recommend me some bondo!!!

[squire]

well yeah im in need of some any recommends?

[nostrebor]

Go to your local Wal-Mart, walk to the automotive section, and pick up the can marked "Bondo". 













What? Choices?? Well, yes there are several choices...

You want the one that is *not* fiberglass, metal impregnated, or fancy dandy. Just regular plastic filler Bondo. It'll be the cheapest one, more than likely. see the pic attached...

[97thruhiker]

Just finished a cabinet restoration where I used standard bondo to patch some holes and rebuild some corners.  Great stuff, highly recommend it.  Its very easy to work with except for the fact that it dries very quickly so mix it in small batches.

[NightGod]

If you are only doing some small wood repairs/filling holes, there's this stuff called Plastic Wood that's pretty amazing, as well. You can pick it up at all of the usual places.

[dweebs0r]

What about areas that include t-molding slots?

If you bondo up the are can you still cut a groove for the t-mold? or do you have to trim the t-molding and put it in place without the slot?

Thanks,
-D

[shardian]

How big of a t-molding strip are you talking about? If it is a small area, use a dremel tool to clean out the t-molding slot in the bondo.

[dweebs0r]

I'm talking about five or six inches of an area where a chunk on the cab is missing.

Almost as if someone stuck a screwdriver in the t-molding slot and then broke off a big piece.

-D

[97thruhiker]

What I would try (haven't attempted this but it could work) is to find yourself a thin piece of wood or heavy card stock the same width of your exisisting T-Molding slot.  Cover the edge that will be going into the slot / where the bondo is going with saran (plastic) wrap and clamp it in place.  Put your bondo on and square it off the best you can freehand with your exsiting sided where its not damaged (its okay to go with a little more so you can sand it out).  After the bondo hardens pull the card stock or whatever you use out.  If the saran (plastic) sticks within the grove it should not present a problem when laying the t-molding.  Sand it out to match the cabinets original line.  Repeat as neccessary.  The only question is the effect the bondo will have on the plastic wrap (will it eat through it or not, I guess you can always test a glob of bondo on some plastic wrap before beginning).

[nostrebor]

If you have a router and a slot cutter, just bondo the whole area, shape the bondo to match the profile of the plywood, and then cut the groove in the bondo with your router. Bondo will cut and shape very similar to wood.

If you don't have a router, I would fill and shape like above, and then carefully cut the groove with a hacksaw blade or other cutting tool.

NOTE: Bondo is not very strong in tensile. If you make a tight T-mold groove in it, and hammer in a T-mold like a wedge in the groove, the bondo will split off. Make the groove wide enough that the t-mold will *bite* but not put a bunch of outer pressure on the bondo.

Personally, I would try to patch the spot with wood, but it is more "tool intensive".

[Xphile]

He's right, Bondo (it's a brand name, so I'm talking about any lightweight  2 part polyester filler) is a great product that works just like wood...

actually, found this somewhere, it's worth the read:

Auto Body Filler - Bondo

      Polyester auto body filler, usually referred to as bondo, is a modelmaking tool of great versatility. Bondo is intended to be used as auto body filler, that is, to fill either holes or depressions in auto body panels in order to bring the surface back to the original shape after an accident or it has rusted out. Because of its intended purpose it was formulated to be very tough and flexible, to bond very strongly to properly prepared surfaces, to be sanded or formed relatively easily, to hold a good surface finish, and to take paint very well, yielding a potentially beautiful finish. Bondo is readily available, inexpensive, and easy to use with a little experience.

      There are many different brands of auto body filler on the market and some are better than others. I have had good luck with Bondo brand and Bond Tite brand (sold at Scherba