automotive bandaid
I was thinking about how durable my auto body repairs will be, and I don't think they will last very long. First of all, Bondo isn't really considered a permanent fix (I think) even if it is professionally done, which it hasn't. My decision to use aluminum flashing as patches rather than the recommended sheet metal could prove to be the weak link in the repair. For one thing, aluminum bends more easily, and if it bends enough (or even if it just flexes back and forth a lot over a period of time), the Bondo supporting the whole structure is liable to crack and fall off. And if that doesn't do the trick, there could be some trouble in the summer as the aluminum embedded inside Bondo starts to expand. "Steel's thermal expansion is 1/4th that of aluminum's. When using a hybrid steel and aluminum design concept, the difference in expansion rates may cause premature failure of joints and fasteners. " And "Aluminum's galvanic potential is high, while steel's is low. On an auto body, when aluminum and steel are in direct contact, accelerated corrosion is evident. "
That conjecture could be a worst case scenario though. The Bondo is really thick -- I slathered it on pretty liberally. I don't know how much vibration the wheel wells and quarter panels receive, but the thermal expansion issue might crop up. Basically, I have no idea what will happen, but if my Bondo car crumbles, I'll get another can of that wonderful substance...
After I primed and painted one side I realized that I got the wrong shade of gray spray paint. It seemed close enough at the time, but I guess it looks different when you put it on the car. Now the repairs scream "Look at me! I'm a poorly-done repair! Check out the masking tape marks and the paint splatter on the bumper! Rock on!" (At least that's what it screams when the paint and Bondo fumes grab ahold of me...)
To cap everything off, I might add a design or write my name on the hood. Now that's classy.
90% perspiration
Lately I've been lacking inspiration. I haven't taken a single photograph in a long time. I don't know if it's just that nothing has interested me around here or that I'm not interested in making pictures. Oddly enough, since I got my car, I've probably gone out less than I did before (although since my class finished I've had less reason to go to boston). I'm thinking that if I move ahead full bore on this proposed trip, I might find my inspiration down south. The thread of inspiration is there -- it's my choice to follow it or stay here and look for something else.
The little gremlins that I see when I take a whiff of Bondo fumes try to plant the seed of doubt in my mind. They tell me I can't do it or shouldn't do it or should do something more practical, etc. And unfortunately for most of those times when I've felt a pull from some other thread of inspiration, those gremlins (manifested in human form rather than styrene-induced hallucinogenic apparitions) have succeeded in keeping me right here. (sometimes I'm my own gremlin)
I've got to get moving if I'm really going to go through with this scheme.
in dreams
I've had some odd dreams the past few nights. I don't remember most of the details but remember that they were weird. In one dream, I made a series of short films and presented them to a class. I don't know what they were about, but they were well made and interesting. In a dream last night, I was watching a girl shop in a store. After thinking for a while, I remembered that it was a certain person that I had seen at NESOP a few times. I don't know why she appeared in my dream. It wasn't THAT kind of dream...
There were other weird dreams too. I wonder if it has something to do with what I eat before going to bed....(peyote ice cream)
Bondo, Bondo, everywhere
I started to attempt a repair on my rust-laden car using the wonderful Bondo polyester based filler putty. (at least I think that's what it's made of) Let me tell you, that stuff has some serious fumes. Nevermind the fact that it contains carcinogens...
At any rate, I did a very messy, ugly, and unprofessional job on the rear wheel well. When I realized that the Bondo was not going to fill in the large hole above the wheel, I cut a strip of aluminum flashing, stuck it to the Bondo over the hole, and slathered on some more to make it stick. (I can see auto body specialists cringe right now...) As far as I know, I don't think there's a law that says you have to do the repair correctly -- just as long as every hole is covered with something other than duct tape, I should be fine for the inspection, right? sure.
But hey, don't knock aluminum flashing (no, seriously, don't knock it. it'll deform quicker than you can say "crappy repair"). Although it's basically one step up from tin foil, it has held up surprisingly well on the front driver's side quarter panel where I fastened it with duct tape. In fact, it's so easy to work with and durable, I'll probably use it on that same panel tomorrow when I attempt to repair the ~6 inch hole, but I'll probably use a 2-ply solution to increase strength. who needs sheet metal? Not me.
It'll be a tricky fix. I don't have pop rivets (whatever those are...) or sheet metal, so I might just slap the flashing on there and secure it with liberal amounts of Bondo. Then it'll be as good as new!
tonight at 11...
I don't watch the network news very much, but it seems like there's always some "investigative report" that just blows the lid off of some obscure scam or other pointless story. And increasingly, the stories sound like some reporter's, producer's, or executive's personal grudge. Does anyone else notice that? For instance, I imagine a producer waking up one day to see that the garbage men didn't pick up his trash that morning, so the next week the 11 o'clock news runs a story that exposes how lazy and incompetent garbage men are. Cut to a reporter jumping on the back of a garbage truck, confronting a worker by shoving a microphone in his face and imploring, "isn't it true that you're lazy?! Isn't it true that you take lunch breaks that are 3 minutes too long?!?! Do you expect the taxpayers to pay for your incompetence?!?!"
It's silly. Actually, I saw a real example tonight on 20/20 which made me feel better knowing that Barbara Walters and her posse are covering all the important issues of our day. They exposed the multi-thousand dollar anti-baldness scam, finally. They harassed several people, including salesmen and phony doctors (does anyone really believe TV doctors on commercials?) to show that those guys are trying to cheat YOU, the balding rich guy, out of your hard-earned money. Thank goodness for 20/20. It makes me wonder which of the balding producers lost a bunch of money on minoxidil pills. "Let's get those bastards!"
What's next, an exposé that reveals the scaly underside of the penis-enlargement industry? Maybe Andy Rooney can cover that one.