Putty

[Timoi]

OK this is not directly computer modding but I still think that this is probably the best place to get my answer.

I am in the process of making a custom built battery pack-like item. The main reason to custom make it was because nothing with the shape I was looking for was available. Therefore I have to make the casing from scratch. I'm thinking that a putty filler would be best for what I am trying to do here.

What I was thinking of doing is:
1. Putting all the internals together
2. applying putty to the exterior until I reach more or less the shape I want and have a bit of excess on it
3. sand it down until it is exactly the size I want and there are no more imperfections.

From reaserch I have done, bondo is good for use as a filler but is not that good of a putty. Does anyone know more what type of putty I should be using for this project?

[GT40_GearHead]

i dont know if putty is you'r best bett

my 0.02$ says fiberglas is way better
but i depends on the size and exact shape
so.... could come up with a pic or sketch ?

[Crimson Sky]

Try using Milliput

[Timoi]

Thank you for your ideas gentlemen,

Here (http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/2330/draftkt0.png) is a direct link to the draft I did of this battery pack... I know it's the worst draft ever but a bunch of my programs suddenly stopped working recently and paint is all I could think of to do this...

Here are a couple of notes on the picture... the rectangles in the middle are batteries (in a batter holder/connector thingy... not sure how to call it but I think you get my drift, they can be bought in most electronics stores). It will plug in on the panel with blue 'X's and will also transfer plugs from that panel to the panel with red 'X's. Therefore there will be a bunch of wires in it. It will be build to fit 'on' an Iriver H340...

I was also wondering how solid or fragile this would be... (depending on different options of materials)

[Commando]

Just a thought. Build the cells with a case of some type of plastic around them and just Bondo. Bondo, although associated with wrecked redneck cars everywhere, is really cool stuff.

Also, check out Google Sketchup. By far, the easiest free 3D prog. On the same website they have really good video tutorials. I learned to use it effectively in less than an hour.

[Timoi]

So basically bondo sculpting around the plastic battery holder/connecter and wires? I heard that bondo sculpting isn't really recommended... Actually that's the only reason I didn't start the thread that way...

Ok here we go... You know the situation: I'm sculpting this battery pack/plug relocater thingy for my H340... Nice and easy question: What are pros and cons of different materials I could use to sculpt it?

In the meantime, I'll try to do research on my end for what I have been given up to now. Thanks.

[Timoi]

Thanks anyways people... I did some research and finally I decided that the best product to use for the casing of this would be wood. oh and I'm also giving up on part of it. It is now only becoming a battery pack. Now that I have the player, I see that it would basically be useless to relocate the cables from the bottom to the top...

[Redundant]

Since it's an MP3 player, why not buy a battery specifically made for it? There'd be less chance of destroying it from too much or too little voltage and it would look better. Also, if you do screw up, remember that wood is flammable...

Oh, wait, are you trying to make a charger dock thing or a battery for it? Same things stated above still apply to it though.

-R

EDIT: Instead of using wood or putty, perhaps something like aluminum or even carbon cloth soaked in epoxy to make it stiff. The carbon cloth would look great if the H340 looks like carbon as on Amazon.com

[Timoi]

The project became a plain battery pack. I could buy a battery pack for it but the official one would cost me about 40$ (10$ US for the actual battery pack in clearance + 25$ US for international shipping then converted to Canadian $) to buy... I thought I could build it cheaper. The battery pack peice (plastic peice holding batteries and connecting them together and then to wires leaving the plastic peice) at radio shack is 5$... All I need then is the plug.

Naturally my player has the 'fractal' look and not the 'carbon' look. However I did mod it with what we call an 'inskin' (the player has a lightly tinted clear peice of plastic covering it, a peice of paper with an image printed on it which is put beneath this layer of plastic to change the default look is what we call an inskin)