Shimming - was: Was it something I said?

[Farrell]

OK, a theoretical problem. If the new "stronger" shim causes the adjacent
"damaged/crushed/old" soundboard wood to develope cracks along the new shim,
wouldn't epoxy do the same thing? Certainly the epoxy isn't going to squish
much. Or do you somehow let thin epoxy soak into the adjacent old board
material and then put a thickened mixture into the crack. Also, when doing
an epoxy "shim", is there any reason to rout out the crack? Or do you just
fill it as is?

Terry Farrell
Piano Tuning & Service
Tampa, Florida
mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com

----- Original Message -----
From: "Delwin D Fandrich" <pianobuilders@olynet.com>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Monday, January 08, 2001 10:39 AM
Subject: Re: Shimming - was: Was it something I said?


>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Farrell" <mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com>
> To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
> Sent: January 08, 2001 5:42 AM
> Subject: Shimming - was: Was it something I said?
>
>
> > Makes sense Del. I fit my shims by adjusting the thickness of them (they
> are
> > cut on a small angle as is the slot - trimming the thickness makes them
> > wider or narrower). Therefore, I start with shims thicker than my board.
> How
> > does one get around this using old soundboard stock that is the same
> > thickness or thinner than the target board? Laminate two thicknesses
> > together? Are we not then moving toward a shim that is stronger than the
> > target board?
> >
> > Terry Farrell
> -------------------------------------------------------
>
> Don't know, Terry. Laminating them might work. I haven't shimmed a board
> with either old or new wood since sometime in the very early 70s, having
> switched to epoxy about that time. Once I did my first epoxy 'shim' I
never
> went back -- in spite of the many critics of the day who assured me that
> they wouldn't work. They did then and they still do today. Of course,
today
> we mostly replace boards rather than shim them.
>
> Which ever is you elixir of choice, shimming or epoxying, it's good to
keep
> in mind that both are strictly cosmetic repairs. Neither does anything
> acoustical, either good or bad, regardless of the material used or the
> quality of the work done. Well, ok, a really badly done shim could buzz, I
> suppose, and that's acoustical.
>
> Del
>
>