[pianotech] Gram weight question

Ron Nossaman rnossaman at cox.net
Mon Jun 8 06:29:41 MDT 2009


Chuck Behm wrote:

> I've always been happy with the glue, using it for veneer work, felt 
> work, hammers, and gluing bellows to decks in players, etc., but until 
> now, was unaware that there were differences in weight. I guess since I 
> never had a problem with the glue I was using, I never even looked into 
> the topic.

Me either, until a couple of years ago as I watched my supply 
getting low and the need to replace it approaching, and 
decided I'd better start researching what to replace it with. 
Decisions are easy, it's getting the information to make good 
ones that's hard.


> So here's my question. Since I'm down to about half of a coffee can full 
> of crystals, is there an easy way to determine its gram weight? 

If there is, I don't know it.


>Is that 
> weight per unit volume, or some other measure? When I'm ready to reorder 
> a supply, I would like to get something with the same characteristics of 
> what I've gotten used to.

It's like a Shore hardness test. A film of the stuff, meeting 
standard (?) testing parameters of water concentration and 
thickness, has a specifically shaped probe pushed through it. 
The pressure it takes to do this determines the gram weight 
grade of the glue. The easy way is to buy a pound of 251g from 
Pianotek and compare it's working properties to what you 
already have. If you don't like the 251g, buy 192g elsewhere - 
like Milligan&Higgins. I suspect you probably have been using 
the 192g.


> Thanks for sharing your knowledge about the subject. You have an 
> incredible depth of experience.  Chuck Behm

That's scar tissue Chuck, available anywhere outside the guard 
rail. <G>
Ron N


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