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08-29-2011, 02:02 PM
|  | ɹǝsn pǝɹǝʇsıbǝɹ | | Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Northern Virginia | | | Silly question from noob (toothpicks)
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Maybe I'm overthinking things, but on several occasions, I've seen people bring up ye olde toothpicks + glue for stuffing screw holes. Are they referring to an actual toothpick or is it some metaphor for skinny dowels?  |
08-29-2011, 02:04 PM
|  | Registered User | | Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Atlanta, Ga. | | | They are talking about actual toothpicks.... if the hole is bigger then you would use a wooden dowel.....
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08-29-2011, 02:05 PM
|  | Registered User | | Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Iowa | | | Well I've read the same...
And I used an actual toothpick. It seemed fine --barely noticeable.
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08-29-2011, 02:06 PM
|  | ~ | | | | | toothpicks that are dowel shaped with both ends pointed, not the crappy flat kind.
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08-29-2011, 02:26 PM
|  | Chronic Knob Twiddling Tone Chaser | | Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: New England | | Yeah... I've used standard 'find em in a dispenser on the way out the door of most restaurants' type of toothpicks. They work just fine. My project was to fill the strap pins on my Thumb because the new straplocks came with thinner screws.
I split the toothpicks in half or thirds lengthwise, to make even skinnier wood slivers. Then I rubbed Elmer's wood glue all over them, and crammed them in the hole for a tight fit. I let em dry 24 hours or so, then clipped off the excess toothpick shavings sticking out of the hole. I then pressed whatever I couldn't clip off into the hole, and voula!
I screwed in the new straplock pins and they work as new. 
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08-29-2011, 02:28 PM
| | Registered User
Endorsing Artist: Dean Markley Strings, Inc. | | Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Denver, CO | | | I've had a toothpick glued into the strap button hole on my p bass for 20 years now. Never had a problem.
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08-29-2011, 02:30 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: May 2007 Location: Nashville | | | Yup, work great. I always snatch a few on my way out of restaurants to add to my stash.
With the elmer's glue, you don't even have to let it dry, It will form to the shape of the screw when you screw it in, and then dry with the screw in. Removing is not a problem.
Just do not do it with Superglue.
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08-29-2011, 02:40 PM
| | ɹǝsn pǝɹǝʇsıbǝɹ | | Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Northern Virginia | | | Thanks the for replies. I guess I was overthinking this as I suspected. lol |
08-29-2011, 07:17 PM
|  | <---Shinola Shite--^ | | Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Manitoba, Canada | | | Now you have the knowlege, please refer to them as 'precision micro dowels' in the world outside TB or you will be eliminated. This thread will self destr.... :P
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08-29-2011, 11:07 PM
| | | Quote:
Originally Posted by Keano  Thanks the for replies. I guess I was overthinking this as I suspected. lol | Actually not so much. Toothpicks work great for tiny holes (like strap buttons) but sometimes you need to plug a slightly large hole (pickup mounting screws). For those "precision micro dowels" are too small. In that case I usually move up to the tiny wood skewer sticks you use in cooking. You can find them in any cooking store. They can be had in nice wood like birch. Amazon.com: Wood Skewers, 4-1/2", 10000 per case, 10000/CA: Home & Garden
And for larger wood fills, one has to move up to actual dowels and if the fill is visible, you usually want to buy (or make) a dowel out of the same wood as the bass.
So there is some variation here, but for the standard strap button fix, yes, we really used toothpicks! |
08-29-2011, 11:14 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Winnipeg | | | how would you go about making a seamless plug for pickguard screws?
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08-29-2011, 11:18 PM
|  | Bongo and Jazz Bass Fan | | Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Santa Barbara, CA | | | Make sure you use birch toothpicks...they sound a lot better than bamboo toothpicks.
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08-30-2011, 12:36 AM
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Originally Posted by Epitaph04 Make sure you use birch toothpicks...they sound a lot better than bamboo toothpicks. | Pine resonates better.
I bought some Schaller straplocks for my bass and for some odd reason only the front horn screw was too small for the stock drilled hole. Some generic flat plain old "Rain Man" toothpics broken off n glued with good old Elmer's glue (same stuff I've used from grade 1) and back in business.
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08-30-2011, 06:59 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: D'Shaw | | | I often repair stripped neck screw holes with plugs cut from a piece of very hard rock maple.
In one guitar emergency repair I used a chopstick appropriated from the chinese resturant across the street from our gig.
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08-30-2011, 07:17 AM
| | <---Shinola Shite--^ | | Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Manitoba, Canada | | | Nothing wrong with precision micro planks (flat picks) on a strap button or other hidden fill.
As for neck holes, if I take the neck off, I harden the holes with CA glue before reassembling.
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08-30-2011, 01:28 PM
|  | Registered User | | Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Georgia | | | What's the best toothpick for metal? |
08-30-2011, 02:33 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Winnipeg | | | is there a way to plug up PG screw holes without seeing a big discoloration?
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08-30-2011, 02:53 PM
|  | Tuxedo BassŪ - That's Me! | | Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Hamilton, Montana | | Quote:
Originally Posted by Definitely is there a way to plug up PG screw holes without seeing a big discoloration? | It kinda depends on the visual acuity of whomever's looking at the bass. |
08-30-2011, 03:14 PM
|  | Registered User | | | | | Much debated, I've been a Guitar builder for over 2 years!
I use the flavoured pine toothpicks..
Just to make sure my instruments are in MINT condition!!
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08-30-2011, 04:08 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Winnipeg | | Quote: |
Originally Posted by SurferJoe46
It kinda depends on the visual acuity of whomever's looking at the bass.
| well if you saw me playing it would you be able to see screw hole plugs or not? normal vision nobody special just is it majorly noticeable or not
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