Just got a couple of these fcs plugs to install and I can see they have no room for error - they’re pretty small, so I’m asking if anyone has installed these after hot coat, do they get installed a hair above the glass job or even with it. The reason I’m puzzled is that I don’t know how much I have to sand off, so if I put it in wrong, height wise - I’m temporarily screwed - I called FCs - got some kid who didn’t have a clue but was more than happy to give me assorted answers anyway. Gee - that’s never happened before ! (not) - so if you’ve been there - what’s the secret - TIA.
Coat the hole with a thin layer of resin and a small paintbrush. Then put the plug in. Then laminate. Exactly the same process as putting in fusion boxes.
Something I do FIRST to make sure the depth is correct:
*Pop off the cover.
*Drill the hole in the foam with the forstner bit.
*Dry run put the plug in the hole to check if depth is accurate.
*Remove plug with needle-nose pliers (this is easy because you’ve removed the cover and can grab the brass bar with the pliers).
*Drill a little deeper if need be with the forstner to get the depth just right.
*Dry Test again and take out plug with needle nose again.
*ReInstall when you know the depth is right. The plug should be a tiny bit below the level of the foam. Remember the resin below will raise it a tiny bit. The covered part should be above the foam level since you will be sanding it off later.
It’s funny because even something as simple as a leash plug has lots of tricks and tips to get right. Just like the rest of board building…
After hotcoat, otherwise you get a bleeding of the colored setting resin into the uneven exposed weave.
The best is a hot coat just around the plug aream with just laminating resin, no wax. Then add cloth over the installed plug. Wet out table method, so you don’t fill the leash plug with resin. Then hot coat everything with wax. Then sand. Set the plug slightly high so when you sand, you open it up.
Best yet is epoxy, but that is a different story
The little cover can be popped off and put back on. I use a 1" forstner bit for the hole. It’s a tight fight but overall a pretty easy install
hth
Bud's got it. It's a preglass install, he's got the right bit and everything. You want to get the hole just right, but if you're going to err, too deep is better than too shallow (where you'll compromise fiber over flange when sanding).
Putting it in after the hotcoat doesn't make any sense with this plug.
Question -
When you set it, do you set it dry, and then glass over, or are you still using resin to hold it in place.
Guys - thanks for the info - got it now - I’ll install them a hair low so I don’t sand into the plug after I sand off the top. As the boards are already glassed, this will have to do - Thanks.
This might be a stupid question but do you sand the leash plug down after the lam or hot coat?
Ryan
After the hot coat. Use the same hard disc and low grit that you use to grind down your fin boxes. Do this first (grind leash plug and boxes) before you do the rest of the hot-coat sanding. Be careful not to scratch/gouge the area around the leash plug.
Thanks for the clear instructions Jamie! Do you think I could get by using a Medium pad (don’t own any of the hard pads)?
Little tip: If you happen to drill the hole too deep you can shim the plug back up to level with some layers of glass.
~Brian
187 RT 71 | Manasquan | NJ | 08736
Yes. Just be careful, as you should anyway when sanding the leash plug down. You could also sand most of it with the medium pad and finish up by hand with a hard block.