Lucius Paisley
Well-known member
When using dowel for filling in control cavities, how stable is the job (assuming the job is done correctly), has anybody ever had an issue with such a repair job "popping out"?
Woodwork.
- Thread starter Lucius Paisley
- Start date
alex1fly
Well-known member
Which involves some serious well-placed clamps, in my experience doing various household repairs.
Artie
Peaveyologist
Could you clarify? Are you talking about filling in the whole Les Paul, or Strat cavity? Or are you talking about plugging one pot hole? (Potentiometer hole.)
Lucius Paisley
Well-known member
Just the pot holes. In the case of a l-r conversion or just making one hole "go away" - in most cases, removing tone control.
Wattage
High Voltologist
I usually use plastic or chrome plugs, like handlebar plugs or fender plugs on a motorcycle fender
Plugging a hole sounds simple but it's actually quite difficult. You need a tight fitting plug to begin with, but not so tight that the glue won't hold. Clamping down the plug is almost impossible.
I always use titebond first, then superglue to flood the top and plasticize the plug's front. If I have to drill a hole again for studs, I let the glue dry for 24 hours and drill with a super-sharp bit. I have trems that are super-stable with plugged holes and trems that are a nightmare without plugs. So in short, it doesn't matter if it's a plugged hole or not
I always use titebond first, then superglue to flood the top and plasticize the plug's front. If I have to drill a hole again for studs, I let the glue dry for 24 hours and drill with a super-sharp bit. I have trems that are super-stable with plugged holes and trems that are a nightmare without plugs. So in short, it doesn't matter if it's a plugged hole or not
Lucius Paisley
Well-known member
Plugging a hole sounds simple but it's actually quite difficult. You need a tight fitting plug to begin with, but not so tight that the glue won't hold. Clamping down the plug is almost impossible.
I always use titebond first, then superglue to flood the top and plasticize the plug's front. If I have to drill a hole again for studs, I let the glue dry for 24 hours and drill with a super-sharp bit. I have trems that are super-stable with plugged holes and trems that are a nightmare without plugs. So in short, it doesn't matter if it's a plugged hole or not
This guy used epoxy. It didn't come out too badly.
https://webcache.googleusercontent....ight-to-left-handed+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=au
Unfortunately, this page is from Google cache because he's recently shut his site down due to a move, but you can see what he did well enough.
This guy used epoxy. It didn't come out too badly.
https://webcache.googleusercontent....ight-to-left-handed+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=au
Unfortunately, this page is from Google cache because he's recently shut his site down due to a move, but you can see what he did well enough.
Not bad, indeed. Touching it up with lacquer would be much harder but still doable because it's a black finish. No grains that need matching.
larryguitar
Active member
You'll run into an issue with the fact that dowels are end-grain, while the guitar body is face grain. They'll expand and contract at different rates, and eventually could leave a visible depression or raised surface.
Larry
Larry
Lucius Paisley
Well-known member
Not if I put them in SIDEWAYS! (Joke)
Obsessive Compulsive
New member
I had similar operation done in 2015 to my guitar in order to fit an Ibanez Edge tremolo. The old holes were plugged with dowels and two new holes were drilled around those dowels in order to fit the tremolo posts. It has been good so far:
Lucius Paisley
Well-known member
That's fine, especially when the work is going to be obscured by the trem (sometimes by the tuners), you don't need to be too concerned with how it affects the overall finish. The best part here is the posts are being held mostly by the original wood. I don't think you're going to have any issues with the dowels popping out of place here.
These are some great woodwork suggestions in this thread. I am looking to perform a similar woodworking chore like the OP & this thread was pretty useful. Thank you all!
ehdwuld
A Ficus
I use the plastic furniture plugs or
Automotive body panel plugs
10mm or 3/8ths for strat pickguard holes and in some homemade pedals when i move pots and such around.
Black , white
If you put them in a guitar body almost no one will even ask about them
they just hanng out and look like a knob from a distance
Automotive body panel plugs
10mm or 3/8ths for strat pickguard holes and in some homemade pedals when i move pots and such around.
Black , white
If you put them in a guitar body almost no one will even ask about them
they just hanng out and look like a knob from a distance
Lucius Paisley
Well-known member
They'd notice on a right to left conversion. Especially if the plan includes refinishing the top.
I'm still weighing up costs of a new guitar with the intent of conversion which might cost just as much on top of that.
It could be worth it for something entirely unique, however.
Lucius Paisley
Well-known member
Statistically, 90% of them.
But in this case, it's a Paul Stanley Mikro.
Quick mockup of the idea below. Which might not work because the body carve on the back would be behind where I'd like the controls to be.
