Day 65 - Varnishing the dome plug

To address the scuffs and pockmarks on the dome (as detailed in my previous diary entry), I opened the tube of Bondo spot putty that I bought a while back, mixed a coin-sized squirt with a dab of the cream hardener, and applied it to all the obvious, visible blemishes.  The spot putty begins to harden very quickly (about 3 minutes from my estimate), so I made several small batches.  I love how this stuff goes on—very thin and evenly (before hardening, obviously).  If Bondo is akin to mud, this stuff is like toothpaste; it fills in every little pinhole.

I also unscrewed the center rod and did a quick Bondo job to seal up the hole after stuffing some left-over shoulder foam (remember that?) into it.  After about 30 minutes or so, I took 220-grit sandpaper to gently abrade the dried putty (80-grit for the newly-sealed hole), then my finer-grit sanding sponges.  I vacuumed up the dust, then wiped it down with a wet cloth to get rid of the rest.

While it was damp, I took some 1000-grit paper to it and polished it the rest of the way.  After a final wipe-up, the remaining smaller blemishes became apparent.  I took a marker out and circled each one to keep track of it for the next application of spot putty.  I covered each of the circles with a second application of spot putty and allowed that to cure for another 30 minutes before sanding.

After the wet-sanding, the thing started to feel just like a brand-new over-sized bowling ball, it was that smooth and blemish-free.  I was very impressed with myself!  I wiped it down with mineral spirits, as indicated on my tin of oil-based polyurethane varnish.

I took a sponge brush and applied the first coat of varnish to the dome and the board base.  Now I just have to wait 4-6 hours for that to dry, and then more 220-grit sanding and a second coat!  I'll get to that in the morning before work, I think.

Getting closer to the big fiberglassing day!