(no subject)

[Dave Nereson]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: <Alpha88x@aol.com>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Wednesday, December 17, 2003 6:37 PM
Subject: (no subject)
> Greetings,
>             Thanks for your responses telling me that rosin anbd alcohol are 
> dinosaur technology. About the CA glue: Is this the super glue that you can 
> buy at Wal-mart? If it is, do you mix it with anything to thin it down? CYA, CA 
> are they the same thing?
> P.S. Please see the 12 days of Christmas. It's pretty good.
> piano rookie, 
> Julia Gottchall.
> Reading, PA

    CA (cyanoacrylate), CAA (cyanoacrylate adhesive), and I think I've seen ACC (acrylate cement?) are all "super glue", and basically the same thing.  But I understand that most super glue in supermarkets, hardware stores, Wal-Mart, Walgreen's, etc. is usually past its shelf life.  I don't know if this is true or not.  But I've heard that it's better to order it or buy it at a place where they have a quick turnover of the stuff, like hobby shops (not necessarily Michael's or Hobby Lobby, but a hobby shop that has lots of plastic model kits -- model airplanes, model cars, model railroad stuff, etc.).
    No, you don't mix it. You just use it straight out of the bottle, although some types include a "kicker", or accelerator that you add to the joint after gluing to help it cure faster.  Just the moisture in the air or in your breath also helps to make it set up faster (it already sets up quite fast, like, in seconds, as opposed to minutes or hours).  This is why it has to be tightly capped -- moisture from the air will get into a bottle that has the cap off for too long and the entire contents will harden.  
    There are at least three viscosities (thicknesses) -- super thin, medium, and gap-filling.  Be sure and get a bottle of the debonder also.  Repeat:  Get the debonder, too.  The slightest spill and you'll need it.  Oh, acetone (fingernail polish remover) will work in a pinch, but the debonder is much better.   
    --David Nereson, RPT