Movers always have a way of instinctively damaging important things

[dema]

Isn't it horrible how movers always find a way to instinctively hunt down and ruin the one thing you insist they take the most care with? Well, that is what happened to me this weekend.

While it's not horrible and could have been much worse, I'm sad to say that a 1" x 3" chunk was chipped off the corner of my arcade cabinet, just one week after I finally completed the construction portion of the machine. Normally that wouldn't be a problem because squared off corners could always be built out slightly and covered with a corner protector.

However my cabinet has some shape to it, and the curved corner can't be concealed that way. What I would need to do is recreate the shape of the corner, so I'm thinking about the best way to proceed. Since I paid for insurance I could have their woodworker come out to the house and repair it. But I'm not sure how they'll tackle the problem, and I don't want them to give a half-hearted repair. Now I'm wondering if I should do it myself.

I was thinking Bondo is the way to go, and I'm also thinking that drilling a couple pilot holes and screws into the wood at the corner will be sufficient for the Bondo to bind to. But the problem is creating the form to match the other side. There is some T molding attached still and I guess I could use that as the outer edge guide, but would the Bondo attach to that like glue as well? How long does it take Bondo to dry? I have to do this in my house now, and I have a young daughter enamored with the unit, so I don't want her to be monkeying around with this. Can this be done without needing to sand it, because I can't lug the unit outside from where it's located.

Thanks for any help.

[Jabba]

Not sure about the bondo thing but you if you could square up the damaged area, you could cut another 1 x 3 inch piece and use something like a biscuit joint/or wooden dowels to glue it back in, then you could cut back out the same profile you had. Heck,. even a small tongue and groove could do the trick...

This may be harder than the bondo thing though. Anyyways, just a thought...

[Stingray]

There is some T molding attached still and I guess I could use that as the outer edge guide, but would the Bondo attach to that like glue as well?

No. After the bondo sets, you should be able to just pull the t-molding off of it. It will stick a little, but it won't realy adhere to smooth plastic like that.

How long does it take Bondo to dry?

Depends on how you mix it. A lot of hardener and will be set up in 15 minutes, but you'd better be fast, you'll only have a couple minutes of working time. A little hardener, maybe a couple hours. Not enough hardener and it will never set up.

-S

[mahuti]

Build it up over time. Don't do one gigantic bondo job at one time.