"Brian Huffaker" wrote in message
...

It's annual time on the starduster, and several of the screw holds
to hold on the inspection plates have been enlarged over the years to
the point where a screw won't stay in the whole. Around each inspection
hole, there is a thickened area in the fabric that has been drilled
or punched to recieve the screws. We are using sheet metal screws.
I don't know what covering system was used, but could probably find
out (it was recovered several years before I bought into the
partnetship). Is there some kind of filler that could be placed in
these holes and then drilled out back to a smaller size so that the
screws would stay in?

Thanks in advance for any ideas.

Brian Huffaker,

I am no help for the fabric repair, but repairing the wood is right up my
alley. Drill the wood just enough to clean out the hole and make it a size
slightly larger than a hardwood dowel. Use the smallest possible. Inject
some epoxy into the hole, and onto the dowel, then tap it into the hole.
Re-drill the correct size hole for the screw, and that part is done.

If you ever recover, make sure the area that the inspection hole is in can
take it, and use a blind wood nut and machine screw. IMHO, that is what
should have been used in the first place. It might be possible to use one
right now, depending on the location, and material the screw was in, and
what the structural loads are in that area.
--
Jim in NC


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