Re: [HG-new] Gurdy repair materials: Urgent help needed in Vancouver BC

[Kazimierz Verkmastare]

Vlad   I will chime in here and suggest one of the cyanoacrylate super glues made for the model airplane hobbyists.  Hot stuff is only one of them, but most decent hobby shops will have their own selection of these glues.  Be sure to ask for the thin glues for wood.  And get a small bottle of the accelerator.   Here's my routine for fixing wood failures of this sort.  I use a small cheap artist brush to put some accelerator on just a few spots, making sure to get a dot on both pieces you will be gluing.  I use these spots as clamps, because the accelerated glue holds strong but not as strong as the unaccelerated glue.   So match the pieces up, and using one of the little teflon micro-tips you get with the glue (ask for them if they are not in the package), put a small dot on the joint at each spot you previously put accelerator.  This will hold the piece in place without clamps.  Now using the same micro-tip, carefully apply a small bead of glue right along the crack, best from the inside, and giving plenty of room for the keys.  This thin glue will 'wick' into the crack and travel along the joint very well.   Although this glue is supposed to be almost instant, I allow it to set for at least 15 minutes before I put any real stress on it.  The glue doesn't take time to set - it cures in an instant once it starts, but sometimes it takes some time before it decides to activate and cure.   When you use the accelerant, you will see a little puff of 'smoke' when the glue kicks off, and it gets hot.  You often will see the same puff when you are gluing very dry wood, but without accelerator it can take several seconds or longer to start to cure.  You will smell a very unique scent - it is a type of cyanide vapor and so is not particularly good for you, but it is not extremely dangerous to most folks (some asthmatics have had some pretty strong reactions to the vapor released on curing).   To get a bit of experience, buy a small bag of craft sticks at your hobby shop and practice gluing them together edge-to-edge and watching how the glue works - a half dozen pairs of sticks and you will become an expert.   Best of luck, and hope all works well.   Please let Ben know that Chris Nogy and his family (especially the girls) send greetings and wonder if he is coming to Arkansas anytime soon.   Chris > No problem--when I get to Vancouver tonight I'll post some pics. > > Thanks to everyone for their suggestions so far! Still sorting my > options and will prob know more tonight/tomorrow. > Firstly I'm hoping Ben Bagby doesn't have a heart attack when he > sees the thing! It still drones, which is a saving graces, butI > kinda needs those keys, heh heh... > > Cheers, more soon. > > Vlad > > On 27 Jul 2011, at 15:30, Arle Lommel wrote: > >> Vlad, >> >> If you have not already made the repair, any chance you can post >> a photo of the damage online? From your description I'm not >> entirely certain that I understand the nature of the damage to >> the peg end (I get where the failure on the backside of the >> keybox occurred). Others seem to get it, and it's possible the >> repair is already done following, for instance, Mel's >> instructions, but this is a case where a picture may be worth a >> thousand words. >> >> -Arle >> >> On Jul 26, 2011, at 23:37 , Wolodymyr Smishkewych wrote: >> >>> Dear all, >>> >>> Sorry that I've been mostly lurking the list these days--my new >>> job in Ireland has been keeping me quite busy! >>> I'm writing to ask for a small bit of help: Just yesterday when >>> I was taking out my organistrum that I use with ensemble >>> Sequentia, to my horror I discovered that the lid had come >>> clean off--by cracking cleanly across the weak areas of the key >>> slots on the back of the keybox. Since the keybox is open in >>> the direction of the wheel, and the glue line on the tuning >>> pins end failed, there is nothing keeping the back of the >>> keybox from coming off, so I now have a lid and a chunk of >>> keybox held together by hinges, and the rest of the organistrum >>> itself, keys in just the front slots of the keybox. >>> Mirculously, whatever prompted the break of the keybox didn't >>> cause any damage to the rest of the instrument, so it plays the >>> strings fine. >>> >>> I am enroute to Vancouver from Ireland (writing this as I >>> travel to the airport) and arrive tonight, Wednesday. This >>> weekend I have a concert with Sequentia, and teach a two-week >>> workshop (need the HG for the concert, not essential for the >>> course, but would be nice). I'm confident I can repair it >>> before then, and so I brought a first-aid kit of tools and some >>> small 'harigane' clamps with me. However, I couldn't get any >>> wood for the repair, and so I am wondering if there are any >>> luthier friends in the area, on the list or folks some of you >>> may know, that might be able to help me source some wood I'll >>> need for the repair (not yet sure if I will just make cleats >>> for the back inside of the keybox wall, or make a thin but >>> strong reinforcing wall to glue to the inside of the keybox >>> once the pieces have been mated. Any thoughts on this would >>> also be appreciated, as I haven't done this kind of repair >>> before. >>> >>> So, if any of you are, or know, luthiers (any kind!--or even >>> good woodworkers) who might be able to help me with this some >>> time Thursday, that would be great. THanks so much! >>> >>> Vlad >>> >>> -- >>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the >>> Google Groups "hurdygurdy" group. >>> To post to this group, send email to >>> hurdygurdy@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, >>> send email to hurdygurdy+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more >>> options, visit this group at >>> http://groups.google.com/group/hurdygurdy >>> >>> The rules of posting, courtesy, and other list information may >>> be found at http://hurdygurdy.com/mailinglist/index.htm.  To >>> reduce spam, posts from new subscribers are held pending >>> approval by the webmaster. >>> >> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the >> Google Groups "hurdygurdy" group. >> To post to this group, send email to hurdygurdy@googlegroups.com >> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to >> hurdygurdy+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit >> this group at http://groups.google.com/group/hurdygurdy >> >> The rules of posting, courtesy, and other list information may be >> found at http://hurdygurdy.com/mailinglist/index.htm.  To reduce >> spam, posts from new subscribers are held pending approval by the >> webmaster. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "hurdygurdy" group. To post to this group, send email to hurdygurdy@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to hurdygurdy+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/hurdygurdy   The rules of posting, courtesy, and other list information may be found at http://hurdygurdy.com/mailinglist/index.htm. To reduce spam, posts from new subscribers are held pending approval by the webmaster.