Can someone give me a quick rundown of the steps to successfully using bondo? (ie area prep, sanding and stuff)

is this what your refering to: Linkage

I've used plenty of Bondo doing car bodywork. It's not really hard at all. It is nothing more than epoxy with filler (groud up plastic) in it. I'll try and give a quick list of how to use it:

1. Clean the area you're going to apply the bondo to, otherwise it won't stick well. It's a good idea to scufft the area with sandpaper first. I would recommend 220 or 400 grit.

2. Mix the bondo. It doesnt take much hardener to make bondo work. I would highly recommend experimenting with small amounts before you apply bondo the the part you're working on. If you put too much hardener in, it will dry too fast, and you won't get it shaped like you want. Then you'll be sanding forever. If you use too little hardener, it will take forever to harden, if it ever fully hardens at all. I would estimate about 1 drop of hardener for every two ot three tablespoons of filler. Also, it's important to mix it thoroughly, or you'll wind up with soft gooey spots in it where the hardener doesnt get. Mix until it is all one color, it should be a light pink.

3. Apply the bondo. You can buy plastic spreaders, but old credit cards work just as well. The idea is to get it as close to the shape you want in this stage as possible, to minimize sanding.

4. Let it dry. If you mixed it right, it shouldnt take more than 20 or 30 minutes before its hard. I usually wait about an hour before sanding, just to be sure.

5. Sand it to shape. No doubt there are marks and dimples and stuff in the bondo. Sand it until it is the desired shape. If you're trying to get it flat, such as filling a dent on a door, use a sanding block, otherwise it will wind up wavy.

6. Painting: If you are painting over the bondo, don't paint it right away. Epoxies release gasses as they harden, even well after they are hard to the touch. If you paint over it while its still curing, the paint can crack, flake, and bubble. I would recommend waiting at least 12 hours to paint, overnight if possible.

Hope this helps, welcome to the wonderful world of car bodywork... ermm, i mean modding

I use the same techniqe as Ward except. I scuff with 36 grit paper and put many streaks into it with my dremel, on plastic. Just to be sure.

Thanks everyone, I'll give it a try tonight. I've got a new front panel I'm working on...actually, a case that doesn't have any side panels, I'd hoped to attach at least one of the panels and blend it until it's smooth.