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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Tom,</FONT></DIV>
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<BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: blue =
2px solid"><FONT face=Arial size=2>Thank you so much for writing about t=
his. ....... Oh, well, it's an experiment!<BR><BR>So, I'm wondering abo=
ut a few things. Do you coat both sides of the board, or is it just too much=
trouble as Del suggests?</FONT></BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Such a simple question now keeps me up at n=
ight! If you ever get a chance, spend an hour all by yourself with a F=
azioli, you will not be the same afterward. The level of craftsmanship=
and attention to detail exceeds anything I have ever seen any where. =
So far I have been just coating the top side since it is the only side we ha=
ve sufficient access to, but I am beginning to rethink this approach.</FONT>=
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<BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: blue =
2px solid"><FONT face=Arial size=2>I would imagine that a new Fazioli is=
epoxied top and bottom to seal out moisture more effectively. Much easier t=
o do when the board is out of the piano, though.<BR></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I don't believe Fazioli uses an epoxy, but =
rather he talked about a special lacquer which sealed the wood. When y=
ou meet your first Fazioli, crawl underneath it, the underside of the soundb=
oard looks better than most manufacture's top side!</FONT></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: blue =
2px solid"><BR><FONT face=Arial size=2>Do you top coat with lacquer or v=
arnish? Do you need to do a lot of sanding to level out the epoxy?<BR></FONT=
></BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>The last board I did I actually sprayed on =
my all purpose waterborne lacquer ... no problems, it flowed out better than=
on raw wood, great adherence, etc. I use the system three epoxy becau=
se it is water white; no discoloration, water thin; is absorbed into the woo=
d some, and I can put on very thins coats. The one draw back is the sl=
ow cure rate, the board picks up all kinds of junk which needs to be sanded =
out. This stuff is HARD! and difficult to sand, I use 150 grit paper a=
nd a small board will use at least two sheets.</FONT></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: blue =
2px solid"><BR><FONT face=Arial size=2>I've been using the West Systems =
epoxy which seems to go on fairly thick (it flows like honey, maybe a little=
thinner). The first coat ends up being pretty uneven and takes a lot of san=
ding to level it out before the second coat. It seems like a much thinner pr=
imer coat would even out the variable absorbability of the different areas. =
Has this been a problem with System Three?<BR></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Not with a light coat.</FONT></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: blue =
2px solid"><BR><FONT face=Arial size=2>You were looking for answers in y=
our post but hope you don't mind some questions instead.<BR><BR>Tom Cole<BR>=
Santa Cruz, CA<BR><BR>ps: Speculating on your question (Does epoxy work well=
on new soundboards?), I would think that it would affect how you designed t=
he board. Since it would add stiffness, then you would need to make the pane=
l thinner to get the right "impedence match", n'est-ce pas?</FONT></BLOCKQUO=
TE>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Well, that is what was bouncing around the =
empty spaces of my skull the other night, keeping me awake. It will ce=
rtainly stiffen the board, but how to measure it is an issue and how to best=
compensate for it is also a question.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Good luck on your experiment.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
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<DIV><FONT lang=0 face=Arial size=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" PTSIZE="10"=
>Andrew Remillard <BR>2417 Maple Ave<BR>Downers Grove, IL 60515</FONT></DIV>=
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