Hey guys i have bought a leash plug for my first shape board! The gloss coat is done and i want to install the leashplug! What is the best method to install this plug?
Drill a hole put the plug into it with epoxy and cabosil? Or should i make an H-Pattern similar to the FCS Finplugs-installation?
Here's a photo of my leash plug install tool. The center drill bit has been modified so it sticks out just a hair over 1/16 inch past the hole cutter. The tape tells me when to stop drilling......measure the thickness of the board before drilling. Make sure the leash plug and fin box are not in the same place.....
hey mate i find the hole drills wander a bit on the stringer because the drill is so big
so a pilot hole is a good idea
fcs new leash plug is good because you put it on after lam before hotcoat and a glass patch over. that way you dont need it on the stringer.the fcs plug is already capped so resin doesnt get in and it all sands off clean
To answer your actual question...a plain hole with resin and cabosil has always been sufficient, no H-pattern necessary. There is not the same stresses on a leash plug as a fin.
i use a router after i drill the hole. my install is a close tolerence flush fit and then put glass over the plug.Best for eps boards. even use an insert . they always leak eventually. same as fcs plug
also plugs pull easy out of eps boards in big surf. it can be stronger if you sand the plug and also dig out from under the glass with a nail head so there is a glue line under the lip of the glass
I drill a hole through the glass,then I place a jig over the hole(plywood with hole drilled in it) and clean out the foam with a router like used in a probox fin install.Line the hole with a couple layers of glass,pour in some resin and drop the plug in.I normally use 1# eps so I have a high density foam insert in place beneath the fiberglass.
If we're gonna make this into an ''installing plugs in eps'' thread just use the FCS pre-glass plug and put a bunch of fiber over it. Drilling holes in a board that's already been sealed tight makes zero sense to me. We've done about 2000 of them, no leaks, no failures. Tested all over the world.
On SUP’s, I use two leash plugs on the deck about 36" apart to hold the paddle + one for the leash so I install a lot of them in eps. You want the hole to be a very close fit to avoid exotherming of a pool of epoxy around it. For that reason, I only use plugs with straight sides. I always laminate a patch over them. I only pigment the epoxy, never thicken it (it will exotherm hotter with filler).
For less than 2 lb densities, use an insert cut from a scrap of pu foam. Cut the insert using a hole saw, then use the next smaller hole size for the hole in the board. Glue it in with white gorilla glue or pour foam, then drill/saw for the plug (pilot hole is already there). For masking the plugs, get some round labels from an office supply store.
That’s was my first thought looking at the picture of that cup.
Wondering if it would be advisable to wrap some roving around it to take up some of the space…
That plug you pictured might have a touch too much volume for use with epoxy resin..
I use my old FCS installation tools to set mine. On EPS blanks the core needs to be at a stable non-changing temp....cooling blank will suck resin in...warming blank will blow bubbles out the sides of the pour..
2 small discs of 6 oz on the bottom of the hole. I use an FCS foam dam to get the resin above deck height..This lets any bubbles rise to the top and not at the deck interface.
Sand smooth...haven't failed one yet even in Mex. I do use a nail to crease the foam under the lip of the hole to provide more bonding area..And I do mount the plug on the stringer when possible..
I also put a 4" circle of cloth where the cup will go when laminating..
I have put two leash plugs in a bodysurfing handplane, and it seems the resin on the bottom side, directly under the plugs have sunk slightly. I have put the plugs in the foam, not on the stringer. I used polyester lam resin with wax and MEKP catalyst along with some UV catalyst, White pigment. I didn’t use exessive catalyst whilst doing this(only a few drops). I hve put many plugs in before, but mainly on the stringer. What can i do to prevent this?