Bung Divots

[JGPierce]

I have some mahogany bungs that did not cut flush with my mahogany sheerstrake and are below level. I know the best repair is to remove them and replace with a new bung.

However :D : Could I fill the divot with a slurry of white glue and mahogany dust, sand it fair and not worry about varnishing irregularities?

Thanks.

John

[tmonahan]

john

You could if you know the end result will be that you are painting over the bungs. If you are going to varnish then I would recommend you take the time and redrill them out and rebung. It will make for a better picture.

If you choose to rebund, try to match the grain as close as possible. You will love the result..

[BBSebens]

you can get away with anything if it looks like you did it on purpose.

whatever you do, do it to all of them. I would re do them. If you are short on bungs, use something thats completely opposite. like cedar or another blonde wood. makes for some cool contrast.

or do it normal. but do them all the same.

[Thorne]

We don't know anything about the size or use of your boat, but I wouldn't use white glue or anything that will fail when damp.

One option would be to use a fairing compound of some sort. It will make getting the bungs out next time a harder job, but not as bad as using thickened epoxy or anything that sets up harder than the wood around it.

I've used Smith & Co's 2-part product on wood and gelcoat and liked it -

http://www.jamestowndistributors.com/userportal/woeimages/00004585.jpg

[Peerie Maa]

I have had problems with resin based fillers over screws. As the wood swells and shrinks, as it does, it causes the filler to stand proud, and breaks the finish coat. You may get away with it, or you may find that you have to re-bung them next time you repaint.

[outofthenorm]

It's an aesthetic decision, so only you can decide - but I agree about the white glue - poor choice. Use epoxy instead. Or better yet, pull the bungs and replace. You'll feel better in the long run.

- Norm

[BETTY-B]

"Varnishing irregularities?" If you are keeping the sheer strake bright, you really ought to remove them and do them proper. If you epoxy, you'll never get them out again. Not clean anyway. If it were me, I'd glue new ones in with varnish or weldwood. They will disappear...

What was the adhesive you used to set them in the first place?

DAN

[Yeadon]

What is the preferred method to trim bungs? I like a sharp chisel, chased with some not so aggressive sandpaper.

[Tom Robb]

If grain runout is a problem you could use a flush cut no-set-toothed saw.
If they're epoxied the poor sap (perhaps you) who has to remove them will curse the day you were born.

[BETTY-B]

I use a sharp chisel high. Then seeing the grain run, come back in the direction flush so as not to rip it into a divot. After doing thousands this last year, I could always tell which counter sinks were mine and which were a guy that was working with me. He had a tandency to drill in at a slight angle to the right. So when you make the first pass you realize you have to come back at it from the left. No big deal, just slows the program down when switching directions.

DAN

[Ian McColgin]

Hi, my name is Ian and I'm an epoxyholic. Notwithstanding, don't use epoxy or glue in bungs. Shellac is great but slop (old varnish mixed with whatever else is old and clear) works great. Something you can clean out. If you've taken the trouble to make a boat, which certainly means you have a drill and matching bung cutter, then the fit will be right and glue will actually compromise the watertight integrity of the bung.

I use a chisel with two passes. First about a third up from the plank surface to the top of the bung establishes that if there is a lift to the bung's grain, I'm going with it. Second is flush not with a swat but with a slicing motion.

Sanding is risky unless you have a hardblock. Besides, the sandpaper gums with the as yet to cure slop.

G'luck

[Vinny&Shawn]

If you are leaving the strake bright,replace the bungs,shellac or thickened varnish works for glue.Do not use white glue! Remove the excess as Ian described,a larger sharp chisel works well as it will resist digging in the corners,slicing motion is good.Finishing up with a small low angle block plane can be helpful and yeild good results. Vinny

[pcford]

If it were a perfect world...you would remove them. But it ain't.

A runabout has thousands of bungs. It is natural that some bungs will break off below the surface. Typically, you will have guessed wrong about the side to start the chisel and a portion of the bung will be below the surface. I fill them with Famowood...Plastic Wood. Probably not noticeable...draw on some grain lines with a pencil if you like. If the whole bung is busted below the surface you gotta replace it.

I use Weldwood to set bungs. In very, very rare circumstance I will use epoxy to set a bung: if the fastener does not have enough thickness in the plank to recountersink and bung again. IE if the bung is going to be less than 1/8 and you have no room to go deeper, I use epoxy.

[Ian McColgin]

There's a lot about using bungs available - so much that I can't fathom any sort of pro winding up with low bung tops and definatly not advocating a bit of gloop over to fill the divot.

Yeah, if you get store bought bungs you might not also have a properly sized countersinking tapered bit to properly seat the screw and accept the bung. But it's so easy to knock out bungs in a row with just a little shean of wood holding the row together and then your sure that the grain runs level. Then dabbing the end bung with slop, putting one bung after another over a hole, give it a setting tap, break the row away and final tap. It's going to go in grain level because that's the only way it will fit. And even if it's a hair out, the whack 1/3 up will reveal any problems and slicing into the slope will solve the rest.

I've used epoxy in bung holes in an earlier pre-twelve step life. I don't think that a brittle goop will lead to a seal failure in a properly fitted bung and hole - the smear is just to fine. But epoxied bungs are plain hell to remove if you have to change something. I don't know about how hard bungs set in other brittle goops (weldwood, elmers or whatever) are to remove but I believewithout evidence beyond my experience with epoxy that such goops will not hurt the seal in a properly fitted bung.

I also know from experience that loose fitting bungs can't be sealed with any long durability even by epoxy.

G'luck

[Jay Greer]

I usualy use a slick for shaving bungs. The rocker in the blade allows the first cut to be made, enough, above the surface of the plank so that if your cut is going to chip below the surface, you have enough meat left to cut from the other direction. This will tell you in a hurry the preferred side to cut from in order to end up with a flush cut.
Jay

[JGPierce]

I know how everyone likes a picture so I've included a few below :)

I'm building a Haven 12 1/2 as you can see. Hopefully getting in the water this spring.

I appreciate all the bunging ideas. Most of the bungs went in nicely. I did some with varnish, but made the mistake of not counterdrilling deep enough on some and had to epoxy them in. I've got 2-3 bungs that don't seat well as I was probably off-axis with the drill and made a slightly oval hole. I like the idea of using Famowood to fill them in. I'll be staying away from white glue.

Have a great Thanksgiving!

John



http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3168/3060442027_c3c78fd329.jpghttp://farm4.static.flickr.com/3160/3061279892_1dc5efc0d1.jpghttp://farm4.static.flickr.com/3007/3060443501_d2a0f5b2c1.jpghttp://farm4.static.flickr.com/3254/3060442609_ac26961bfb.jpg

[Thorne]

Lovely...can't wait to see pics of her sailing!!!

[BETTY-B]

Oooooohhh.... Ahhhhhhh...

DAN