Strap pin won't go in anymore

[thudfromafar]

My strap pin fell out and it won't screw in anymore, I guess the hole was stripped and now it's too big to put in the bottom strap pin. How do I fix this??

[Bulltrout]

Put a toothpick or two into the hole and cut if flush then screw it in. You could even put a drop or two of glue in the hole with a syringe for added strength but try just the toothpick first.

[thudfromafar]

Thanks! I heard of that trick but wasn't sure if that was all there is to it. I'll try that.

[Bulltrout]

I've had the same issue twice and it worked in both cases. (I like buying beat up instruments and working on them).

[javlib]

Cut 3 or 4 wooden tooth picks about 1/16th inch shorter than the depth of the hole. Put a couple drops of wood glue (Elmer's, etc.) down the hole, then shove the tooth picks in the hole just past flush with the body. Install the strap pin with the original screw, it'll be a nice tight fit.

Actually a wooden dowel is probably better, but most folks don't have that around the house, and truth is that the tooth picks work just fine and last for years.

[fretlesswonder]

Originally Posted by Bulltrout

Put a toothpick or two into the hole and cut if flush then screw it in. You could even put a drop or two of glue in the hole with a syringe for added strength but try just the toothpick first.

+1

[javlib]

Guess I was a bit slow

[thudfromafar]

So I still need to pick up some toothpicks from the store, haha. I'm sure it will work but I'll report back!

[wkbryan]

Ditto on the toothpicks. I like to smear glue all over them before I poke them in the hole. I also like to break them to slightly shorter than the depth of the hole and then insert them with the pointed end out (if it takes several toothpicks to fill the hole I'll alternate). Doing this makes it a little easier to start the screw.

[JustDavid]

Originally Posted by thudfromafar

So I still need to pick up some toothpicks from the store, haha. I'm sure it will work but I'll report back!

No good. Has to be ones from a restaurant that sells ribs & beer.

[Craig_S]

Originally Posted by JustDavid

No good. Has to be ones from a restaurant that sells ribs & beer.

I concur.

[thudfromafar]

well it worked! haha amazin

[WookieeForLife]

Why not fill it with wood filler and then redrill into it?

[T-Bird]

Hi.

Originally Posted by WookieeForLife

Why not fill it with wood filler and then redrill into it?

Mainly because most of the wood fillers have no holding strenght whatsoever. You'd have to use an anchoring cement of some sort and while offering the same strenght as the toothpicks, they are much more expensive and more messy.

A threaded insert and a machine screw is what I would use if the wood is too soft to hold a thread.

Regards
Sam

[TheMutt]

Toothpicks and wood glue works perfectly fine. Most adhesives used on wood these days have a bond that is stronger than the wood that it is bonding. I've used this trick on a strap button of a friend's guitar before to great results. Also works perfectly fine for pickguard screws, pickup screws, etc. Not so sure about neck screws/bolts though.

[fenderx55]

I fixed my guitarist's back up axe when it fell against an amp and bent the straplock screw, causing the wood to strip and move. I did what everyone else said, except I totally filled the hole, impregnated the space with elmers and let it set overnight. I cut the toothpicks down to size after the fact with lineman's pliers and sanded them. Then I redrilled the hole from scratch and it hasn't moved since.

My staplock has been working itself loose in practice and I have a gig tomorrow night and no time to really do this. I'm thinking I'm just gonna do what you guys have mentioned then clean it out this weekend and go bullet proof with it.

[MonetBass]

FWIW I've fixed a door hinge screw hole using the toothpick method and that screw hasn't moved since.

[R. Laevinus]

...I've used 5-minute epoxy - the stuff that comes in a double syringe?

Mix up a bit of that on some tinfoil, then smear the screw liberally in the stuff. Then install, let cure, and play!

It will NEVER come out, I guarantee.

[JTE]

I've used toothpicks, but they can compress and come apart pretty easily. Toothpicks and glue (carpenters' glue, not white glue) helps a lot. But the best solution is one I learned from John Carruthers' column in Guitar Player back in the '80s. Clean the hole out with comressed air, put a very small amount of baking soda (or powder? The Arm & Hammer® stuff) into the hole, about a third of the way full. Squeeze a drop of Super Glue® (yeah, it's a trade mark but I can't spell 'cyanacrolate" ore whatever it is) into the hole. It'll react with the soda and harden. Repeat until the hole is filled. Then drill a pilot hole the size or slighty smaller than the SHANK of the screw, and reinstall. It won't ever come out again. Don't put too much soda in at once though, or you'll get air pockets that won't hold the screw.

John

[JTE]

Also-

I would never use expoxy. If you ever want to take the screw out, it won't move and then you'll have another problem. And it's a nasty surprise for any repair man coming in to do work later.

John