OK so I want to put a paint finish of sorts onto the front of a case panel. Problem is it has a round hole in it How do I go about reinforcing the back of the hole? fibreglass? I'm ok with the bondo/isopon side of it (the front) but need to find a way to block the hole up first. I can't really use fibreglass as I have no garden/shed etc.
ABS plastic front? If it's plastic... cut a piece larger than the hole and plastic weld it onto the back, cut another piece the same size as the hole and plastic weld that into place. Finish it off with a light skim of bondo to fill in any gap, sand, prime and paint. Any good model shop with have plastic weld, like a liquid glue in a bottle... hth
Sadly no, it's a 1/4" thick slab of alu.... Dell don't do things by halves it seems, at least not on their Precision workstations...
Dell badge size about 1 3/4"? Not that big... I've got a tube of Isopon in my Ebay basket ready for ordering but am a bit stuck on how to block off the back without using fibreglass and resin
If noone on the forum can cut you a disc, for £2.35 posted you can get a pack of two of these that'll do the job relatively neatly: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Qty-2-Bla...plies_ET&var=670113492873&hash=item5d40f495a0 Ideally you want 50mm rather than 60mm (if your 1 3/4" is accurate that is!) but in a quick search I could only find them in larger packs
The hole inevitably needs filling with filler. Whilst I'm not painting the outside of it (I'm going to cover it in vinyl and then laquer the crap out of it) any bump or even grit will show up. Chameleon isn't the easiest finish to achieve as it uses a black base. Black will show anything... I may have to measure up the hole and tackle the whole situation from the front though, so one of those stuck in with epoxy could form a half decent foundation Cheers.
Actually I meant you could adhere it to the inside (where the overlap won't show but would still look neat, giving you the solid foundation you need) then fill in from the front
Yeah I kinda got that after I'd posted. Apparently the pound shops now have epoxy for a quid, as well as some spray paints.. I really need to drag my ass down there and take a look around.
If your doing a vinyl wrap then I'd Bolt/fix with adhesive a square plate to the back using countersunk bolts cut a round piece to the size of the hole and fit it in with adhesive and/or maybe a bolt or two to secure... Finish off any gaps and the countersunk bolt heads if used etc the same as my first comment to tidy it up and wrap! Although I always get carried away and over think and engineer things
That sounds tooooo complicated ffs I would just buy some fiberglass filler from he local car shop fill it from the back and sand once set
And you should end up with something like this Seriously though that sounds a lot more effort then is necessary just to fill a hole!
Depends how stable, long lasting and it not showing after being wrapped I guess... Being 1/4" thick Alu I'm sure your right it won't move and crack after being filled with filler of any description... that never happens! ---------------------------------------------------- Hope it turns out how you want AlienwareAndy... however you decide to tackle it!
Pete tbh I think Andy may have mis-measured. 1/4" is 6.35mm - that's damn thick for a dell off the shelf case panel don't you think, unless the hole has got some kind of lip to it which could be removed ?
This is going to sound ridiculous but it worked. I repaired the front wing of my first car with a vinyl record ! (Robert Palmer - Addicted to Love 12" single) I even managed to use the centre hole to pop the ariel through ! I obviously snapped it into the shape. Anyway do you have an old cd you can offer up and glue to the back of the hole and then fill over from the top. The filler stuck well to the vinyl and will to the cd (or the clear plastic protective one that comes on the top of a bundle of them).
The front panel is milled out of aluminium. It's a solid, very heavy piece. And yes, at its thickest point it is about 6mm, seriously, Dell haven't done it by half Here is what it looks like here... Remember, this isn't a £300 Dell this was a £2000 base price Dell... Any way, by the pic you can see the Dell logo I have removed, leaving a hole.. It's bevelled inward so the filler has something to stop it going through, if that makes sense.. IE - \_______/ Any way after thinking about it I have ordered some fine modelling mesh and epoxy and will set that to the back (filling the mesh with epoxy kinda like if I were doing fibreglass work) and then let that harden then fill it with Ispon from the front.
