Bondo Mold For Lead Pouring

[biggamefish]

Had no luck finding the tutorial, is it the auto body bondo u buy from auto part stores? If so is there anything to thin it down so it can pour much easier?

[dlaery]

yes, bondo. thin with fiberglass resin. use the bondo hardner.

[mark poulson]

yes, bondo. thin with fiberglass resin. use the bondo hardner.

 

Does the bondo hardener set off the resin, too, or do you need some resin catalyst?

[saltwater]

More bait builder trivia:

 

Bondo is dried and powdered clay mixed with polyester resin/fiberglass resin.

 

MEK is the hardener/catalyst for both polyester/fiberglass resin and the polyester resin in Bondo.

 

The MEK used for Bondo is in paste form and colored for ease of mixing.

 

So you can use liquid MEK, like that used for fiberglass resin, to harden Bondo and you can use the paste form MEK as a hardener for fiberglass resin.

 

You can choose what is best for you.

[saltwater]

Does the bondo hardener set off the resin, too, or do you need some resin catalyst?

OOPS, sorry I didn't answer the question, dlaery is correct.

 

You can use the Bondo hardner to kick-off the thinned with resin Bondo. You can add just a touch more of the Bondo hardener if you mix in a large amount of resin to the Bondo.

 

I don't use Bondo, I make my own from Talc mixed with polyester resin. You can buy Talc from a boating supply store. Use fiberglass MEK catalyst. It is much more economic, you can make it any consistency you desire, it is lighter weight than Bondo and is easier to shape, carve and sand/grind.

[Vodkaman]

I used the liquid MEK, but both work just fine.

 

Dave

[mark poulson]

What's the difference between MEK and MEKP?

[saltwater]

Methyl Ethyl Ketone Peroxide

 

MEK and MEKP are the same thing. MEK is short for MEKP

[mark poulson]

Thanks.  I have a couple of pints of MEK in the garage and I'll give it a try.

[saltwater]

mark, WARNING MEK is volatile, explosive, a severe skin irritant and can cause progressive corrosive damage or blindness. Handle with care.

A five gallon bucket of MEK was sitting on the dock at the boatyard one afternoon and it just exploded. The heat from the sun ignited it.

[RayburnGuy]

MEK is methyl ethyl ketone and MEKP is methyl ethyl ketone peroxide. Not exactly sure what the difference is.

 

Ben

[dlaery]

OOPS, sorry I didn't answer the question, dlaery is correct.

 

You can use the Bondo hardner to kick-off the thinned with resin Bondo. You can add just a touch more of the Bondo hardener if you mix in a large amount of resin to the Bondo.

 

I don't use Bondo, I make my own from Talc mixed with polyester resin. You can buy Talc from a boating supply store. Use fiberglass MEK catalyst. It is much more economic, you can make it any consistency you desire, it is lighter weight than Bondo and is easier to shape, carve and sand/grind.

I buy industrial talc to use on molds silicone molds for mold release, so I could use this to make my own bondo? 

[saltwater]

dlaery, yes, you can use Talc mixed with polyester resin and catalyzed with MEK as a replacement for Bondo.

[robalo01]

I have used Bondo for lead pouring molds with success, and I use industrial talk as a filler for ply resin as well. If you are making two part molds keep in mind that the greater the ratio of resin to filler, the more it will shrink when hardening and the less resistant it will be to heat.

[saltwater]

Beyond Bondo and Talc for lead pouring, there are lots of materials that can be used for general mold making.

 

You can mix polyester or epoxy resin with:

 

Plaster of Paris, Durham's water putty, silica powder, graphite powder, Cabosil glass bubbles, milled glass fiber, thixotropic powder, wood powder, phenolic microballoons or even all purpose flour, among others. It all depends on what your needs are.