Terry; 47 questions? I have 47 answers. Hope they match the questions. To start with, I found a plug cutter at a local tool supply. It will cut a three eighths plug two inches long. It cost over 50 dollars. The letters on it are unclear due to wear but I think it is a Delta #15-534. I've cut about a thousand plugs w/o sharpening. I use standard supply house pin block material. I blow cold air from a cold gun on one side of the cutter and place a vacuum wand on the other side to draw the cold air over the cutter and suck up the chips. I don't cut all the way thru because then I would have to stop the drill to remove the plugs. So I leave the last 1/16 intact and when I've drilled a batch of plugs I put it in my table saw and rip that last 1/16 off and they all fall out. I've never used any of the harder material like delignite, falconwood since I hear they are very unforgiving. I'm going to start mic-ing my tuning pins since the brand I've used may not be consistent. The Epo-tek has a pot life of 30 min for a 100 gram batch. Fifty min for a 25 gram batch. Cure is overnight at room temp, one hour at 25 c. Shelf life one year , but I've had mine for lots longer that that. Epo-tek is available from Epoxy technology inc. 14 Fortune dr. Billerica, Ma. 01821 508/667-3805 It cost about 30 dollars a pound the last time I bought some. Mix ratio is 4-1 by weight and 3-1 by volume. Lap shear strength is 1700 psi. I can't find a hardness spec. I have never seen any epoxy with viscosity below 100cps in any spec sheets. There are a few below 1000cps. I'm beginning to think it is false economy to spend time and money looking for a cheaper alternative. I will try to get some west systems to try out. As to hardness, it appears that the epo-tek is pretty hard, but I don't think any of the other wouldn't be hard enough for our use. In the fall 2000 catalog from Harbor freight tools (southern Calif.) there is a 5 speed bench drill press item #01844-6cfh for $39.99. I paid more for mine but it's the same unit. Central Machinery (China) You can remove the base and use it for whatever and also the table. Bolt the flange to your 12 inch square sliding base and then cut a hole in the top lid so that you can lower the unit all the way down. Now you can't lower the chuck without modifying the quill. Drill a hole thru the shaft, get rid of the three handles and mount a three or four inch pulley above the shaft and with aircraft cable belt the unit so that less than 1/2 turn of a lever attached to the pulley will actuate the chuck thru its full 2 inch stroke. Find a good industrial tool and supply place and get a catalog and they will have gobs of drills of various sizes and lengths. Metric is a good choice for those odd sizes. You may not be able to get them in hi-helix but I'm sure that regular ones will do the job just fine. I'm sure pictures would be better that my trying to describe this. I have been teaching a class at a couple of chapters in the area and once at the Cal state conv titled "Make your own tools". This is covered as are many simple gadgets I've come up with. I had a booth at several natl conventions, and sold a few tools, but I've given it up as too much work. I'm now considering video taping that class and offering it at a small charge. Anyway I'm tired of typing. (Not my best talent) I hope I've answered at least some of your questions. Feel free to call me if you decide to actually build something like this. I might be able to get some pictures together, for what they are worth. The reason I don't like to give out dimensions and detail is that I would never build the second one the same as the first. Sorta like Jonas Chickering, huh? I'm gonna go find me a beer in the fridge. Keep those cards and letters coming in! Cheers! Regards to all. Carl Meyer Santa Clara, Ca. 408/984-0482 > [Original Message] > From: Farrell <mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com> > To: <pianotech@ptg.org> > Date: 9/22/00 5:02:13 AM > Subject: Re: False Beats > > Hello Carl Meyer. Interesting stuff. About 47 questions. > > Epoxy. Do you know what the viscosity of West System resin is? I just wonder > how it compares to your Epo-tek 301. Where do you obtain your epoxy? Real > thin sounds real good. Any info on how hard it is compared to West System? > What about working time (pot life). > > Your drill press. Where did you get it. Cheap small ones I have found don't > seem to turn 180 degrees, so that the chuck is opposite side of the base. > Does yours? Did you have to modify it? How did you do that? How do you get > it real short so that it gets close to the pinblock? > > Drill bits. Where do your find 6-inch length pinblock drill bits for > drilling out the plugs? I know I can find a 1/4-inch, but what about the > several odd sizes that are usually required to find that perfect fit for > that particular day? > > Plug cutter. Where did you find a plug cutter that cuts 1-3/8 to 1-5/8 > inch-thick plugs? Do you use a tapered cutter or straight? If straight, as I > can only imagine, do you get nice clean sides, or are they kinda choppy? Any > problems with this (actually I would think a bit rough surface will give a > better glue joint!)? > > Thanks for info! > > Terry Farrell > Piano Tuning & Service > Tampa, Florida > mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Carl W. Meyer" <cmpiano@earthlink.net> > To: <pianotech@ptg.org> > Sent: Friday, September 22, 2000 12:12 AM > Subject: Re: False Beats > > > > I must add my two cents to this thread about ca, epoxy, bridge pins and > > tuning pins. > > There was a demo I think at the convention at Toronto several years ago. > > It was about filling tuning pin holes (after sealing the bottom) with an > > ultra thin epoxy. Epo-tek 301 has a viscosity of 100 centistokes. That's > > thin. It is also expensive since it was developed for optical use. Being > > thin it will fill all cracks and also find where you didn't seal the > bottom > > good enough. It cures overnight and cures hard. I've used it several > times > > for a complete pin block, drilling the epoxy out and using larger pins. I > > have also plugged several complete blocks. I made up a drilling machine > > with a cheap 5 speed drill press modified to allow full 2 inch stroke with > > less than one half turn of the handle. I've seen these drill presses for > > as little as 39 dollars. I mounted this on a piece white board and slid > it > > in a tray made with white board spanning across the piano. It is > > reinforced especially on the rear and rests on the rim of the piano at > both > > ends and slides for and aft on a couple of terry cloth towels. The drill > > assembly slides left to right. Talcum powder helps. I then cut my own > > plugs with a 3/8 plug cutter and cold gun. Find just the right size drill > > that will give a slip fit. You may need to use a 6 inch long metric size. > > If the holes in the plate are larger than 3/8 you will have to use a > > centering jig for the drill. I've used epoxy and titebond. They both > seem > > to work. Now redrill with a .250 or .257 and string the piano with 2/0 > > pins or what ever fits. BTW, I just use ordinary supply house stock to > cut > > the plugs. > > If you epoxy a pin in a block, don't worry about the pin breaking. Steel > > is harder than any > > epoxy. I've never had a problem. They always break loose. > > > > The advantage of ca glue is that it sets up fast. The disadvantage of ca > > glue is that it sets up fast. The thinner ca glue is the faster it sets. > > I've used it for bridge pins, but I find it hard to use and I worry that > it > > might just seal the top of the hole making further applications > impossible. > > Due to air at the opening it would tend to set up first there. > > I have a bridge to do soon and I plan to use the very thin epoxy and heat > > the pins and bridge with a hair drier. Epoxy gets even thinner with heat > > and will capillary into the void and allow plenty of time to clean off the > > excess. Epotek 301 cures overnight. Ca glues fast set up time is great > > when you need it, but I like to have plenty of time for other work. > > > > I did find a thin epoxy made by Resin Formulators, but it's not as thin as > > the other. Cheaper though. I use epoxy and ca ever chance I get. My > > theory is "don't screw it, glue it"! > > > > Carl Meyer > > > > > > > > > > > [Original Message] > > > From: Richard Brekne <Richard.Brekne@grieg.uib.no> > > > To: <pianotech@ptg.org> > > > Date: 9/21/00 3:45:04 PM > > > Subject: Re: False Beats > > > > > > > > > > > > Newton Hunt wrote: > > > > > > > I prefer to CA bridge pins without strings to prevent > > > > contact with the string and buildup of CA in places hard to > > > > get to. > > > > > > I assume you mean in general that removal of bridge pins for application > > is > > > unneccesary then ? > > > > > > > > > > > I consider it important that the CA be allowed to work > > > > itself down to the bottom of the pin hole and then rise to > > > > the top of the bridge thereby filling the hole entirely and > > > > holding the full length of the pin in the hole. If you have > > > > a miniscus ring stand for a few seconds without diminishing > > > > you know the hole is fully filled then use a tissue corner > > > > to wick up the excess. Otherwise you may not get the full > > > > benefit of the CA project. > > > > > > Seems like when it dries out it both soaks into the wood and contracts a > > > bit. Is this correct ? And if so would a second application do the trick > ? > > > > > > > On the Nordska I would remove an offending string and see > > > > what is under it > > > > > > I have read a few posts about what to look for so I am cool on that > much.. > > > Still wondering about the affects of CA glue on the wood of the bridge > > > itself. Seems like it soaks in, and this sorta tells me that there might > > be > > > some effect on the general stiffness / hardness of the top say half a > > mill. > > > Perhaps this is benificial ?? might help protecting against humidity ??, > > > might affect the sound ?? any thoughts Newton ? > > > > > > > Newton > > > > > > -- > > > Richard Brekne > > > RPT, N.P.T.F. > > > Bergen, Norway > > > > > > > > > > > > > > --- Carl W. Meyer, Santa Clara, Ca. > > --- cmpiano@earthlink.net > > > > > > > --- Carl W. Meyer, Santa Clara, Ca. --- cmpiano@earthlink.net
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