what do you find works best for filling and shaping that doesn't leave air bubble holes and sands nicely? i haven;t had the best luck with bondo...lookin for an alternative.
thanks


(mike-pics are coming)

Well I have noticed that if you get a thin stretchy material to use as your base, it pulls tighter and can be manipulated easier to take the shape of the structure you built easier, leaving less bubbles and wrinkles to smooth out with bondo. Actually I there has been a couple where I just fiberglass it and sand it lightly so the primer will adhese and wetsand and paint!

Hope this helps out!

Originally posted by tim97rs
what do you find works best for filling and shaping that doesn't leave air bubble holes and sands nicely? i haven;t had the best luck with bondo...lookin for an alternative. thanks (mike-pics are coming)

It might also be the way your mixing it. Don't fold it with a spreader and don't whip it like a cake batter.Also too much hardner can lead to lots of pinholes. And spot putty makes a great topcoat and shapes nicely just not in thick applications(no more than 1/8-3/16th in multiple coats).Also make sure your spreaders are free of bur's.Also you can try using "super light wieght" bondo for real easy sanding.

Ad a little thinner to it as well and air can escape easier.

Originally posted by madhatter210

Originally posted by tim97rs what do you find works best for filling and shaping that doesn't leave air bubble holes and sands nicely? i haven;t had the best luck with bondo...lookin for an alternative. thanks (mike-pics are coming)

It might also be the way your mixing it. Don't fold it with a spreader and don't whip it like a cake batter.Also too much hardner can lead to lots of pinholes. And spot putty makes a great topcoat and shapes nicely just not in thick applications(no more than 1/8-3/16th in multiple coats).Also make sure your spreaders are free of bur's.Also you can try using "super light wieght" bondo for real easy sanding.

Well exactly what he said. I totally agree with th e spot putty. Another thing you might want to look at, is instead of using bondo, I use the bodyfiller called Rage by Evercoat. Heres what it looks like
http://autobodystore.net/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=E106&Category_Code=FM . I didnt buy it from here. I found it at one of your mom and pop auto stores or a auto paint shop. Anyways, I found this stuff has signifcantly alot less pinholes, I dont even have to worry about them. Also the stuff sands and from great.

get some shit made by USC called featherlite. its super thin, pretty strong and is soo easy to work with. no air bubbles and sands great. its really cheap too, like $12.50 a gallon, atleast that what it is in ohio. UPOL makes good filler too, and some shit called duraglass works out too, but its prety thick and super strong and hard to sand.

Go to a Local boaters world, Boatersworld.com and get some evercoat Polyaster resin. What I do is use bondo sand it down then go over it with a layer of the resin. This poly resin from evercoat is extremely easy to sand. I have tryed mas epoxy, west system, boat yard, every tryp of resin out there and evercoar is the best for finishing. Boat yard lamanating resin is much better<easier to sand, finish is awseom> but it requires a pva mold relase or saran wrap to cure<barrier between it and the air>making it a pain in the ass.