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plastic filler?

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jlin453

Member
Joined
Sep 18, 2002
Location
Austin, Texas
So my case has an indention for the floppy drive and I need to fill it(and want to paint the whole case). Any suggestions? I know of wood filler, would that work the same?

I have a tube of 'glazing and spot putty', but it says not to use in large amounts(ie: filling big holes).
 
Bondo would be the way to go. Its easy to work with sandable and turns pretty hard.
Just make sure that you provide a backing in the inside of you case.
Dont apply too much of the hardener.
Why away enough excess so you dont have to sand as much.
 
Why not use paper mache (sp?), shredded toilet paper and watered down wallpaper paste/PVA glue?

easy to work with, dries rock hard and can be painted over very easily- not sure if it can be sanded though.
 
Ghost68 said:
i secont the bondo... it is ment to take car paint and be sanded so it is the best option.. wouldnt paper mache soak up the paint and look bad?

I don't think so- if you leave it to dry overnight, you can paint it without any problems (did you never do that at primary school (don't know about the USA grade system- whatever grade/school children attend from age 6 - 11).

Never heard of Bondo- must be a US thing... we have PolyFiller- sounds like the same thing.
 
paper mache would be harder to come out clean. Maybe for volcano models and planet models but computer modding would probably not be the right project.
Bondo is an automotive body filler that is meant to blend in with the finish of a car and therefore would be a good choice for your project.
 
I've used bondo with great success, just scour the area with a scotchbrite pad and some dishsoap beforehand to get the best bond to the plastic.
If you have a deep area to fill, put some cardboard into the recessed area. Bondo works best in coats under 1/4" thick, but I've pushed my luck and done well with 1/2". You can put one thinner coat on top of another and be fine, after it thoroughly dries. Sometimes it shrinks and cracks in thick applications.

If you need some reinforcement for strength, you can use the screen type fiberglass tape they use for drywall. That works great. Even window screen would work.

the bondo'd area should be primed before painting for the best job. It is a car body filler, but will soak up the first coat of paint and make the color look flat (second coat usually shines though). Finish sand it before painting, with some 600 grit paper because your sanding marks will show through the paint job if you don't.

I used it for what you intend, to "disappear" a second floppy drive bay, and to fill the fake vents around the front bezel. You can use your spot putty to fill any bubbles you find while sanding.
Hope that helps you out!

By the way, paper-mache isn't realy a bad idea, just a pain to get out the air voids you'll find while sanding it flat/flush.
 
Good tips. Before painting i would probably recomend wet sanding the area using a high grit paper. the smoother things get, the better it looks..... Take your time too, as the final product is highly dependent on all of your prep work.
 
hmmm, bondo....??

it seems that since the idea of bondo has come into play here, i was thinking the possibilities are almost endless if it works out that well, and it would then depend on the modders patients and creativity.

i used it when i was a kid, and my dad "recruited" me to help bondo mom's car. what a mess it was at first, but we did some big areas too. the finished car looked ok, but the paint job needed more attention afa hand buffing. we painted this car in a garage at my dad's friends house, so, this body work, and paint job was 100% "ghetto"....lol the guy who painted the car has done some decent paint jobs before, but we never did it before that.

ok, enough of the bondo tales....good ideas guys...;)
 
Only thing about bondo is that it smells strong when it's mixing and curing. That part can be done in the garage.
My Mrs. gets upset when I do it in the basement (next to the furnace, taking the smell all over the house). :eek:
 
Yeah, go for Bondo. Look around the store, you should be able to find plastic spreaders made by bondo...they make some that are a tan color. Get these. Basically, when you mix the harderner in, when the color matches the color of the spreader you have the correct mix!

As Diggr said, go in light coats. You might want to scour the area, and use fiberglass matting/resin...you'll find that right next to the bondo in the store. You can lay down a few layers of that (kinda like making a fiberglass "box" to fill in the void as best you can) and then bondo over the cured fiberglass to smooth it out and match the rest of the case.

Sand it smooth, primer it, and then sand the primer. You'll see pits and rises, sand down the rises and fill the smaller low spots with the spot putty. Then prime again and paint.

I spent the better part of last night working with bondo...suffice to say I'm remembering what it takes to work with it:

IM001091.JPG


:D
 
That a Triumph? Least it doesn't have rust holes... well that I can see. Oh and for that I would get something other than Bondo brand body filler.:D
 
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