Question Of Noobdum 2!

[leegrisham]

I humbly seek forgiveness for my noobdum in advance.
Ok, here it is.
Is there any other kind of filler or something I can use?
What I have in mind here is something like mud, as I've all ways heard it called - I guess sheet rock mud more to the point is what I have in mind.
Maybe laying a layer down and smoothing it out then sand it down, then put the harder bondo layer down to cover that. Maybe even resin.
Is something like that feasible. If there is a substance or filler to match that description please 'fill' me in.

In case anyone is wondering why - I want something I can lay down that will stay wet longer without setting up. Also I can work around easier and that I have experience with.

 

[Ixius]

Possibly try fiberglass resin Jelly? It has the consistency of Bondo but you can add/remove the amount of cream hardener slightly to adjust the curing time more to your specifications

 

[rvb4life]

bondo body filler is the main kind, because that is what most auto body technicians use for cars, and it carried over to costuming.

Mud is resin/bondo mix, Sigma can tell you about that, he made a tutorial about it.

Bondo is kind of like resin, but much thicker and has a way faster curing time. you have about 2 minutes tops depending on what ratio you use. i just eyeball it, gives me about 3 minutes of good working time.


Make sure you put it on quickly and smoothly, otherwise you and mr. sandpaper will have to get aquainted

 

[leegrisham]

Well I have been using bondo and been pretty successful at it so far I was just wondering if I was just wanting some that had a longer drying time that 2 - 4 minutes.

The "mud" I'm talking about is used in building and covers gaps and other imperfections on walls - there is more than one "mud". In this instance I wasn't referencing rondo.

Anyways like I said I have had a lot of experience the the sheet rock mud and it stays wet much longer and would give me more time to smooth and layer and contour yada yada yada.

I was just curious as to whether I could use something like that under a layer of some bondo or something.

 

[Skullcandy Girl]

You could try aqua resin. It's Non-Toxic and while I haven't timed how long it stays gooey, I'd say you at least have 90 seconds(and this depends on how ya mix it) before it starts to cure.

 

[leegrisham]

Iono that 90 seconds sounds way shorter than a few minutes.
I was thinking something with maybe 7 - 10 minutes or longer... something that stays nice and wet and pliable long enough for me to play around with it till I like where it is.

 

[CPU64]

Bondo body filler is the best and easiest to use.
Some people like to goop it up all over the object then carve it out like a David from a marble block.
I like to add thin layers of Bondo in sections, and shaping/sanding that layer before adding another one.

You can also use saran-wrap plastic over rounded areas to achieve a perfectly smooth surface without any sanding at all.. Or pieces of cardboard covered in clear tape. Just press onto fresh bondo and peel off when it hardens. Perfectly smooth flats

 

[tricksterloki]

You could try aqua resin. It's Non-Toxic and while I haven't timed how long it stays gooey, I'd say you at least have 90 seconds(and this depends on how ya mix it) before it starts to cure.

I think what he is asking is would it be possible to use the sheet rock mud...the white goopy stuff....under the bondo. Sheet rock mud has like a 30 min + curing time, so I believe he is wondering if he could use that and get the contours and everything perfect because of the long curing time then add a harder layer of bondo on top. I think it can be done, BUT! You would have to apply to top layer of bondo almost perfectly. You are still going to have to do a ton of sanding to flatten it out and smooth it. I would just reccomend using bondo my friend. You will get use to it I promise. I just don't think I would trust the sheet rock mud. It deforms to easily and might allow the bondo to break and crack. Hope you find a solution! Let us know! Good luck, and happy hunting.

-TL13

 

[flying squirl]

what i tend to do is mix my isopon(bondo) quite cold. i use a teeny ammount of hardener, mix it REALY well and start working with it. couple that with cold tempatures outside and youve added about another 3-5 minuites working time. oh and it will set, dont worry. however, i would recomend that you mix up a bit (note the ammounts) and just leve it to set.
just to give an idea of how cold i mix it, on adverage, after ive used 2 tins i have one full pack of harderner left.

there is one draw back and that is it goes through the different stages (grainy, cheesy, rubbery, carvable and set) at a much slower rate so its more difficult to spot them and the tendency is to over work it and you end up peeling up little bit of your detail, so i suppose while mixing it cold is handy, dont go too cold with it till youve got a good bit of experience with it.

You can also use saran-wrap plastic over rounded areas to achieve a perfectly smooth surface without any sanding at all.. Or pieces of cardboard covered in clear tape. Just press onto fresh bondo and peel off when it hardens. Perfectly smooth flats

thats ingenious, i so using that idea now. thanks!!!

 

[leegrisham]

@trickster - You caught my drift precisely. I was afraid that the weaker SRM (sheet rock mud) would damage the integrity of the bondo on top. I thought about just running a test batch - maybe I'll do that this week. I just like the idea of having plenty of time to add / shape / contour the medium before it sets.

@CPU - that idea is pretty genius - i was thinking of something similar but didn't try it.

@squirl - I'll try mixing it nice n cold. Most of my batches have been medium/hot so far - I was afraid to mix it cold for some reason. I'll try a cool one this week.

 

[docbytes]

Try fiberglass Jelly? LINK

Holds up to dropping and punching alot better then bondo, don't ask!

 

[Humungotron]

Other option is to go with UV reactive filler, like so. do your work in the garage, then after you're happy with it, set it in the sun.

 

[LastSpartan]

CPU : Are you using double side tape? Or just a piece covered with tape?

 

[Humungotron]

I'm not CPU, but I'll answer that one... single sided. non-sticky face to the bondo. you're looking for a smooth flat surface for the bondo to cure against. If you have plexiglass, it'll work too. hell, even a mirror would work, but the tape/saran wrap is alot easier to work with.

 

[leegrisham]

humungo - will that body filler work just as well as the other

 

[Humungotron]

It depends, really. I wouldn't bother putting it on anything on a cloudy day, as it can take up to a couple hours to kick. On a nice hot summer day, you're looking at about the same time as regular bondo. If you have access to a UV lamp it'll make things a lot easier if its crappy outside.
I haven't used the exact brand I isted, but something similar. It spreads decent, you don't need to mix in hardener, but its a little more $$.
Since I have access to all the bondo I could want for free, I don't really have a use for it. When I first started out doing this oh so long ago ( i did my first bondo work at 16. I'm 31 now. My brains too cooked from the heat for math, you figure it out), this stuff was a godsend. I could take 45 minutes to get it where i wanted, pull my truck out, and done.

 

[leegrisham]

http://www.crayola.com/canwehelp/products/...yClay/index.cfm
Air Dry Clay.
Found this last night at walmart, was just thinking - if this stuff would stick to the paper do you think I could put on some fine details with this, resign over the top of it? This stuff was pretty cheap and would probably be really easy detail/carve in.
Thanks.

 

[JoeyCoz]

http://www.crayola.com/canwehelp/products/...yClay/index.cfm
Air Dry Clay.
Found this last night at walmart, was just thinking - if this stuff would stick to the paper do you think I could put on some fine details with this, resign over the top of it? This stuff was pretty cheap and would probably be really easy detail/carve in.
Thanks.

I wouldn't use anything that doesn't get as hard as bondo or fiberglass, because a couple coats of resin will not add that much strength over your filler material. (Just look at how flimsy your resined peps are before the fiberglass) Also if you accidentally sand through the resin into the clay, you'll have to scrape it off and start again. Adding more coats of resin would help, but making the resin layer thicker will cause you to lose detail. I was thinking that a slow cure, two-part epoxy putty would work.
This is what I found: Macic Sculpt on E-Bay
It has a working time of 1 1/2 to 3 hours. You can get a 2 oz. sample shipped to you for about $5 and a pound will cost you $14.99 + $4.80 for freight.
Here's a FAQ for Magic SculptMagic Sculpt FAQ
Maybe someone else has tried this stuff?
For my helmet, I just mixed the bondo up cold, (barely pink) and cut in the details as it set up.