Progress:
Another long weekend down. My mom was tired of the bondo smell finding its way into the house from the garage so I was banished to the top of the barn. On the upside, it has a TV! (may make the progress a little slower but it keeps my spirits up.)
Not much to show this stage of the game, but I do feel I've really refined my bondo process so I'm ready to put it in to words for those who care to follow along.
Steps for shaping with body filler (bondo):
Bondo is a brand, like Kleenex, that got famous for a product. Even though they make many other products when most people say bondo they are referring to body filler often used in automotive cosmetic repair.
First you need what you're bondoing to be reinforced because you'll be applying lots of pressure to sand it smooth.
Always work in small batches. I never mix more than two ounces at a time (about the size of a golf ball) and often only one ounce. It only takes a small amount of hardener, about the size of a #2 pencil eraser for 1-2 ounces. I like to mix it up using a chop stick as it is easy to clean off and reuse.
Step 1- Apply your first layer using a plastic putty knife. Be careful where you apply it. It is easy to get the bondo into places, hard to get it out. Your focus here is on creating shape. Many surfaces you are turning from flat to curved which means some areas will have lots of bondo some will have very little. [insert sketch of pep layers] Don't worry about leaving little mountain peaks in random spots, step two will make quick work of those.
Step 2 - After drying, sand down with 40 or 60 grit sandpaper using either a sanding block, orbital, oscillating or mouse sander.. Something flat. Quickly sand into into the shape you wanted. Don't try to make it smooth, you don't want to sand away all the work you've done applying the bondo.
Tip - Don't be afraid to change your sand paper often. You're likely to wear out the backer pads if you use a piece of sand paper too long. Don't let things get too hot, take a break.
Step 3 - Think of this as your last coat of bondo as you apply another layer. Again the focus is trying to create the shape you want. This time also try to leave the areas fairly smooth using your putty knives. It still doesn't need to be perfect. Should look something like this.
Step 4 - Take your same sanding devices as before but this time use 120 grit. It will clog up the sandpaper fast, but man does it leave a good finish. Here's the same piece as above after hitting it with just a 5" orbital sander for less than five minutes.
The goal this time is to get smooth faces. *you won't get every pit out* but it should be nice and flat or curved. Again though, be careful not to sand all your work away.
Tip - You can get different color hardeners so that you can tell when you've sanded through one layer.
Step 5 - The shape you've wanted should be there. All that's left is decently sized pits, maybe some broken up edges and some spots you might have missed entirely. Apply bondo to these places. To fill in pits press your putty knife down hard scraping the bondo into the shallow spots. You do not want to create another layer, only fill in what is missing.
Step 6 - Hand sand with 220 grit. Use files to give real clean edges to hard to reach flat places. Use a dremel to clean the hard to reach curved places.
Step 7 - Use spot putty to fill in any last and final pits. Again press the putty knife in hard as to not add more layers.
Step 8 - Sand with 320 grit to get it smooth than a baby's bottom.
If that sounds like a lot that's because it is, once you've heard step 8 in your hands you'll know it was worth it.
*Note - if a piece has a lot of levels it may be best to do most of these steps for one level before applying bondo to other levels. This will help maintain your details.
CURRENTLY: All of my pieces are either done or almost done with step 4. I'm on the downward slope here.
And a little teaser... I did a test fitting to see where and how I wanted my shoulder pieces to fit together. You may also notice a new addition to the family.
And I'm not talking about the cat.
