equal to or slightly less than the length of the device, and the crosssectional size will be sufficient to provide the required properties of flexibility and rigidity.

For the outer layer or layers of the device of the invention, there may be used any suitable material which does not detract from the ability of the bendable material to retain a shape configured to a curved profile and does not chemically interact with the filler. Such a material may be flexible or semi-flexible, provided the necessary shape retention and non-reactivity is maintained.

Preferred materials include plastics such as polyethylene or polypropylene and rubber or compounds thereof.

It will be appreciated that further components may also be included in the devices of the invention. These may include rods, eg of steel or plastic, to assist in retaining rigidity or to smooth out the curvature of the profiling face and/or hollow areas to reduce the amount of materials used or to provide flexibility.

In producing the device of the invention, it is preferred to extrude a core of bendable material and to co-extrude around that core one or more layers of an extrudable plastic or rubber material. Suitable extrusion apparatus and dies therefore are well known in the plastics extrusion field.

When producing the device of the invention, the core and the outer layers may be produced to the same length or preferably the outer layers may be made longer than the core such that a hollow is left at each end. These hollows may then be filled by the insertion of stoppers of the same or different material as the outer layers. The stoppers may fit flush against the core or, preferably, small spaces may be provided between the core and the stoppers to allow for the deforming of the ends of the core during flexion.

To aid in its use the device of the invention may include markings along its length indicative of length measurement. Typically, a device may be marked along its length with centimetre measurement markings.

As indicated, the device of the invention is particularly useful in surface treatment, generally a surface treatment comprising profiling a hardenable filler in vehicle bodywork repair. Thus, in one aspect of the invention the device may be part of a vehicle repair kit. Preferably, such a kit will also include a hardenable filler composition, which preferably may be a two-part composition. Typically, such a two-part composition may include a curable part together with a hardener.

To aid in the application of the filler composition the vehicle repair kit of this aspect of the invention may include a spreader tool. Typically, such a spreader tool may be made wholly of plastics material for economy and production. However, usually better use characteristics are obtained if the spreader tool comprises a metal blade, and such a spreader tool is preferred.

The vehicle repair kit of this aspect of the invention may include instructions for any necessary filler premixing, for application of filler, and for use of the device of the invention in doctoring excess filler.

In addition, the invention includes a method of treating surfaces to repair dents therein, which method comprises preparing a filler composition and applying the composition to the dented area in excess so that the filler stands proud of the surrounding surface, and removing excess filler by conforming a profiling device according to the invention to the desired profile, and then drawing the device as a profiling blade over the filler to remove excess filler and match the filler surface to the adjacent untreated surface.

Preferably in the method of the invention, the profiling device of the invention is conformed to the chosen profile by moulding the device against a compatible adjacent or opposite profile.

Preferably the surface to be treated is a bodywork surface, for example a vehicle bodywork surface.

In use of the above method, the vehicle bodywork surfaces are preferably pre-treated in accordance with prior art practice. Thus, any dented areas may be beaten to minimise the denting and any paint layers or undercoat layers may be cleaned off the metal surface to present a good key surface for the filler. Then, the filler is mixed according to the manufacturer's instructions and worked as necessary to make it pliant, after which it is applied in excess to the dented area, the excess being according to the operator's choice, but usually no more than enough to present a slight proudness in relation to the surrounding bodywork profile. To profile the proud filler, the device of the invention is conformed to an adjacent portion of the bodywork profile which is of the same shape or to the same shaped bodywork profile on the opposite side of the vehicle. The device is then drawn across the plastic filler to remove excess filler and to match the filler to the surrounding bodywork profile.

As will be appreciated, it is one of the useful characteristics of the device of the invention that it can be conformed not only to adjacent bodywork, but also to corresponding bodywork on the opposite side of a symmetrical vehicle. Accordingly, where a portion of the vehicle bodywork is badly damaged, and adjacent bodywork cannot be used to give a profile outline, the profile can be taken from the opposite side of the vehicle.

While the invention has been described in terms of vehicle repair, it will be appreciated that, of course, other areas of repair by filling of dents and holes, etc. can fall within the ambit of the broadest aspects of the invention. Thus, the device of the invention can also be used in the DIY decoration area, for example, for use in profiling a filler in a plastic state for decorating shaped walls.

Within the above ambit, the invention includes a profile device for use in a decorator's filler kit, further comprising a decorator's hardenable filler and/or one or more sheets of sandpaper.

Specific embodiments of the device of the invention will now be described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of a first embodiment of a device in accordance with the invention; Figure 2 is a schematic sectional view of the device of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the device of Figures 1 and 2; and Figures 4 to 9 are schematic cross-sectional views of alternative embodiments of the device in accordance with the invention.

Referring to Figures 1, 2 and 3, a preferred embodiment of the device of the present invention comprises an elongate body member 1 comprising a core 2 consisting of a lead bar 3 of rectangular cross-section and two plates of sprung steel 4 and an outer layer 5 of rubber. The outer layers 5 of the device are longer than the core 2 leaving hollows 6 at either end of the core, which are closed by rubber stoppers 7 (shown removed in Figure 1 and inserted in Figure 2). When inserted into the hollows 6, the stoppers 7 leave a gap 8 between the ends of the core 3 and the stoppers 7. The cross-sectional shape of this embodiment of the device is generally circular; however it has been modified to provide a blade 9 defining a profiling face 10. A flat face 11 has also been provided on one side of the device. In use, the device may be held with the thumbs flat against the face 11 and the fingers gripping the curved upper face 12 so that the device may be drawn smoothly across the surface being profiled with the profiling face 10 in contact with the surface and the filler composition.

Referring to Figures 4 to 9, schematic cross-sectional views of alternative embodiments of the device of the invention, are shown. In Figure 7 a malleability enhancing hollow tube 13 is shown and in Figure 9 two blades 9 and 9' of differing sizes are shown.

It will be appreciated that each of the above embodiments have been described with reference to only some of the features of the invention and that, for example, the cores of the devices shown may be wedge shaped in cross-section, the number of sprung steel components may be altered and the materials used for the core and-or outer layers may be varied.

Claims

CLAIMS: 1. A profiling device, having an elongate body comprising a core comprising a bendable material, which core can retain its shape when the profiling device is configured to a profile, and an outer layer or layers of a flexible or semi-flexible non-reactive material.
2. A profiling device for use in profiling hardenable filler in vehicle repair, which device has an elongate body member comprising a core of bendable material, which core can retain its shape when the profiling devise is configured to a vehicle bodywork profile by moulding the body member against the profile, and an outer layer or layers of flexible or semi-flexible non-reactive material, the body member being generally rectangular in plan and having two long sides and two short sides, one of the long sides bounding in use a lower elongate profiling surface having a thickness less than the length of each of the two short sides and constructed and arranged to present a profiling edge along the length of the lower profiling surface.
3. A profiling device as claimed in claim 2 which further comprises a blade which defines the lower profiling surface.
4. A profiling device as claimed in claim 2 or claim 3 wherein the elongate body member is sufficiently flexible in one plane such that the lower profiling surface may be moulded to match a reasonably complex bodywork profile but is not flexible in any other plane, such that, in use, the profiling device remains substantially rigid as it is drawn over the area to be profiled.
5. A profiling device as claimed in any preceding claim which is from 1 50 mm to 600 mm in length.
6. A profiling device as claimed in any preceding claim which has a width of from 1 5 mm to 1 50 mm.
7. A profiling device as claimed in any preceding claim which has a length of 1 50 mm to 400 mm and a width of from 20 to 30 mm.
8. A profiling device as claimed in any of claims 1 to 6 having a length of greater than 400 mm and a width of from 40 to 80 mm.
9. A profiling device as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the core material is sufficiently bendable to be bent by hand to form a relatively complex curved profile but which retains that profile once bent.
10. A profiling device as claimed in claim 9 wherein the core material is hard plastic or metal.
11. A profiling device as claimed in claim 10 wherein the core material is lead.
12. A profiling device as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the core further comprises materials that act to assist the desired properties of mouldability of the lower profiling surface but relative rigidity of the sides.
13. A profiling device as claimed in claim 12 wherein the core further comprises at least one layer of sprung steel.
14. A profiling device as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the outer layer comprises a plastic such as polyethylene or polypropylene or rubber or compounds thereof.

1 5. A profiling device as claimed in any preceding claim further including markings along its length indicative of length measurement.

1 6. A method of treating surfaces to repair dents therein, comprising preparing a filler composition and applying the composition to the dented area in excess so that the filler stands proud of the surrounding surface, and removing excess filler by conforming a profiling device according to any preceding claim to the desired profile, and then drawing the device as a profiling blade over the filler to remove excess filler and match the filler surface to the adjacent untreated surfaces.

1 7. A vehicle repair kit, which kit comprises a profiling device as claimed in any of claims 1 to
1 5.

1 8. A profiling device as claimed in any of claims 1 to 1 5 substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.