<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN"> <html> <head> <meta content="text/html;charset=ISO-8859-1" http-equiv="Content-Type"> </head> <body bgcolor="#ffffff" text="#000000"> I have used hammer shanks for oversized holes for the kind of knobs which have screws, put the screws into end grain, come back two years later, and found neat 7/32" holes instead of the knobs I had left there. Leather, use leather and white glue. If the holes are egged out, you can even fold the leather over, or use layers of it. It works. None of the wood options (shoe pegs, toothpicks, dowels, etc.) work as well (except plugs made by a plug cutter), because the screw threads eat into the grain. Leather leather leather and Elmer's (repeat ad infinitum till you try it and see how well it works.) Susan Kline Richard W. Bushey wrote: <blockquote cite="mid:D2B5B545643A4150B106431B60BB7E51@owner08b842208" type="cite">Joe, On the finished repair pic, I know they didn't match. Those were the screws that were with it....maybe from a previous repair attempt.  I didn't have matching screws the correct size on hand.  I always try to use the existing screws when possible.  This was at a school where the piano got hard use and this was not the only mismatched hardware on the piano. I did use a zinc screw in the plain wood picture, but that was the first screw I found laying around. As far as the end grain, yes, you are right.  Short of cutting plugs with a plug making tool (which I don't have, but ought to get), this was far better, in my opinion and experience for most applications than filling the messed up, "v"ed hole with toothpicks and/or shoepeg dowels.  I've seen dowel used hundreds of times in different places to repair screw holes, and I personally have not had issues with it.....yet.   HOWEVER, you are absolutely correct, and they could eventually strip out in time if under quite a bit of stress.  I will look into finding a plug cutter at a good price, cut a bunch and keep them handy. Suggestions on what type wood best for wood plugs? Thanks! Richard W. Bushey Richard's Piano Service <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="http://www.RichardsPianoService.com">www.RichardsPianoService.com</a> <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:Rbushey@RichardsPianoService.com">Rbushey@RichardsPianoService.com</a> 573-765-9903 ----- Original Message ----- From: "Joseph Garrett" <a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:joegarrett@earthlink.net"><joegarrett@earthlink.net></a> To: "pianotech" <a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org"><pianotech@ptg.org></a> Sent: Saturday, December 22, 2012 1:22 AM Subject: Re: [pianotech] filling screw holes! <blockquote type="cite">"Attached are some pics of what I've been using most of the time." Hmmm? Zinc Plated Phillips Screws?!!!! Please? Noooo! Then, we have Hammershanks to fill with? Oh, goody, right into end grain. Lovely. Sigh. Joe Joe Garrett, R.P.T. Captain of the Tool Police Squares R I </blockquote> -- I am using the free version of SPAMfighter. SPAMfighter has removed 1124 of my spam emails to date. Get the free SPAMfighter here: <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.spamfighter.com/len">http://www.spamfighter.com/len</a> Do you have a slow PC? Try a Free scan <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.spamfighter.com/SLOW-PCfighter?cid=sigen">http://www.spamfighter.com/SLOW-PCfighter?cid=sigen</a> </blockquote> </body> </html>