[CAUT] VSProfelt vs alcohol/water/softener vs steam

[David Ilvedson]

Fred,

With all the things that have to go right for this stuff to work, doesn't it make more sense to just rebush?

David Ilvedson, RPT
Pacifica, CA  94044

----- Original message ----------------------------------------
From: "Fred Sturm" <fssturm at unm.edu>
To: caut at ptg.org
Received: 3/12/2009 3:40:17 PM
Subject: Re: [CAUT] VSProfelt vs alcohol/water/softener vs steam


>On Mar 12, 2009, at 10:36 AM, Dan Reed wrote:

>> Fred, Thanks for researching this.I'm very interested in using steam  
>> for puffing up compacted felt, and am looking forward to your  
>> technique. How to keep the glue contact surface intact in the key  
>> bushings is my question.
>>
>> Dan Reed
>> Dallas, Tx

>	It's a matter of timing, of how long you apply the steam. If you are  
>removing bushings, you need quite a few seconds, maybe even a minute  
>or so, to loosen the glue joint enough so the bushings will come out  
>easily. Bushings and the glue that was used do vary, so you do need to  
>pay attention. But I have found that a fairly rapid steaming as I  
>described, where the bushings get one second or so of steam, possibly  
>repeated once, does not loosen the glue joint enough to make the  
>bushing loose. Most of the time, the felt swells and the glue joint  
>isn't affected at all. And following with the key bushing iron, again  
>paying attention to time (less than one second per bushing, possibly  
>repeated), this will tend to reset the glue if it has become loosened  
>a bit (kind of like ironing veneer to get it to restick where it has  
>bubbled up).
>	I iron all my rebushing jobs. Occasionally I'll have a bushing that  
>wasn't quite glued tightly - usually because I let the glue get too  
>cold before inserting the felt and the caul. I find that the iron will  
>melt the glue and set the joint adequately. But you don't want too  
>high a heat, or too long a time. Or you will melt the glue enough to  
>pull it into the felt.
>	It's not as touchy as the description makes it sound. Just common  
>sense. Like ironing clothes, where you can scorch the fabric if you  
>have the iron set too hot, or you don't keep it moving. But it's not  
>real hard to iron clothes successfully. There is plenty of leeway if  
>you are paying attention.
>	The best way to learn this technique, and not be worried about the  
>result, is to try it next time you have a rebushing job. Just try it  
>on a section of bushings, running the steam and following with the  
>iron. I think you'll find that there isn't a lot to worry about.
>Regards,
>Fred Sturm
>University of New Mexico
>fssturm at unm.edu