The Astroliner

[KCStudly]

Blisters? Phew, I don't feel so bad now. But seriously, that looks sharp!

[Atomic77]

Thanks KC... On the boat we always vacuum bag... We don't dare risk a void at 200mph. But here, no worries... Just fill the void with thick and wet out a new piece. Problem solved.

[KCStudly]

Yup, I'm learning. As always, thanks for the tips.

[Atomic77]

Thanks noseoil... And yes I've got the paint figured out. All I can tell you is, it's space age and includes atomic boomerangs with lots of old school flake!


Laying carbon on corners is always a challenge... Add in a big radius and the level of difficulty goes up even more. Then all the sanding! Whew! But it's over now and I'm pleased. I also got the first coat of filler on, (3M Platinum) and maybe a third of it sanded. Thankfully it looks like one coat will get most of it, a second should get the remaining low spots. I had several moments through the process where I almost regretted all the extra work it took to glass and mould the seams. But now at this stage I just keep thinking how pleased I am that I made the decision. The outer shell is literally all one piece! It's the lightest tank I've ever built.

I apologize that all my pictures look the same... Major progress yet difficult to convey. Part of the reason is the scale of the thing. Take a look at the last picture to get a feel for the size next to my brothers fifth wheel...

[OP827]

Nice looking work, how much light filler did you put down today, close to a gallon?

[KCStudly]

I love seeing this stage of a build when the color starts to get uniform and you can really get a sense of the finished look. You can really see all of the effort you have put in.

[Atomic77]

Thanks OP... I used a gallon and a half. I can get most bodywork done in one pass, sometimes two. I've seen people put it on and sand it off almost endlessly... The trick is to get enough on the first time.

[Atomic77]

Thanks KC... It's actually the best I've felt about it in a while! Closer to paint...

[OP827]

Thanks OP... I used a gallon and a half. I can get most bodywork done in one pass, sometimes two. I've seen people put it on and sand it off almost endlessly... The trick is to get enough on the first time.

That is a lot of mix batches and work in my book for sure, great progress and thanks for the tip, Michael!

[Atomic77]

Thanks OP...

[Vedette]

I sure hope you have a "Bondo "Buster"
Brian

[Atomic77]

Of course! I think my brother's comment was something like, you couldn't pay me enough to mold all that in. Or something like that. Anyway, truth is I've got about 50% of it knocked out already. That 3M filler is so nice. Hit it with the bondo buster on the first pass with 80, come back on the second pass with 180 on a board. A few tweaks here and there and it's ready for the polyester primer.

[Bruce Schneider]

Standing here in awe. (actually sitting).

Just for us oldtimers is a 'bondo buster' the same as a 'cheese grater'?

[Atomic77]

Thank you Bruce... Actually I haven't used a cheese grater since the 80's. The filler now is so much better and easier to sand that I don't have a need anymore for one. A Bondo Buster is similar to a DA sander, with a slightly different pattern and an 8"pad.

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[Atomic77]

Another great weekend making loads of dust! As brother Matt said, you're only about a five gallon bucket of dust away from paint! Actually, most of the heavy sanding is almost finished. I got the first coat of filler on last weekend. I put guide coat on the filler so I could find the low spots and imperfections in the carbon fiber.

Then a lot of sanding and the second coat of filler applied.

Notice the squares where I built the taillights in are now gone.

Two coats pretty much got it, but I did come back with a little here and there to perfect out the edge.

Which I'm pretty happy with...Its sharp and straight and way better than a moulding! Starting to look pretty custom...