I fill the entire hole with epoxy. West system and a generaous amount of microlite (410). Put it in a glue syringe and fill them up. I insert the syringe all the way to the bottom and back it out as squeeze to get the stuff to the bottom of the hole. The top usually sags a bit and so you need to go over it a couple of times within, usually, about 30 minutes. Even then the stuff will eventuall sag a bit leaving a slight indentation. I've dealt with this two ways and I'm not really sure which I prefer, but both work. First, let them sag to slightly below key level. After the epoxy starts to set up--the slow set stuff will harden quite slowly but reaches a point where it will not sag anymore--I mix up another batch using both microlite and colloidal silica (406). Mix it to the consistency of whipped butter or mashed potatoes and then take an artists palette knife and fill in the small indentation flush to the key top. When it all hardens sand smooth with an orbital sander right in the key frame. You can block the key ends to hold them more steady. The other method involves adding a bit more of the original batch out of the syringe as it starts to thicken so that it sets up higher than the top of the key stick. Before it totally hardens trim with a sharp chisel (wax it a bit first to keep it from sticking) or a sharp japanese knife. Clean up with an orbital sander. I don't like using dowels to plug the holes because I don't like drilling and screwing capstans into the endgrain of a dowel. You can, as some do, cut plugs out of old keys, drill the hole larger to cover the coutersink, plug and trim. I find that it takes too long. The epoxy holds the capstan just fine and, once hardened, drills and taps without any problems. BTW make sure that the old capstan holes aren't drilled all the way through the key. Yep, I did find that out the hard way. Thought I'd entered the Twilight Zone with a capstan hole that just never seemed to want to fill up....imagine if you will.. David Love davidlovepianos@earthlink.net > [Original Message] > From: Phillip Ford <fordpiano@earthlink.net> > To: <pianotech@ptg.org> > Date: 5/19/2004 11:39:28 AM > Subject: Plugging capstan holes > > Would anyone care to offer some advice on plugging capstan holes? They are often countersunk, so if you glue in a dowel that's level with the top of the key there will be a gap or open ring around the dowel. If you happen to be drilling near this area it makes the bit wander. If you epoxy in a dowel and fill in the gap with epoxy it's pretty hard to level them until the epoxy hardens. So you essentially have to leave the dowel sticking out a bit and the epoxy mounded up a bit. This means a lot of sanding or filing after the epoxy hardens. My current modus operandi is to glue in a dowel that's a bit shorter than the hole and punch it in so that it's a little below the top of the key. I then fill in the divot with epoxy and level with a razor blade before the epoxy sets. Other ideas? Does anyone fill in the entire hole with epoxy? > > Phi Ford > > _______________________________________________ > pianotech list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives
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