spray on body filler?

I've used it... It's decent stuff, but you heard right, it's essentially a REALLY thick spray on primer. It works wonders as an alternative to bondo on curved surfaces especially. Sands easily and makes a beautiful finish (with no wax to sand off)

A good body shop will have it and you do not need a special gun for most of them. HOWEVER, as soon as you notice the primer hardening and gelling, immediately pour it out of the gun and in a disposable container. Then run acetone through the gun until it comes out clear. Any of the primer left in the gun will haren and cause more trouble than it's worth (sometimes ending up tossing the gun away)

Ganbatte ne!

400 will be fine. 320 tends to leave fine lines that you can't see until you paint it.

Depending on the paint, you can probably even take it to 600. Either way, add clear to the project and give that a polish for the "wet look" and more professional elite finish.

Ganbatte ne!

LOL... Thank you very much in your confidence in me. A girl needs that once and a while (well at least from someone not her significant other ^-^ ). It has been a pleasure (still is) to offer my advice and information.

If you want to ask me for advice and don't want to post it on the forum, please do not hesitate to Private Message me.

Now down to business:

Hungry anyone? Sandwiching the plexi is exactly what I would do for this situation. I would be reluctant to use MDF for this purpose as it has a low burn tolerance (but you can still use it). I prefer plywood (or if available, a hardwood such as poplar) lined with 100% cotton. Use low pressure on the bolts/screws holding the sandwich together. Putting too much pressure on the plexi will warp them within the sandwich as the plastic is heated up and the heat spreads under the wood. Also do not forget to round off the wood. Use a large roundoff so when the plexi does its sag, there isn't a line or crease (sp?) on the surface. I recommend putting at least a 1/2" roundover on the edges of the "bread" wood.

Bright Idea: If you are planning to use LEDs to light up the web, do not forget to consider how/where your wiring will run to power the leds. If you don't mind me putting my two cents in, I would frost the plexi. The rough surface will catch the light better and color the web more. Sandblasting is a good way to get this effect, but also consider chemical or frost paint as it will not heat up the plexi and in my experience give a more even coverage.

Realism? hehe... this is more of just a personal observation here so you can ignore it if you like. I would have thought keeping it as perfectly clear as possible would be more realistic. Webs can't be seen until they are dirty, wet or seen through light right? So to me, keeping it clear is more realistic since you can't "see" it until you find an edge or some sort of stain/distortion on it.

Something else to consider: I haven't done this in plexi (only steel) but the shop owner has. Get a hold of a lot of plexi rods and fabricate the webs one strand at a time. The rounded rods will get rid of edges and look REALLY trick. Also, you will not need to heat a large area but just a section of rod to bend it and then weld them together. This will use less air/fuel too saving some money that way. In the end, the extra effort that you put into the project will definitely be noticed and turn more heads than using a cut flat sheet. This will also eat up a lot more time too, so in the end it is up to you how you want to go.

Ganbatte ne!

The rods will melt together and weld, but remember they have a very low melting temperature and it happens FAST, so I would stress that you practice on some extra scraps or something. Use a 00 tip to focus the heat properly and keep the temperature low. Filler will most likely be needed since this is the first time you are plasti-welding. But then again, if you can pick it up quickly, then you may not need it.

Well I don't have the experience you do (I've ony been an installer for a couple of years now and started fabricating only a year ago) but that is why I love Don (the owner). He's only 25, but if you can dream it, he can probably do it. He's a bit of a perfectionist so it's a good thing that most of our customers are patient. But they get what they pay for. What really is shocking (and sometimes annoying) is that he knows so much. While out with his mother one time she told me of a time when he spent a day drinking all the juice and milk cartons just so he could have materials to build a weather station in the back yard. She said soon after, he got better at predicting the weather than the ones on tv. ROFL.

In short, I am just a messenger girl. Give most of the information credit to him. I have a few original ideas of my own and my own techniques but no matter what project I am on, I always end up going to him or our tech guy for help.

As for me, let's just say I'm over 21 but not 30. Xp