Lee, A respirator is a recommended, as is ventilation, if possible. Of course, you will need to warn the client about the fumes. They don't last long, but they are very harsh, and if you are up close to the work without a respirator, they can be very harmful to you. Never use cotton cloth with CA glue. It can ignite on contact with the glue. Have acetone standing by for any cleanup or glued-finger emergencies, but be careful so you won't need it. Get the thinnest CA glue you can find. Many technicians use medical syringes, and I've tried them with about 5 different gauges of needles, and I find that it's hard to control the amount you are dispensing. I've found that the standard hypo-oiler bottles with the screw cap with the built-in needles are superior. Unless you can burn the glue out of the needle afterward, the oiler bottle is pretty much disposable, as the needle will clog. To load the bottle, compress it, dip the needle into the container of CA, and let the suction fill the bottle partially. You can also take off the needle cap and pour the glue directly in to the oiler bottle, but you run a higher risk of spilling that way. Tilt the piano on it's back (upright). For grands, remove the action and put newspaper down on the keybed in case any CA drips down through the bottoms of the holes. Apply a healthy amount to where you can see it pool around the entire circumference of the base of the tuning pin, but not enough to where it runs on to the plate. Start with the pins you normally tune first, and proceed as you would on a tuning. Repeat for all pins to be treated. Wait a few minutes, and tilt the piano back up, and the pins you started with should now be tight enough to hold a tuning, unless the pinblock damage is too severe for CA to work. Once you start applying the glue, you'll find that it goes pretty quickly. But you may want to set aside an hour for your first job, and decide from there what pace you want to set. I'm sure there are some who can do an entire piano in about 20 minutes. I set aside about 45 minutes so I don't feel rushed. But when working with CA, never allow a time constraint to interfere with being careful. CA can have disastrous results if you are not careful with it. If I missed something important, someone else will surely point it out. :) Good luck, Mark On 7/5/2011 12:17 PM, lee innocent wrote: > Hello All, > I am considering CAing an upright piano, I have never tried this > method before, always repinned. > What I would like to know is: > 1. Is this a permanent fix for loose pins > 2. What is the best method for a thorough job > 3. How much time should I allocate > Thanks in advance > Lee
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