Filling counter sunk screw holes

[jclays]

Besides thickened epoxy; what else out there does a good job at filling counter sunk screw holes without the mess of epoxy. Have about 35 from the assembly of the transom.

[Ian McColgin]

Thickened epoxy is a generally bad choise. If you can't set bungs, I'm sure that there are purpose made goops but I happily use seam compound - brown below waterline and white above.

[Bob Smalser]

Epoxy? Rosin? Goop? Too much nasty work later cleaning that crap out of screw slots.



Use bungs. No glue required....simply store your scraps next to the stove so they are thoroughly dry. Then after you tamp them into the countersink, they'll swell sufficiently to remain in place. The next coat of paint or varnish finishes the job. To remove, drive a drywall or deck screw into them with a power driver and they pop right out without damaging the transom or planks.

[Todd Bradshaw]

Plus.....you can get the grain direction, wood color and surface sandability to match - something you will never be able to do with plugs of goop.

[AstoriaDave]

QuikFair from System Three works well. It is an epoxy-based filler, however. If you do not have the patience to use regular epoxy, the QF only saves mixing in the filler, as it is pre-mixed. I've filled hundreds of counter-sinks with it. It goes on smooth as butter, and if you catch it at the green stage, is easily scraped fair with a carbide-bladed scraper, leaving only a little touch-up sanding to complete the job.

Mix it on a scrap of countertop laminate using a squeegee, which doubles as the application tool. With a little practice, you can get it done in two passes.

Another option is to finish bright and leave the QF as it comes from the container, for an "accent." Like this: http://www.pbase.com/bartenderdave/image/89184796
http://www.pbase.com/bartenderdave/image/89184799
http://www.pbase.com/bartenderdave/image/97578523

[Bill Mercer]

You can get various goops in cans for holes too shallow for bungs, and you can also make a putty out of rosin and beeswax, though if you don't use enough rosin paint won't want to dry over it (ask me how I know). Don't know how either of these will work below the waterline.

I've been sticking bungs in place with a 3# cut of shellac. It seems to hold pretty well, and hardens reasonably quickly. This may be enough to hold shallow bungs in--try it and see.