epoxy alone

[John Ross]

Hi Clyde,
I have never found a separation, in a relatively new piano. The
separations I have run across, have been in pianos around 1915 +/- 10.
In these pianos they have separated, by the screw holes stripping.
I have always drilled through to the back, and put carriage bolts
through, after clamping it back together. I have never, after the
first time, lowered the tension.
I do fill any space that might be there, due to the clamps not
completely closing the gap. It is a very small space.
I would not trust the epoxy, by itself. It may be ok, but why chance
it.
You say you just clamped the Wurlitzer, and epoxied it. Did you check
the screws to see if they were stripped?
I just reattached two pinblocks in the last two weeks, hadn't done one
in over a year.
Regards,
John M. Ross
Windsor, Nova Scotia.
jrpiano@win.eastlink.ca
----- Original Message -----
From: "Clyde Hollinger" <cedel@supernet.com>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Friday, June 07, 2002 5:32 PM
Subject: epoxy alone


| Friends,
|
| Can a separated back repair be expected to endure if I used epoxy
alone?
|
| I actually did this once.  A Wurlitzer console was only several
years
| old when I discovered, underneath the glued-on felt, a separated
back.
| I called the company's rep, who told me just to fill the crack with
| epoxy.  Period.  No clamps, etc.  He sent me new felt for the top,
and I
| did as I was told but never glued the felt down so I could keep an
eye
| on it.  It is now about four years later and it seems okay.
|
| So suppose from now on I just worked epoxy into the crack, pulled
the
| top together with big clamps, cleaned away the excess, waited two
days
| and took the clamps off.  Would it hold?  Has anyone tried this?
The
| epoxy claims a strength of something like two tons per square inch,
so
| it seems like that should be sufficient.
|
| This is especially in my mind because today I tuned a Conn console
with
| a separated back, even though it has four bolts going the whole way
| through the back.  The separation is in the middle between two of
them.
| There is really no room to put in extra bolts where needed because
the
| tuning pins are in the way.  What do you think?
|
| Regards, Clyde
|