Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Or, look up a wood workers supply chain: Rockler. They are in most major cities and they sell the transparent toners that are made for all types of finish from water base to catalyzed. I'd use the lacquer they sell. It comes in small amounts and can be mixed with the toner. The toner will cost you $16.00 for a small bottle. You can seal off the dowels with Shelac 1st, then mix the Tobacco Brown toner with the clear lacquer. Do some tests on a sample piece of wood until you reach the exact color. Use an artists brush to apply the finishes, then the top coats with clear. Sand flat with wet/dry paper, buff out and it will look very good. This is a simple way to do this type of repair, and is compatible with the color and finish used on your Bass. Autumglo or Walnut is nothing more than Tobacco toner mixed with CV or Lacquer.

I dunno, Bob...you might want to leave 'em alone...less wind resistance at outdoor gigs...

Thanks so much Paul, and Dale. I knew I could count on you.

And to the rest of you clowns, hmm?

What...?

How come nobody mentioned that dowels are exposed end grain and you're planning on sticking them into a hunk of wood where the grain is likely going to be running 90 degrees in a different direction? Any boatbuilder will tell you that dowels make pretty poor plugs. They have different rates of expansion and contraction than the surrounding wood, and thus tend to sink or stand proud in time, even if they were originally sanded perfectly flush. They also take sealers, stains, paint, varnish, glue or just about any other coating at a different rate from the surrounding wood, which is not a good formula for a nice, smooth surface or a well-hidden patch that stays that way.

If the intent is really to hide these things, dowels are a convenient way of filling a round hole, but you're better off sinking them about 1/4" below the surface on both sides and then picking up a small plug cutter bit. You can then cut small plugs from a hunk of maple with the grain flat to the board face, top off the holes with the plugs and wind up with grain that is a far closer and more stable match to the surrounding surface. Then when you go to seal, tint or paint it, the trick will be matching the color on a similar bit of wood, not on a piece that is very different and which throws a whole new set of problems into the project.

Yes, I'm being picky and I'm aware that luthiers plug holes with dowels and toothpicks all the time and often get away with it - likely due, in part, to the very controlled environmental conditions where the instruments tend to live. Just so that you know though, from a woodworking standpoint, plugging holes with dowels is generally not a great solution.

Thanks Todd..Guess that is because I'm not a boat builder, but when I plug holes like these in guitars, I make my own Maple dowels/plugs with the grain matching the existing grain pattern ACAP.

It's an interesting comfort-zone sort of thing. Thirty plus years ago I was scratch-building stuff like this in my spare time and financing it with rock and roll money.



But at the same time, fixing a loose strap button on my bass made me really nervous. I'm better now and maybe a bit too far in the other direction as I have no problems modifying my instruments to my liking, but I do try to keep most of what I learned about working with wood in mind. I just figure that if Bob ever gets a gig on a cruise ship and it goes down, forcing him to float to shore on his 4001, it will be comforting to know that the plugs aren't likely to expand and lift the finish....

I learned to plug screw holes in the method that Todd described when restoring this.

I sense this thread starting to drift......

I see it floating away... downstream of the topic... awash of a different course...

Nice Dory Todd...Ken.is that a 17ft. Runabout? What a great job you guys have done....

LL lyRIC!

Yes Dale 17' and some change. 1946 Cris Craft covered (barrel back style) runabout.

This is no ordinary group. While there was potential for stern talk, I bow to the rising tide of reason shown here in plugging the holes.