Bare minimum to plug, or bare minimum to plug correctly?
Remember that most plug has a limited shelf life. Use it or lose it!
This is a nice kit, and probably the cheapest way of getting everything you need to do it right (color kit, pumps, cups, sticks, dams, gloves, etc):
http://www.bowlingindex.com/store/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=BI&Category_Code=PST&Product_Code=PL-EPSKitCheck the usual sites - I believe there are places that sell smaller quantities of plug (1-2 quarts vs gallons).
Bare minimum:
Plumbers putty (cheap dam. more likely to leak)
craft (popsicle) sticks from Walmart.
plastic (or paper coated cups) from Walmart.
plugging material - you can get a urethane mix from dascarplastics.com (or check that seller on ebay), or other place that sells urethane/resin mixes. Do a search for urethane casting and then check out the stuff that is available. I ended up using something rp-40. It has a hardness similar to bowling balls (around d-72 if I remember correctly). It is better suited for thumb slugs, but it will work. It is not as nice and easy to work with as "real" ball plug, but it will do the job. It sets up fast, so work fast. It also cuts well, but the finished product is not as nice as the real stuff.
color kits - check craft stores for plastic (or resin) dye or pigment. Something like
this, will work. You can find it cheaper, but I don't remember where I bought mine.
some way to cut down the plug. Sorry, don't have a "cheap" way of doing that. Router or plug cutter is going to be your best bet. I suppose you could try to pour the plug as close to the cover as possible and then work it down with sandpaper/spinner or a bevel knife.
When I first started out, I used the rp-40 (mod version - it is clearer) and the dye/pigment. I didn't want to spend a lot of money of the real stuff to practice. It does work, but the "real" plug stuff is much better.
Hope that helps.
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