Screw holes drilled to big

[Tom Bender]

A nice pair of hinges came with steel screws to pre-thread the holes but they were a little oversized. Now the brass screws don't fit. grrr. So now I have the option to fix the holes with epoxy or something or use the steel screws and color the heads. Suggestions?

[Andrew More]

Generally speaking the solution is usually to fill the holes with dowels of some sort, and re-do it, though this time maybe with a drill bit instead?

[Jamie Buxton]

I have plug cutters, and know how to use them, so I'd likely drill out the oversize holes, make and insert plugs, and drill pilot holes of the correct size for your screws.

If that seems too much trouble, can you get larger brass screws to fit your holes? Or brass-plated steel?

[Ron Citerone]

Andrew and Jamie have good solutions. I would not fill the hole with epoxy. My 2 pennies.

[andy bessette]

Actually plugs are very weak because of the short cross grain. And dowels are very weak because you would be screwing into end grain.

[Patty Hann]

How much weight are the hinges supporting?
If it's not super heavy (like a solid wood or mdf door) you might put a piece of stranded copper wire in the hole or brass wool to fill up any slack, and the run the screws in.

[Cameron Wood]

Different brass screws?

[Larry Frank]

It depend on how much oversize. My standard way of dealing with this is to put a bamboo toothpick or two or a bamboo skewer in the hole with super glue.

[mike calabrese]

You might look at the broad line of products offered by JB Weld. I have used some of their products and find they work as advertised.
this link may assist https://www.jbweld.com/projects/stripped-screw-on-drawer-pull
calabrese55

[Kent A Bathurst]

I keep round, square, and flat toothpicks for exactly this occasion. Dip in PVA glue, mix and match to get best fill possible, trim to 1/2" exposed, tap-tap with a hammer. Good to go.

[Tom Bender]

These screws go into hardwood stiles, ideal for strength, so I don't want to compromise that. The screws are flathead so using the steel screws is the best structural solution. Just have to give them a dark bronze look. Only visible when the door is open. Guess I'll look for a brown Sharpie.

[Bradley Gray]

Maybe the supplier can send you the proper size brass screws.

[Cary Falk]

I use toothpicks and glue all the time. I have used plugs also. I have used them on house doors without issue so you shouldn't have to worry about strength. I would take a slightly oversized stick and whittle/sand it down to the right size and shape and just glue it in. Much easier than trying to match screw colors.

[Alex Zeller]

Back when I did commercial glazing we would use plastic anchors so we could screw into bricks and cement. They hold extremely well. The screw would break before the plastic would strip out. Putting extra wood (tooth pick, plug, dowel) would have the same effect. Between the glue holding the plug in place and the wood expanding it'll hold just fine. I would be more worried about brass screws.