I’d been avoiding this part for a long time. My three previous attempts at using Bondo were less then stellar. I would go through 2 or more sanding pads as they would gum up every time I used them on the Bondo.
I finally figured it out. The reason everything was gumming up was that the Bondo wasn't fully cured despite my waiting more than the recommended time. This was because I wasn’t putting enough hardner in it. The amount you use always seemed like guys were just eye ballin it when watching them on Youtube. Turns out it’s ok if you don’t use enough hardening agent, all you need to do is bust out the heat gun and hit the stuff for awhile till it’s nice and hot. Apparently that’s all that the hardening agent really does anyway.
Before the Bondo would always have a bit of stickiness to it and seem a bit brittle like I could break off pieces. After getting it right there is no stickiness, and the stuff is rock hard.
My tools (keeping Acetone on hand is critical for cleanup):
First go at smoothing out the surfaces and crevasses:
Took about 3-4 rounds in various places but I finally told myself it was as good as it was going to get:
Time to cut out the Acrylic insert (used the same guide as I had made before):
I always hate cutting this stuff, the cut flakes are statically charged so they fly everywhere and stick to everything. I always wear a mask, but with this stuff I make double sure, the smell is awful.
Used the Acrylic as a guide to cut out the laminate:
Had my brother-in-law help me by holding a piece of thin cardboard between the laminate and the wood (in lieu of PVC pipes to keep the two surfaces separate). I was able to get my alignment down and then press at the most important part at the bottom and then he slowly pulled up the cardboard while I rolled the laminate on.
Used the router to flush trim the laminate:
Installed the thin 5mm wide addressable LED strip from Aliexpress:
Drilled a hole in the very corner to get the wiring through. Tested my soldering work on the Arduino before installing:
Ran out of time to do any more. Might be able to get something done during the week, but this coming weekend we are out of town so this will just sit in the garage for a bit. I hate waiting for free weekends.