Plugging capstan holes

[A440A@aol.com]

<< My current modus operandi is to glue in a dowel that's a bit shorter than 
the hole and punch it in so that it's a little below the top of the key.  I 
then fill in the divot with epoxy and level with a razor blade before the epoxy 
sets.  Other ideas?  Does anyone fill in the entire hole with epoxy? >>

    The West System has a filler (410 Microlite Fairing)  that can be added 
to their resin so that the result is a material that is quite near the density 
of pine.  If you experiment a little, you can find a mix that will fill the 
hole and leave you with an easy to re-drill chore.  Too much and it won't pour 
down to the bottom, too little and the resin plug is harder than the key.  When 
you fill the keys, you may need to keep adding a little as the mixture 
continues to slowly fill the holes,(a pinprick in the bottom of the hole will allow 
air to escape, but don't forget the wax paper under the key!) 
   I like to add the mix until there is a slight hump where the hole used to 
be and then file it flush after several hours.  If you wait until the stuff is 
fully cured, it is a little more difficult to finish it off cleanly. 
   The only other alternative I can think of is to plug the holes and then 
countersink a 3/8" hole and then plug that, but that seems like a LOT of extra 
work.  
Regards,



Ed Foote RPT 
http://www.uk-piano.org/edfoote/index.html
www.uk-piano.org/edfoote/well_tempered_piano.html