fiberglass or bondo??

faiz_23 · 04-15-2004, 01:58 AM

well, i just read a post and it says not to bondo since bondo can crack, so do i do fiberglass, i saw a post where a guy with an audi used bondo to mold the screen in, and it came out perfect, so what do you guys think bondo or fiberglass

meddler · 04-15-2004, 03:23 AM

It depends what you are better at using. I am lucky, I know how to lay up glass. (Used to repair fibreglass boats). If you have never used glass before I would suggest bondo, unless you have alot of time to experiment.
Bondo usually cracks because either too much hardener has been used or there is not enough support for it. It isn't suppose to be all that flexible, so if the panel that you are putting bondo over flexes then of course it will crack.

frodobaggins · 04-15-2004, 04:00 AM

[opinion]
fiberglass for structure
bondo for finish work
[/opinion]

Jamez_Warner · 04-15-2004, 05:22 AM

is "bondo" avaliable in UK?
James

djmickyg · 04-15-2004, 05:39 AM

"bondo" is just any car body filler..
or u can even use "builders bog" used when building houses..
its all the same stuff

u can get fiberglass body filler also.. its bondo with strands of fiber glass in it.. it doesnt crack as easy as the stands plastic filler.

shakes · 04-15-2004, 11:07 AM

It also depends on how big of an area you need to cover. If you have a 6" hole, use a fiberglass matt ... If' you're just doing a screen bezel ... tru fibergassing is overkill.

I used "bondo glass" which is just bondo with strands of fiberglass in it. Lay this down over all cracks to build up the strength ... then go over it with normal bondo to get it nice and smooth.

Banderon · 04-15-2004, 11:15 AM

Bondo is really just a brand name... but it's the de facto body filler used in the US, so people often just say Bondo when they mean body filler.

Much like tobasco sauce. It's amazing how many people think that tobasco is actually a type of hot sauce, when in reality it's just a brand name.

That said, I recommend body filler for anything small, and glass for anything big. A custom housing for a screen is definitely small work. A custom housing for a sub, that'd be reason to use glass.

Jamez_Warner · 04-15-2004, 11:20 AM

lol now i feel stupid ! that's good though ( just about to saw up my dash )
James

Banderon · 04-15-2004, 11:24 AM

Nah, you're from the UK. You'd have no idea that Bondo is just a brand name cause it's my understanding that you guys don't have it over there.

However, if you thought Tobasco meant hot sauce, then yes you are stupid... and a poster boy for VERY effective advertising.

faiz_23 · 04-15-2004, 11:38 AM

by the way, thanks for those quick replies,
well this is what i am doing, i am gonna mold a lilliput screen into a doubledin, slot, it is gonna be a very tight fit, it is an acura, so i will be barely molding it in, it will be used more to just attach the two pieces together, i think the gap between the bezel and the hole will be under .5 of and inch, so what do you guys think.

Banderon · 04-15-2004, 01:31 PM

Yep, that's why it's called body filler.

Use bondo to join the two pieces... sand it down... reapply more bondo if necessary, to get it to look just how you want... sand... prime... paint.

brrman · 04-15-2004, 02:05 PM

There are different types of Bondo. You can get the pink bodyfiller, the green
"glass" version, and another resin jelly type. For dash fabs its best to use the green glass version of Bondo with the pink used on top for final layering.

anything large you could use resin or jelly with glass matte or cloth...

In your case Faiz Id use the green Bondo Glass version. (comes in a blue and white can) Thats if your in the US. BTW faiz - that could have been my post that you saw where I used the Bondo on my dash - and it was the fiberglass Bondo.

faiz_23 · 04-15-2004, 04:10 PM

well thanks for the answer, and yeah that might have been you post, i will be getting my package in tomorrow and should do some work this weekend and i will get the green bondo like you said, btw i live in missouri, right in the middle of no where. hell i would be suprised if we were on the map, kinda ****ed since i use to live in dallas texas, now i have a population on 5500 pushing it,

shakes · 04-15-2004, 04:58 PM

get both the glass bond and the normal kind ... you want the glass for the first 2 or 3 layers to build stength ... then the regular stuff to smooth it out. the glass bondo is real bad about leaving craters.

here's a pic of the two types i used (glass kind is on the left): http://gallery.jackshakes.com/carpc-...bondo_products

the stuff on the right is the finishing bondo (normal stuff) ... you can also use the red can that is used for automotive applications.

mutilator · 04-16-2004, 07:39 AM

ok, im gonna mould a screen into my friends dash, but he has a new vauxhall corsa and they have a daft shaped radio so i figure ill buy an adapter that takes it to din, and cut the adapter up, then "bondo" the bezel into the adapter. i am thinkin of then turning it into a mould by putting fibreglass over it, so when i remove the fibreglass, ill have an inverse mould so i could easily make another one for another friend if required, would this be ok? i have 0 experiance in fibreglass, but the "bondo" is the same as the woodfiller that i use alot at work.

thanks in advance,
tom