KREG K4 - how to put plugs on Melamine ???

[Cedric Delecole]

Hi there,

First of all sorry for my English as I am french speaking out of Belgium.

I just bought a Kreg K4 in order to work on a project using Agglo with Melamine ... and I intend to use wood plugs to fill in the holes ... but trying on a peace of wood I have here I see the plugs are "too long" and not not fit the holes perfectly, they need to be "sand" ...

But how do you do that on a Melamine without hurting / damaging the surface ???

Many Thanks,

Cedric

[James P. Cottingham]

Tape off the area around the plugs then shave and carefully sand the plugs. I would use "painter's tape" to mark off the area around the plugs. When sanding, be careful not to sand through the tape. If you need to, replace the tape when it become thin or scratched.

[Cedric Delecole]

How would you shave them ?

Is there any reason why those wood plugs are too long ? Is it because it is also supposed to fit with using shorter screws ?

The plastic plugs are also too long ?

Thx !!

[KregCS]

Cedric,

The plugs are meant to work with material that is 3/4" - 1 1/4" thick. In the smaller thicknesses, the plug will sit above the surface and need to be trimmed flush.  If you have any other questions, please let us know.

[Cedric Delecole]

What about plastic plugs, they also need to be trimmed or ?

For wood plugs, how would you trim them, first glue then trim or ... ?

I am using 18 millimiters depth material

[James P. Cottingham]

I glue them, let the glue dry, and then trim them. You can use a flush cut trim saw, a small hand plane, or (I've been told) a very sharp knife to trim or shave them. I've never used the plastic plugs but I suspect that the same will apply them as does the wood plugs

[KregCS]

Cedric,

The plastic caps are designed to slide into the pocket hole and be held in by friction. These will not need to be trimmed, but they will not be completely flush as the cap is on top of the pocket hole itself.

[Jay Boutwell]

Cedric, From many years at the trade it has been my experience that melamine is a hard object to hide the pocket holes in.  I try to hide the hole from view by placement however as in everything the will be a time in which you will be faced by needing to hide them.  I have successfully used the white plastic caps but also find that these do not just stay in by friction fit either. To fix this I use a glue to hold the plug in.  (they are actually a cap type that stays about a 1/16th of an inch above the surface.)    In your case I have also trimmed the plugs by removing enough of the round part that goes into the pocket hole trimming back the portion that hits the screw head until it will seat firmly on top of the hole.  Use a polyurethane or epoxy to hold the plug in place.  They are visible but not as objectionable to the view as the hole with the raw melamine core showing.  have you thought of using a different color as an accent.   Many times when there is a blemish that you can not hide them make it highly visible as it is was done intentionally.  People are funny and tend to be objectionable with things that are done in manufacturing however if they get the idea that they are intentionally done they tend to except them as being part of the character if the object.

I have also used a plastic body filler used in the repair of automobile dents and then either paint it or leave it raw and it is like an accent.  Bondo is a brand here in the States but there are many other brands.  It is quick two part filler that will set firm in less than 20 minutes and can be carved and or trimmed rather quickly.  I have also use a dye to color it .  In painting white melamine is about the shade of "appliance white"  the repair enamel for appliance defects as well as in the fiberglass repair business work well for white.

Enjoy youor day.

[Cedric Delecole]

ok so basically I can :

- use the plastic plugs knowing thet are not perfectly planned compared to the wood, and possibly glue them

- Let the whole visible but using melamine that means I will see the raw wood (agglo) which is different color than the melamine

- Let the whole as it is and paint Inside the whole to attenuate the visibility of the raw wood

- Use a filler to fill in the whole then sand it

- Use the wood plugs by cutting the round part (next to the screw)

...

[Jay Boutwell]

Cedric, I have used them many times in custom work.  Like I said you can actually customize the plastic plug and using glue get a satisfactory results.  Looks much better that the hole and raw material.
 
Cedric Delecole said:

ok so basically I can :

- use the plastic plugs knowing thet are not perfectly planned compared to the wood, and possibly glue them

- Let the whole visible but using melamine that means I will see the raw wood (agglo) which is different color than the melamine

- Let the whole as it is and paint Inside the whole to attenuate the visibility of the raw wood

- Use a filler to fill in the whole then sand it

- Use the wood plugs by cutting the round part (next to the screw)

...

[Jay Boutwell]

Cedric there is also some companies that make a white colored wood filler that would work as well or even fill the hole with a wood filler and paint it.  That is why I suggested the auto body filler as I know it will remain in the hole and will not shrink as most wood filler do in time.  Once filled it can be trimmed and painted with the paint of which I have found that appliance white touch up works well but can also be bought in quantities like pints and quarts for the ones who want to re-finish an appliance like a refrigerator.  The white is very near the same as the white melamine.

I am suggesting auto body filler only because I personally have had experience with it and know that it will stay with out changing its shape over time.  I have used it to fill the cup hinge holes in cabinet doors that are going to be painted where the customer wants to change from the hidden hinge to the exposed hinge.  Fixed many dents in metal doors where the customer did not want to replace the door.  It is much like many other products that can be adapted to used other than what intended to be used for.  Like using automobile paint finishes on cabinet and furniture.  Expensive but opens the door to many color of the spectrum not before seen such as the candy apple colors metal flake colors and the list go on and on.  I guess I should expand on the use of the auto body filler as using it there is a short cut in doing so.  It is a two part material being the filler and the hardner.  The hardner will activate the filler when mixed.   once minex it will begin to cure and during the cure ther is a point when it starts to become solid when you can actually take a cutting instrument such as a razor blade and actually carve away the edges to make it fit the hole.  Then once cured you can then sand the top flat.  This way you can have a chrisp edge of the filler to the pocket hole edge and thus prevent the damage of sanding marks on the melamine surface.  I hope this makes sense to you as difficult to explain but easy to demonstrate.  Makes life interesting that way.  Have a great day.  
 
Jay Boutwell said:

Cedric, I have used them many times in custom work.  Like I said you can actually customize the plastic plug and using glue get a satisfactory results.  Looks much better that the hole and raw material.
 
Cedric Delecole said:

ok so basically I can :

- use the plastic plugs knowing thet are not perfectly planned compared to the wood, and possibly glue them

- Let the whole visible but using melamine that means I will see the raw wood (agglo) which is different color than the melamine

- Let the whole as it is and paint Inside the whole to attenuate the visibility of the raw wood

- Use a filler to fill in the whole then sand it

- Use the wood plugs by cutting the round part (next to the screw)

...

[Cedric Delecole]

hey Jay, can you share here some "links" showing the materials you refer to ?

A kind of "pasta" I could use to fill in the whole then sand and paint would also do the job, effectively ...

[Jay Boutwell]

 

Cedric, per your request here is the link to bondo body filler,  The glue is polyrethane and or is also any epoxy.  The appliance white is the touchup paint used in repair of appliance and found in most major appliance companies and some paint stores that sell appliances such as Lowes and Home Depot.

 

 

 

Links to bondo:   https://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&aq=&oq=bon...