Treating pinblocks with CA

[Susan Kline]

Frank wrote:
>I open windows, even in the winter!  You need cross ventilation to get
>rid of those fumes.  I also place a large fan in the window blowing
>outward to bring in fresh air and push out the fumes.
>
>I suspect that the fumes are very dangerous. If you can't work in safe
>conditions, don't take thata job.  Your health is the top priority!!!!!
>-- 
>
>Frank Cahill
>Associate Member
>Northern Va
>

----------------------------------------
Dear Frank, list ...

I'm resending a post by Jory Olson about CA fumes. Sometimes it's good to
have other professions represented on the list.

>X-From_: owner-pianotech@ptg.org Thu Jul  2 01:01:33 1998
>From: "Jory A. Olson" <jory@teleport.com>
>To: "'pianotech@ptg.org'" <pianotech@ptg.org>
>Subject: CA Glue Caution
>Date: Thu, 2 Jul 1998 00:23:28 -0700
>Sender: owner-pianotech@ptg.org
>Reply-To: pianotech@ptg.org
>
>As others have already posted CA is commonly known as "Super Glue" and I
know for sure it's available in Sydney because I bought some there last year.
>
>I want to caution CA users to only use CA in a well ventilated area,
especially the kind with the "accelerator" marketed in the US by such
companies as Loctite.  When the accelerator is applied to CA a small amount
of cyanide gas is released.  If you're holding the parts near your face and
inhaling the gas while using large amounts of CA you can develop liver
problems associated with cyanide exposure.  CA is very popular with model
airplane builders because it one can accurately place parts and then
instantly weld them together with the accelerator.  Model builders doing
this in the basement for hours have been known to have liver problems.
>
>Be careful out there.  We piano players need you folks to keep our
instruments working and liver damage isn't fun.
>
>FYI, the "accelerator" is actually a catalyst that causes the CA to
polymerize very quickly.
>
>Just a word of caution from a former Pre-Med major with too much chemistry
and not enough music education.
>
>Jory

---------------------------------------------------
If, as Jory says, the accelerator is dangerous because the fast
polymerization releases cyanide gas, might one also assume that letting CA
glue set ("polymerize") at its own pace also releases cyanide gas, only
more slowly? 

CA does stand for "cyano-acryllate" after all, and it seems to me (who has
plenty of music education but only one college chemistry course) that the
"cyano" may well be related to cyanide. 

I still intend to use a few drops, and to accelerate it with white glue, as
needed. For instance, if you're replacing rubber buttons on a piano case,
and you smear white glue into the hole, and put a drop or two of CA glue on
the post of the button (AFTER DRY FITTING!) it will stay stuck in a very
satisfactory manner. (Rob Kiddell's version is:)

>Application #1 (and the test case for the process) You guessed it, 
>rubber buttons! I do a fair amount of rebuilding, and putting on the 
>rubber buttons is the finishing task. Unfortunately, Most glues don't 
>set underneath the button, and CA alone is too messy to get enough 
>around the circumference of the button. Also, I've dropped a tiny 
>amount of CA onto a high-polish lacquer finish with disasterous 
>results. So I use yellow glue initially, set the button in place, 
>wipe the excess glue that squeezes out,  pull apart and add CA (a 
>tiny bit!) and re-install. Works like a hot damn. 

However, this is very different from using several ounces of the stuff
on a pinblock. I might try it, given heaps and heaps of ventilation and
lots of warnings to the owners .. but I'd think twice, first. I might
postpone it until a time of year when the windows could be left wide
open all night.

Regards,

Susan



Susan Kline
P.O. Box 1651
Philomath, OR 97370
skline@proaxis.com