I'm about to remove some unneeded hardware from my masthead and am wondering what's the best way to patch that leftover screw hole, and even if it is necessary?
David
Patching mast screw holes
Moderator: Jim Walsh
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David Morton
- Posts: 437
- Joined: Jun 18th, '13, 06:25
- Location: s/v Danusia CD31, Harpswell, ME
Patching mast screw holes
"If a Man speaks at Sea, where no Woman can hear,
Is he still wrong? " anonymous, Phoenician, circa 500 b.c.
Is he still wrong? " anonymous, Phoenician, circa 500 b.c.
Re: Patching mast screw holes
I have used another scree of the right size
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Oswego John
- Posts: 3535
- Joined: Feb 5th, '05, 20:42
- Location: '66 Typhoon "Grace", Hull # 42, Schooner "Ontario", CD 85D Hull #1
Re: Patching mast screw holes
More years back than I care to think about, I answered this very same question. It is buried somewhere deep in the archives. I'm going to date myself by my answer but, in essence. here was my response.
Smirk if you want, but there was a era in life that babies drank formuae, water and other liquids by using a pyrex glass bottle that had a rubber nipple stretched over its opening. After washing, the baby bottles were placed in a wire rack inside of an aluminum pot and covered with water. Placed on the stove burner, the water was brought to a boil for a prescribed time in order to kill any possible germs.
My wife had to step out on an errand and she asked me if I would keep an eye on the bottles being sterilized. "No problemo" I answered. About that time, my next door neighbor knocked on my back door, asking to borrow a tool or something. So out to the garage we go to get what he wants.
After a while, one of my older kids came running out to the garage to inform me that something funny was going on in the kitchen. What happened was that all of the water in the pot had boiled away and the fire under it had burned a hole the size of an M&M candy in the bottom of the pot.
What to do, what to do? Good ol' O J blew it again. The neighbor told me that he might have something that could possibly repair the hole in the aluminum. We scrubbed both sides of the hole, inner and outer with steel wool. Then a strip of duct tape "but of course, duct tape. What else?" was pressed on the inside of the hole. My neighbor produced a half empty tube of Devcon Plastic Aluminum and laid on a blob of it to fill in the hole.
I asked him hopefully, "Do you think it will work"? His answer was "Any port in a storm".
After a short time, the plastic aluminum set up rock hard. Sand paper wouldn't take down the proud spots. I had to use a file to bring the blob down to level. Then I shined the bottom with steel wool and finished up with fine crocus cloth. Let me tell you that the hole was now rock hard and totally invisible. Heh heh, phew, we beat the system again. If the kids didn't tattle, mom would never be the wiser.
Later that afternoon, mom called out "What's this tape in the bottom of the sterilizer for"?
Gulp.
O J
Smirk if you want, but there was a era in life that babies drank formuae, water and other liquids by using a pyrex glass bottle that had a rubber nipple stretched over its opening. After washing, the baby bottles were placed in a wire rack inside of an aluminum pot and covered with water. Placed on the stove burner, the water was brought to a boil for a prescribed time in order to kill any possible germs.
My wife had to step out on an errand and she asked me if I would keep an eye on the bottles being sterilized. "No problemo" I answered. About that time, my next door neighbor knocked on my back door, asking to borrow a tool or something. So out to the garage we go to get what he wants.
After a while, one of my older kids came running out to the garage to inform me that something funny was going on in the kitchen. What happened was that all of the water in the pot had boiled away and the fire under it had burned a hole the size of an M&M candy in the bottom of the pot.
What to do, what to do? Good ol' O J blew it again. The neighbor told me that he might have something that could possibly repair the hole in the aluminum. We scrubbed both sides of the hole, inner and outer with steel wool. Then a strip of duct tape "but of course, duct tape. What else?" was pressed on the inside of the hole. My neighbor produced a half empty tube of Devcon Plastic Aluminum and laid on a blob of it to fill in the hole.
I asked him hopefully, "Do you think it will work"? His answer was "Any port in a storm".
After a short time, the plastic aluminum set up rock hard. Sand paper wouldn't take down the proud spots. I had to use a file to bring the blob down to level. Then I shined the bottom with steel wool and finished up with fine crocus cloth. Let me tell you that the hole was now rock hard and totally invisible. Heh heh, phew, we beat the system again. If the kids didn't tattle, mom would never be the wiser.
Later that afternoon, mom called out "What's this tape in the bottom of the sterilizer for"?
Gulp.
O J
"If I rest, I rust"
Voting Member #490
Voting Member #490
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David Morton
- Posts: 437
- Joined: Jun 18th, '13, 06:25
- Location: s/v Danusia CD31, Harpswell, ME
Re: Patching mast screw holes
Funny story. And you almost got away with it! Damn you, Duct Tape!!! off to find some Devcon.
"If a Man speaks at Sea, where no Woman can hear,
Is he still wrong? " anonymous, Phoenician, circa 500 b.c.
Is he still wrong? " anonymous, Phoenician, circa 500 b.c.
Re: Patching mast screw holes
I usually drill them out slightly larger if they are corroded and put a rivet in place.
The structural "damage" is done, but at least it patches the hole and prevents water from seeping in.
The structural "damage" is done, but at least it patches the hole and prevents water from seeping in.
Re: Patching mast screw holes
I'd get some threaded aluminum rod of the same diameter/pitch as the threaded hole. Tap the hole if necessary. Dip the rod in epoxy and screw it into the hole. When the epoxy hardens cut it off with a hack saw and file it flush with the mast. Shouldn't look too bad and should be almost as strong as new.
http://zorotools.com/g/Aluminum%20Threa ... /00093444/
http://zorotools.com/g/Fully%20Threaded ... 00056583//
http://zorotools.com/g/Aluminum%20Threa ... /00093444/
http://zorotools.com/g/Fully%20Threaded ... 00056583//