[pianotech] Removing Glue

[A440A at aol.com]

Ron writes, inre using hide glue,
<< The other day, I 

stripped a set of key bushings that appeared to have not been 

the originals. They steamed out easily and cleanly, without 

taking wood with them, as they will again when someone 

replaces the bushings I installed in their place. Go hide! >>

Yea, verily. 
    There is another aspect that a few of us will also take advantage of. 
That of redoing our own work.  I have begun rebuilding the early '80's work that 
I did at Vanderbilt.  I know exactly how much glue I used for the backrail 
cloth, dampers, bushings, etc. Having held together for decades, they come apart 
like butter with a whiff of steam.  
     These are easy pianos to re-rebuild, so for those of you that are young 
and perhaps beginning long term relationships with schools, using hide glue on 
perishible components just might return as a bonus, someday.  It is also 
cheaper, faster, and more proven than any other glue I know. 
    I also think transparency, (the ability to allow energy to pass through 
with the least alteration) of a glue joint is also important in several 
locations, (hammer to shank, bridge to cap and lasts, soundboard and ribs, etc). I 
certainly wouldn't want pvc-e glue in between a hammer and a shank, nor would I 
want it between the bridge cap and the bridge. On a continuum between rubber 
cement and hide glue, Tite Bond and the aliphatic resin group don't rate as 
hard, and there may be some creep.   I think harder is better when a joint is in 
the direct path between string and case, and I like to think that the assembly 
is more integrated when the hammer head is glued on with a harder glue than 
Tite bond.  
    The Bolduc glue seems to get awfully hard, but I wonder if it will prove 
to be so strong that hammers are damaged when removed.  Guess I should go 
experiment some.... 
Regards, 



Ed Foote RPT 
http://www.uk-piano.org/edfoote/index.html
www.uk-piano.org/edfoote/well_tempered_piano.html
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