What’s the best way to go about installing a leash cup after the board has been glassed?
Get yourself a drill bit hole saw alittle bigger than the plug (usually about 1&1/2 inch). Set the depth on the drill bit just a bit deeper than the saw. On the saw I usually put a piece of tape as a depth guide, no deeper than the thickness of the plug but no shallower than the thickness of the board. Drill into the board. Remember not to go to deep! Remove foam and glass. They will probably end up inside the saw. Now rough the plug up and place tape over the top of it. I place my plugs in making shure the pins are straight w/ a dab of 5 min epoxy on the bottom. pour in tinted resin (I use white pigment). Grind down. Put a piece of tape over the hole again. Glass over it and finish. Hope that helps Jamie
Oh yeah, if you don’t want to go through all of that O’fishl sells stick on leask plugs.
Couple words… I usually remove the pilot bit once I get through the glass, for boards with a thin tail. Use a flathead screwdriver to get the plug out. If it’s put along the stringer (optimal - unless your using a removable fin system) put the driver head into the cut at one stringer. Brace the back of it with your thumb (acting as a fulcrum) and pry at the plug till you hear a snap - it’s the stringer. Do this again from the other side and the plug should fall right out. If you have a dremil or router or something, you can clean up the bottom - but it’s not necessary. I pour my tinted (and thickened) resin in the hole, then place in the leash cup. A twisting motion helps assure that the resin covers everything and comes up evenly on all sides. If the resin is thick you don’t have to worry about taping off the top and you can use your fingers to hold the cup by the bar in the center. Let the resin rise a little above the surface. And align the bar in the leash cup with the stringer - or don’t, just cosmetics. A little practice and you’ll learn exactly how much resin to dump in. I put fill up the hole about half way. Too little is better than too much - you can always pull the cup out and put a little more in.
Forstner bit. Rock the drill until the bit penetrates the glass. Stop when the bit is flush with the deck (most forstner bits are the perfect thickness and thus require no tape for limiting depth). Use acetone to clean the leash plug. Scuff with sandpaper. Tape over opening if you need to. Either stuff resin soaked cloth peices in the hole or mix chopped glass in the resin. Pigment white (black for a black plug). Pour the resin in the hole and place leash plug in the hole. Any squeeze-out can be trimmed with a razor after it gels. It helps to mark a line on the tape indicating the orientation of the metal bar. Once the resin is hard, sand it all flush.