glue on the fingers

[Dean May]

Ron wrote: Maybe it's just a lingering conviction that it ain't 

fixed until you've got some (glue) on your finger.

 

 

That's funny, Ron, because you ain't used enough CA until you've got a
couple of fingers glued together, or fingernails glued to the underlying
skin. :-)

 

I, too, sometimes use the screws to pull the ribs together. But on a 30 year
old piano that nobody will look at the back I wouldn't worry about plugging
the screw holes. I still use the CA even with screwing the ribs together,
but I've had just as good results not doing the clamping. I just fill the
joint with CA. Remember what kind of pianos we are working on here. I dare
say reversibility will never be an issue on any of the soundboards I have
used CA on. 

 

I used to use the Titebond, but rarely anymore. My comfort level with using
the CA is very high because of the large numbers of soundboards I have glued
with it over the last 15 years, with no call backs. CA will also get into
places where I can't get Titebond, places where there is no visible problem.
So if you do choose to use the Titebond for the obvious problem areas, I'd
heartily recommend you go ahead and treat the rest of the rib joint areas
with CA. Any time you get enough separation to cause buzzing, all of the rib
joints and rim joints should be highly suspect. Treat 'em with the CA and
head off future problems at the pass. 

 

The problem with doing all the cosmetic work, plugging, sanding, finishing
the plugs, etc., is that is very expensive work. You should be charging the
customer for all that time and effort, and you may be forcing them to pay
for a lot of unneeded cosmetic work that they would just as soon skip. Of
course that is partly a reflection of me: I am cheap and into function, and
I wouldn't want to be paying $80/hr to someone to perform unnecessary
cosmetic work- work that the average customer certainly wouldn't be able to
appreciate, nor their friends. The only real reason to do it is the next
technician who would come by to see it and use it as an opportunity to rail
against my "sloppy" work. I can live with that. In my book, I try to give my
customers maximum bang for their buck and not be too worried about some
other tech trying to make themselves look good at my expense. 

 

 

Dean

Dean May             cell 812.239.3359 

PianoRebuilders.com   812.235.5272 

Terre Haute IN  47802

 

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