Screw stripped

Can someone advise me? I've just put together an Adirondack Chair made, unfortunately, of cheap Indonesian wood. Although it looks OK and went together easily enough, one of the screws that attach the back to the arm stripped the hole in the chair back.

Is there something I can use to fill the hole and start again? A think longer screw may cause trouble, since the chair back is curved. I was also considering Plastic Wood...but I'm not sure.

Thanks!

Paul

Reply to
Paul Wolsko
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What I like to do in those cases in dip a wooden toothpick in some glue, stick it in the hole and break it off. Repeat until the hole is filled. Wait until the glue dries( or not as you wish), level the tops of the picks and insert the screw. Should be a no brainer.

HTH,

Vic

Reply to
Vic Baron

Epoxy and micro-balloons to form a fairing putty.

You don't indicate what size screw, so I will assume a #10-#12.

Drill out the damaged screw hole with a 1/2" drill all the way thru.

Tape the back of the hole shut with some duct tape.

Mix up some fairing putty to a runny ketchup consistency and pour into the hole filling hole proud.

Wait at least 72 hours to insure a good cure.

Remove tape, drill out the fairing putty with a tap drill, then reinstall screw.

When that chair returns to compost, that epoxy fairing putty will still be there.

Trust me.

Lew

Reply to
Lew Hodgett

Reply to
Wuudchuck

Body filler. I've done small and large patches on painted items. An entrance door whose bottom corner had been chewed by wildlife [I live in an older self-renovated home.] I clamped some wood both sides of the door to hold the gunk, then mixed and applied it. A little later, remove the wood, rasped, scraped, sanded, then painted. Awesome.

I live near a small village with a great bodyshop [the car kind], and can beg a baby jar full if I don't want to do a large area.

Reply to
Guess who

Won't hold screws though.

Reply to
CW

You are likely right., and I'll have to take your word on that. Still, I should have thought of it. However, what I did didn't need screws. Sorry if this was a wasted suggestion, and hope it didn't point anyone in the wrong direction.

Reply to
Guess who

That's generally the way I do it.

Oh, that's not what you were asking.

Drill a half inch hole and glue in a dowel. When it dries, drill a pilot hole for the screw.

Max

Reply to
Max

Fill the hole with epoxy. Grease the screw and put it in, cleaning up the excess glue. When the epoxy has set remove the screw, clean off the grease, and put it back in tight. It should tighten up quite well. I've done this a number of times. It's a pretty tough fix.

Tim Ellestad

Reply to
Ellestad

If the wood is sufficiently sound, try drilling a hole and fitting . plastic wall plug

Reply to
Jeff Gorman

No, won't work. His screw is structural by the sound of it, body filler will crack and give way in that situation.

Solution1: Drill out the hole to 1/4 or 3/8 or 1/2 inch or whatever and glue the same size wood dowelling into the hole, drill a new pilot hole .....

Solution2: Don't bother. Stick a couple of broken off matches or toothpicks into the stripped hole, after dipping them in glue, then put the screw back in. It'll hold fine.

This is assuming that we are not talking machine screws with a metal insert, of course! In THAT case, get a drill and a tap-and die set on to the job; oh, and a chart with the exact pre-drilling sizes for the taps.

-P.

Reply to
Peter Huebner

Which way was that?

Reply to
Guess who

Matches & toothpicks are a waste of time for joints that may be stressed. Drill the stripped hole out to 1/4" or 3/8" and glue in a dowel with waterproof glue. Reassemble the joint and you're done. Bugs

Reply to
Bugs

I've had stronger results tightening screws into the epoxy formed threads than into the end grain of a dowel.

Tim

Reply to
Ellestad

What I have done in cases like this is to fill the hole with polyurethane glue (Gorilla glue) and then drive the screw in. The poly glue will lock the screw in tight in most cases.

Brian Elfert

Reply to
Brian Elfert

I have found that golf tees work well. Put some glue in the hole and pound in the tee. Since they are tapered they go in easy and provide a cavity for the excess glue. Been doing this for about twenty years and never had problems with it holding.

Reply to
noname

Screw stripped.

Max

Reply to
Max

Or drill out, glue in an appropriate size piece of dowel, then drill for the screw and put the screw into the dowel

John

Reply to
john

I always do, unless it's a quickie.

Reply to
Gus

Probably the best, but most difficult fix is to drill it out and glue in a dowel then set the screw into the dowel.

The medium difficulty and quality of fix is probably to fill the hole with some epoxy and then insert the screw once the expoxy starts to set. Then tighten after 24 hours when the epoxy is fully cured. You don't have to grease anything - if you want to remove a screw from epoxy, just heat the end of the screw with a soldering iron - the heat softens the epoxy.

The easiest is probaby to use a couple of toothpicks or slivers of wood and wood glue to hold the loose screw.

Notice my liberal use of "probably." Every>Can someone advise me? I've just put together an Adirondack Chair made,

Reply to
Jim K

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