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Strap Button Repair

DeivoxCarnal

DeivoxCarnal

Jul 21, 2010
237
4
41
Austin, Texas
#1
My most recent craigslist acquisition did not come with strap buttons, but it did come with screws. When I put some old strap buttons on I found out that the top screw is just sitting in this hole, you can literally just pull it straight out.

I'm thinking my three options are to:

1. get a bigger screw, which might require a slight modification to a strap button, maybe not.

2. fill the hole with something and drill a new hole.
My concerns with this method are that it might get messy, and this is such a nice looking bass I don't want scratches all over it.

3. Take it to a pro. I don't like this idea, because it seems like such a simple fix that I should be able to do it myself and save the 30-50 bucks it might cost me.


experiences? thoughts?
If I go the path of filling the hole can anyone recommend a material that will hold up in the long run?
 
#5
Slowgypsy said:
Take a few toothpicks.
Dip them in some white glue.
Stuff them into the hole.
Let it dry overnight.
Install strap button using existing screw.
Click to expand...

that's 4/5ths right.

after stuffing wood glue-slathered toothpicks into the hole, crank the button in right away. this compresses the new wood against the old hole, providing the clamping pressure wood glue needs to dry strong.
 
#6
Toothpicks are fine if it is just a little too big. If it were me, and I cared about the bass, I would drill a 1/4" hole and fill it with a piece of an oak dowel. Glue the dowel, cut it flush, redrill it and install the button.
 
#7
this subject has been well-trod around here.

typical hardware store end-grain dowel will actually make for a weaker button than the toothpick-and-glue method.

a 1/4" diameter of end-grain wood, glued into a smoothly drilled-out hole, then drilled out itself for the screw, leaves very little wood to hold things together.

now a half-inch wide, 2 inch long cross-grain plug of some really hard wood would be plenty strong, but so will toothpicks and wood glue in the original hole, and for a lot less work.
 
#8
walterw said:
this subject has been well-trod around here.

typical hardware store end-grain dowel will actually make for a weaker button than the toothpick-and-glue method.
Click to expand...

I used "hardware store end-grain" dowels for decades and never had one fail.

Now, if the hole isn't too wallowed out, I just use a screw twice as long as the original screw to bite into fresh wood at the bottom of the original hole. So far that repair has never failed either. If the hole is too damaged for that method then I dowel.
 
#9
DeivoxCarnal said:
My most recent craigslist acquisition did not come with strap buttons, but it did come with screws. When I put some old strap buttons on I found out that the top screw is just sitting in this hole, you can literally just pull it straight out.

I'm thinking my three options are to:

1. get a bigger screw, which might require a slight modification to a strap button, maybe not.

2. fill the hole with something and drill a new hole.
My concerns with this method are that it might get messy, and this is such a nice looking bass I don't want scratches all over it.

3. Take it to a pro. I don't like this idea, because it seems like such a simple fix that I should be able to do it myself and save the 30-50 bucks it might cost me.


experiences? thoughts?
If I go the path of filling the hole can anyone recommend a material that will hold up in the long run?
Click to expand...
i would replace the buttons with straplocks,and the toothpick glue method or a slightly larger screw ......if you have to widen the hole on a button,no big deal.........depends how loose the hole is......i wouldn't use a dowel until i had to......
 
#10
Jim Campbell said:
i would replace the buttons with straplocks,and the toothpick glue method or a slightly larger screw ......if you have to widen the hole on a button,no big deal.........depends how loose the hole is......i wouldn't use a dowel until i had to......
Click to expand...

The standard screws are #6's. IIRC, a #8 will fit through a Dunlop strap button threadwise. The "shoulders" on both a #6 and #8 will have to be ground down so as to fit within the recess.

The Mrs. has some super-fine dowel in her studio which may fit a stripped-out #6 screwhole. However, by the time you're done, you'd be better off going with the toothpick / glue method.

Riis
 
#11
Thanks for the replies guys, lot of helpful tidbits.

I had read about the toothpick method, I just worried about the longevity of a repair like that, I plan on letting this bass go on CL, but I don't want to pass on a problem to the buyer.
But everyone seems to be pretty confident in this method so I may just dive in.

thanks walterw for the woodglue tip, and props to Zoob for the specific screw numbers!
 
#14
walterw said:
that's 4/5ths right.

after stuffing wood glue-slathered toothpicks into the hole, crank the button in right away. this compresses the new wood against the old hole, providing the clamping pressure wood glue needs to dry strong.
Click to expand...


I agree with this method and it has worked for me for many years. I have used superglue, gorilla, glue and elmers wood glue as a bonding agent! But do it immediately!!!
 
#16
Toothpick trick works. But you can use a two part epoxy like JB Weld and fill the hole with it. Let it dry. Drill a pilot hole and put your screw in.

I've used JB Weld to do the following:

Hold the door handle on a car door which I used for 3 years and was still holding when I sold it.
Hold a radiator fitting on my race bike which held to the day I sold it
Glue together a door stop which is still hold today

It sticks to ANYTHING.

If you put the screw in while it was still curing, you'd probably strip the screw before you got it out.
 

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