<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; = charset=windows-1252"> <META content="MSHTML 5.50.4522.1800" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV>Thanks Carl. You may well be right about higher temp curing not = affecting the epoxy strength. I read all through the West System web site and = could find no reference to it. They did identify the weakness caused by solvent = thinning the epoxy resin, but apparently heat will not compromise it.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Terry Farrell</DIV> <DIV> <SPAN id=__#Ath#SignaturePos__></SPAN> </DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; = BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV> <DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: = black"><B>From:</B> <A title=cmpiano@attbi.com href="mailto:cmpiano@attbi.com">Carl = Meyer</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A = title=pianotech@ptg.org href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">pianotech@ptg.org</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Sunday, January 06, 2002 = 2:15 PM</DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: Epoxy</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Terry, the specs for max service temp = for epoxy vary from 150-400 degrees F on a typical brochure I have from Hysol.  I've never heard that high temps at curing (under the max = working temp) would weaken the result, but I may be wrong.  Most mfg. = give a recommendation, but I think they say room temp cure merely to say that = it will indeed cure without heat.  Some won't.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I recall years ago I worked for a = company that made voice coils for computer disc drives for IBM.  The adhesive = used to coat the windings was a structural adhesive made by MMM.  The = cure schedule specified by IBM was 1 hour at 130 F followed by 1 hour at = 250 C followed by 1 hour at 350 C.  (that's 842 F).  The normally = green epoxy turned brown.  I gleefully informed the IBM engineers that = the heat was in excess of the operating temperature specified by MMM.  = After much gnashing of teeth, fancy footwork and backtracking IBM changed its = specs, and</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>we found it's not too hard to be green.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><A href="http://www.epotec.com">http://www.epotec.com</A>   = is the website.  Epotec301 has a  Shore D hardness of = 81</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I've just learned that clear coat has = a viscosity</FONT> <FONT face=Arial size=2>of approx. 600 for = the resin and about 200 for the hardener.  I'm not sure how the mix relates = but it should be about 500 since the mix ratio is 2-1.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Happy gluing.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Carl Meyer  Assoc. PTG<BR>Santa = Clara, California<BR><A = href="mailto:cmpiano@attbi.com">cmpiano@attbi.com</A> </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; = BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV> <DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: = black"><B>From:</B> <A title=mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com href="mailto:mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com">Farrell</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A = title=pianotech@ptg.org href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">pianotech@ptg.org</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Sunday, January 06, = 2002 8:03 AM</DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: Epoxy</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV> <DIV>Hi Carl. My info is that elevated curing temperatures can tend = to weaken the cured epoxy. It would concern me to heat bridge pins. It = may not be a valid concern as I'm sure the heat is dissipated rather = quickly. I have always found West System to be thin enough to wick into all birdseye = cracks around bridge pins - when the pin are removed. I'm sure it would be = nice to have an even thinner epoxy - although, I wonder if it would be as = convenient to apply - the thicker West System holds a nice drop on a wire or on = the bridge pin base for application! What is the strength = characteristics of the Epotec301? Is it as strong/hard as West System resin? Do you have a = web site for Epotec301?</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Oh, and BTW: Just sent out an old Fisher upright with a = completely rebuilt action and a VERY nicely leveled set of keys!</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Terry Farrell <SPAN = id=__#Ath#SignaturePos__></SPAN> </DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></BLOCKQUOTE><= /BODY></HTML>