<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><head><META HTTP-EQUIV="Content-Type" CONTENT="text/html; charset=us-ascii"><meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 14 (filtered medium)"><style></style></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1>Indeed.  J<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p>From: pianotech-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org] On Behalf Of Paul T Williams Sent: Tuesday, January 24, 2012 4:28 PM To: pianotech@ptg.org Subject: Re: [pianotech] Epoxy Filler<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p>Funny , Will! I love Red-Green!  We don't get it anymore in NE.  It's in Seattle, though!  Nice over Christmas break to see it. I like the duct tape demolition ball to the old Ford Taurus, so you don't need a third wheel.  It actually worked! LOL Duct tape works for all kinds of things...including a dam.  Not Hoover or anything...just sayin! Keep yer stick on the ice, eh? Paul <o:p></o:p><table class=MsoNormalTable border=0 cellpadding=0 width="100%" style='width:100.0%'><tr><td valign=top style='padding:.75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt'>From: <o:p></o:p></td><td valign=top style='padding:.75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt'>"Encore Pianos" <<a href="mailto:encorepianos@metrocast.net">encorepianos@metrocast.net</a>> <o:p></o:p></td></tr><tr><td valign=top style='padding:.75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt'>To: <o:p></o:p></td><td valign=top style='padding:.75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt'><<a href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">pianotech@ptg.org</a>> <o:p></o:p></td></tr><tr><td valign=top style='padding:.75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt'>Date: <o:p></o:p></td><td valign=top style='padding:.75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt'>01/24/2012 03:20 PM <o:p></o:p></td></tr><tr><td valign=top style='padding:.75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt'>Subject: <o:p></o:p></td><td valign=top style='padding:.75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt'>Re: [pianotech] Epoxy Filler<o:p></o:p></td></tr></table><o:p> </o:p><div class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><hr size=2 width="100%" noshade style='color:#A0A0A0' align=center></div> <tt>Duct tape dams?  That calls for a highlight feature on the Red Green show!</tt> <tt>That surfaces periodically on PBS around money begging time.  It's about  a</tt> <tt>couple of good ole boys from back, back, backwoods Maine, whose solution to</tt> <tt>everything is duct tape.  They once made a wide body SUV by duct taping two</tt> <tt>old Econoline vans together.  </tt> <tt>Will</tt> <tt>-----Original Message-----</tt> <tt>From: <a href="mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org">pianotech-bounces@ptg.org</a> [</tt><a href="mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org"><tt>mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org</tt></a><tt>] On Behalf</tt> <tt>Of Ron Nossaman</tt> <tt>Sent: Tuesday, January 24, 2012 3:27 PM</tt> <tt>To: <a href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">pianotech@ptg.org</a></tt> <tt>Subject: [pianotech] Epoxy Filler</tt> <tt>To whom it may concern, or anyone interested,</tt> <tt>Yesterday, I filled a set of rib mortises out in the shop, preparatory to</tt> <tt>routing new mortises for a new and considerably different rib set, and</tt> <tt>installed a cutoff bar, fish, and further belly rail bracing. I used</tt> <tt>thickened West System epoxy. In the past, I'd used maple floor (band saw and</tt> <tt>sander sweepings) for a filler and thickener. It works nicely to increase</tt> <tt>the volume of the epoxy, but I don't like how the epoxy drains out of it as</tt> <tt>it sits. Adding something of a smaller particulate, like high density filler</tt> <tt>or colloidal silica tends to keep the epoxy in the wood flour, but it seems</tt> <tt>like a waste of materials when all I want is a cheap filler and volume</tt> <tt>increase that doesn't separate and doesn't kill the strength  and toughness</tt> <tt>of the epoxy altogether. So yesterday I tried good old non-exotic general</tt> <tt>purpose wheat flour. I used my wood flour for bulk, and enough wheat flour</tt> <tt>to make a peanut butter viscosity mix for bedding the cutoff bars and</tt> <tt>bracing, and more like yogurt to pour into the mortises and plate lag holes</tt> <tt>with my highly sophisticated duct tape dams. It handled beautifully, and the</tt> <tt>epoxy stayed suspended in the filler with no indication of it settling out.</tt> <tt>When I leveled everything this morning, I was very pleased with the texture</tt> <tt>of the cured mix. It's less brittle than straight epoxy, but still quite</tt> <tt>tough, and works as well as anything I've tried, better than most, and</tt> <tt>cheaper than almost anything.</tt> <tt>If you have a need, I recommend you give it a try. Self rising? You're on</tt> <tt>your own.</tt> <tt>Ron N</tt> <o:p></o:p></div></body></html>