How to re-install FCS plug - doc, kokua, hackeysaky, anyone...?

General Discussion
1

I am going to drill out a cracked FCS plug but I am uncertain the type of resin to use and if I should add chopped glass or cabosil (q-cell)? Also do I need to add the white opaque pigment? I have sanding resin (not laminating resin) and some S-cloth on-hand. Lastly should the holesaw drill be 1" or 1 1/8"? Looking for the simpliest, economical procedure without spending a bunch of money.

Just want to clarify these issues after my archive search.

Thanks alot, John

P.S. Where do I get 1 right side FCS plug?

2

call me a hack but…

most times with cracked fcs plugs, you can get one side out with a flat screwdriver, and then wiggle out the other side. then, chip out the old resin, to get to the foam. mix up some lam resin(but sanding/hotcoat will work too if you have nothing else, and actually sand better when done) with some cabosil, and white pigment(only for looks), catalyze and fill the hole about 1/2 way. put the replacemnt plug on a fin, and put the fin in the other plug, and set the screw. check your angles and adjust/tape as needed. fill the remaining voids, if any and then wait for it to cure. sand, check for holes caused by air bubbles, go surf.

*best to set the resin mixture of slowly to avoid cracks or discoloring the foam.

hth.

3

Howzit nativeson, I would advise against using resin with any S.A. ( sanding resin ) since it won’t adhere to the plugs so they will wobble and need to be replaced. The first FCS install I did years ago I used resin with S.A.( misread instructions and had to replace them. Milled fibers are what FCS recommends as a filler/ strengthener for installation. Not following FCS’s instructions is what leads to failure in the system and then FCS gets blamed for this, when it is actually the installers mistake. Aloha,Kokua

4

Well, lets see, John - seem to be a lotta guys called John here all of a sudden:

I would take something to fill the slot, find the center of the plug ( a pencil compass will help with that) , use that center for the pilot drill on a 1" hole saw.Drill out to about the depth of the plug or a little less, insert a Large slot screwdriver and twist, it should come free pretty well. I like the 1", it’s a snug fit, tends to hug the edges of the old plug.

Rather than using milled fibers ( kitty hair ) I’d go whole hog ad bed it in cloth:

Tape off a square, or diamond, or perhaps a nice Mandelbrot-set-shape around the hole, tape some 4 or 6 oz cloth on there as shown in step 1, though for ease of operation I didn’t go with the Mandelbrot set outline in the illustration, you may wish to do the same. Basicly,a glass patch like you’d do with the cloth over a filled ding.

Cut a cross in it where it covers the hole, wet it out and let a fair amount of resin go down in:

Set your plug in, top of it a little proud of the bottom, use an fcs fin to line up your slots right, bada bing bada boom. Grind the plug down to flush and tape over it, sand/feather the cloth edges, hotcoat, gloss. put that puppy to work.

Oh, and for 1 right side FCS plug, what ya need to do is get one left side plug and turn it around 180°.

Hope that’s of use - if you DO do a Mandelbrot set shaped patch I want to see it, especially the infinite amount of masking tape it’d need…

doc…

5

Hey doc: I can save you some money on masking tape. Rather than using an infinite amount of tape for a Mandelbrot set patch, you just need ONE piece of masking tape, a razor blade… and an infinite amount of patience…

6

hey kokua,

i agree with you, he just said he didn’t want to spend any money, and was in a hurry. by all means lam resin is best.

also you should wipe the plugs with acetone to get the mold release off. forgot to mention that bit…

7
Quote:

… and an infinite amount of patience…

Ah - therein lies the rub. Plus, my up-close vision ain’t all that great and my scanning electron microscope is on the fritz…

maybe the square is the way to go

8 
Howzit nativeson, If you are using the old FCS plugs by all means wipe them with acetone but the new plugs don't need to be wiped dpown and FCS says that wiping the new plugs with acetone is a no no and can actually weaken them. I just roughen the bottom of the plugs with some 60grit sand paper and have had no problems.Aloha,Kokua
9

hey kokua,

no wipe? new plug? jesus i have been out of the 1st world for too long…

the sad thing is that here, you see loads of fcs looking plugs/fins that are pirated. in fact the factory i was working in, and most others don’t buy fcs originals because they are too expensive(R$15/set in stead of R$30 for originals - roughly $15US) and, as you noticed by my post, are set with hotcoat resin.

needless to say it keeps the ding guys in business.

10

Howzit nativeson, If you have access to real FCS fin systems a set with plugs and fins are only about $25. I know it doesn’t make sense that plugs with sets end up costing only about $5 but that how FCS sells them to manufacturers with an account. When people want to buy just plugs from me I tell them to take a set of fins also since it’s only $10 more with the fins.Aloha,Kokua

11

The new FCS plugs are polycarbonate and the old ones were PVC. The body design is different since thick sections don’t mold well in polycarbonate. The new material will take twice the temperature of the PVC plugs, so they won’t soften when sanded down. FCS recommend to wipe them with styrene before setting. Use lam resin, about 10% milled fibers, and set for a 20 min. gel time. I got a 31 page booklet on the new plugs when I bought my last set, see if you can get one since it has a lot of tool pics which you can improvise from.