Need help with material for proton pack project

Equipment Proton Packs
1

i have been getting my plans together to make my first proton pack and i have now run into some trouble.

i have looked at alot of packs on this website and they all look great but the only problem i have is that i dont think i can put in the amount of money needed to use fiberglass resin and such that would bring the cost of the project up a few hundred dollars.

my family owns a cabinet shop and i can get all the free wood i need and use the tools wihtout a problem. the only thing i worry about is how heavy the pack would be even if i use thin layers of wood throughout the pack. also when i go to paint the pack i dont want the grains or anything of the wood to show through the paint. i want it to look nice and smooth like ive seen the other packs look like.

so my questions are:

  1. if i were to go with the wood route (which is the cheapest for me), what can i do to make the pack look really good like packs made out of resin and such (basically focusing on the finished product’s look)?

  2. are there cheaper and lighter alternatives that would still give me that nice look in the end and will be solid enough to carry around? i would like it to feel and look like a proton pack and try not to make it out of cardboard or soemthing flemsy and it look crappy.

thanks

2

1: Sand, sand more, sand again and then do some sanding. Really deep grain will require wood filler/bondo.

2: Nothing beats free but if you are willing to pay for materials then Styrene or MDF are the materials of choice for pack builders.

3

Filling Primer will help alleviate the grain, without as much hassle as body/wood filler in both application and sanding.

4

I would use styrene look and see if you have a plastic company near by and you can just go pick it up. I went to Regal Plastics. Do a Google search for that company name and and it should pull their website right up.

If you do go that route this is what you can do:

http://www.gbfans.com/community/viewtopic.php?t=26358

5

I know EXACTLY what you mean. I am building most of my pack components out of wood. Nomatter where you look, it seems like you just can’t find anything as cheap as wood… Except cardboard which, don’t get me wrong, there are some very special cardboard packs out there, but it just doesn’t scream the words “longevity” or “durable” to me. For those of you who like cardboard, please don’t crucify me… to each his own.

Anyway, Your pack will be heavier made out of wood, but it shouldn’t be unbearable as long as all of your components are hollow. My first pack had a number of solid wood components and the motherboard was made from 3/4" MDF. That sucker was HEAVY, but it didn’t keep me from carrying it around. My new pack will have many wood components, but I am building them from sheets no thicker than 3/16" framed out by small strips of pine.

Anyway, that being said, I have to believe my pack will be light enough, I’ve got too much work into it not to be. I have to believe yours will be too!

Also, Bondo works magic.

6

thanks alot thebigguy!! def made me feel better.

i was thinking it would be lighter if you hollowed out the parts. my father and grandfather make cabinet frames and stuff and when i pick up a unit its pretty light but sturdy so i figured if you could carry it on you back it should be no heavier than carrying a large amount of books at college or highschool.

how much does bondo run and where is the best place to get it if you dont mind me asking? trying to get an idea of how much everything is going to run me?

is there any other alternatives to bondo for preping the wood for paint so as to not show wood grain?

also to the other posters i did not find the primer filler on the internet. where do you get it at and how much does it cost?

thanks!