Filling Compounds For Re-routing

[krazyderek]

For dings in a body i usualy just rub some wood glue and sawdust together to make putty and fill any dents and then sand it flush.

I screwed up a route for a battery box a while back and i'm now trying to fix it. I should have just made a template for it, but it looks like i tried to free hand it.

Anyhoo, any quick products for filling a big hole ? there's also a 1/16th" recessed shelf for the top lip of the box that is to big aswell. I duno what i was thinking when i did this but i'm not leaving it that way. So i need something that will basicly fill the whole thing, i'll level it down to the body and rout it back out properly. Not sure if my sawdust woodglue will take well to that much re-routing.

[westhemann]

i once filled a bridge stud with epoxy(the clear stuff) and rerouted it...i was only off just a hair...but i did not want to use wood dust because itwould not have matched the figured top...the small line of epoxy which was left is invisible

[Southpa]

If I'm just plugging a hole I would use auto bondo, easy to work and cover. But for rerouting a large hole I would epoxy in a wood block of similar shape and size.

Edited June 29, 2005 by Southpa

[westhemann]

i think in your case derek i would refill it with wood...glue and rerout

anything less will make you unhappy in the long run

[krazyderek]

i thought about cutting some wood blocks to fill it in, but the corners are kinda hacked cause they had to be chiseled square... but most of it is coming out so blahh.... why didn't i make a template!!!

i was thinking auto bondo, but would it really be better then wood glue/epoxy + sawdust??

this is going to be a solid colour anyways so not worried what it looks like

[westhemann]

i was thinking auto bondo, but would it really be better then wood glue/epoxy + sawdust??

no...that stuff shrinks when packed in a hole that large.

clean the edges up,fill with a block,and rerout it.you know you won't be happy if you know it's bondo under there

i have seen your work.i know you are way to **** for that.

[frank falbo]

I'd like to see it so I know how much your route is off. My vote is to route a rectangle (with rounded corners) and fill it with matching wood. You still have the chance of it telegraphing through the finish someday. But using a synthetic IMO is more likely to telegraph.

Hey you could always replace it with TWO battery boxes! That'd cover your mistake. You could run an 18-volt system, or have one house a "back up" battery that can be switched in on the fly to save the gig!

[krazyderek]

you can see the inner rout is... yuck..

the outer one is ok, i probably just used the wrong bushing / router bit size combination.

i don't have templates for either, i must have just used 4 peices of straight wood.

and as you can see i don't have room for a second one there , good thought though frank

i'm thinking just mix up enough woodglue& dust to fill the top of it. I don't have enough time to do up templates to make a whole, and a peice to fit into it, then another template for the actual hole... guitar has to be to paint on monday and this is item # 7 of 40 that has to be done to the guitar.

Edited June 29, 2005 by krazyderek

[Southpa]

no...that stuff shrinks when packed in a hole that large.

[thegarehanman]

if you use bondo, be really sure to use enough hardener. in my first car, a 1986 nissan 300zx, i stripped down the whole body to metal to repaint it. I found a spot that had been bondoed and the bondo was still soft! needless to say, not enough hardener.

[RAI6]

Why don't you cut a nice piece of wood, and place that in the outer (lip portion) of the route, and then cut a new hole in that? It will cover the larger inner route. The battery box won't be recessed, but at least it will look decent.

Just a thought........

[Mickguard]

Why don't you cut a nice piece of wood, and place that in the outer (lip portion) of the route, and then cut a new hole in that? It will cover the larger inner route. The battery box won't be recessed, but at least it will look decent.

Just a thought........

←

Exactly the thought I had ---all you need to do is make a ring of wood, like a humbucker ring, to hold the battery box.

You could always route the edge of your hole a little deeper to fit.

But you could also make the ring oversized, so it stands proud just a bit --then you could do something fancy, like use a contrasting color/grain to make it look like you WANTED it to be like that....

[westhemann]

no...that stuff shrinks when packed in a hole that large.

Thats not true. Bondo cures chemically, the only thing given off during the reaction is heat. Whereas glue curing is an evaporative process, loss of water/solvents causes shrinkage.

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except that i use it all the time at work,and when you pack it in a hole like that it DOES,in fact ,pull away from the sides and crack due to shrinkage.

[krazyderek]

ok ok, wes was right, i'll just deepen that outer route to 1/2", cut a block to fit in it, glue and tap it in, level re-rout, so all you'll see is a little outer ring around the lip of the box. until it's all cover by paint anyways.

[GodBlessTexas]

no...that stuff shrinks when packed in a hole that large.

Thats not true. Bondo cures chemically, the only thing given off during the reaction is heat. Whereas glue curing is an evaporative process, loss of water/solvents causes shrinkage.

←

It has nothing to do with how it cures, and everything to do with the chemical makeup of Bondo. Bondo is a polyester based resin, just as most "fiberglass" resins that are sold on the market are. Bondo also contains talc and glass microballoons, but nothing to provide structural integrity. Epoxy resins also shrink, but to a much smaller degree than polyester and vinylester resins.

If you do have to fill cavaties, a fiberglass strand infused filler like Kitty Hair or similar might be a better choice.

Remember the Alamo, and God Bless Texas...

Edited June 29, 2005 by GodBlessTexas

[krazyderek]

well it went well, just deepened the outer route, and thankfully found my fine wood chisel's (these puppy's are SHARP!)

sliced the corners with my chisels, having my good ones really made that easier

measured the gap, one side had a 1deg angel to it, cut the right size block, test fit, it was good and snug, no gaps, glued, and tapped it in place

thought it would have taken alot longer, course, this just puts me back at square one... no pun intended

[Southpa]

Glad to see you got it fixed Derek.

I don't know what kind of fillers you use but the stuff I use DOES NOT SHRINK. I use it quite a lot on exterior house renovations, etc. ie. filling large holes in wood. It sands nicely and can be primed/painted over, you'd never know it was there. The best stuff is the two part fairing compounds used mainly for marine applications. Its a little pricey but, once cured, can be drilled, tapped, whatever, just like wood.

Edited June 29, 2005 by Southpa

[thedoctor]

Wait a minute. Your lid-route looks usable. Who says you HAVE to use those plastic factory boxes. I don't. Make a good-looking cover and put your batteries in with foam wrap. You are trying to accomodate a cheap, plastic box and I don't think it's worth it. IHMO

[krazyderek]

Thought i might aswell post the whole thing, leveled out perfectly with my spokeshave and scraper, you can really see the fit was indeed perfect

And then i redid the whole thing, made templates this time too so i won't have a repeat, and cause i like emg's more and more

It's kinda hard to see the ring around it, but it's there, it's just a lighter colour then the original mahog cause of oxydation.

hmm, this might make a good tutorial

Edited June 29, 2005 by krazyderek

[Drak]

except that i use it all the time at work,and when you pack it in a hole like that it DOES,in fact ,pull away from the sides and crack due to shrinkage.

Sweet Jesus man!

You're supposed to be WELDING beams together to hold buildings tall and strong, NOT BONDO-ING them together!!!