[pianotech] CA glue in the UK

[Bill Troop]

I am not a technician, merely a pianist (I do tuning touch ups and 
needling but that's the limit), but have been using the ptg archives 
for years as a source of much-valued information. I have taken the 
step of actually joining the list because I have a few questions I 
need to ask directly.

1. Where can I find a reliable source of the right kind of thin 
viscosity CA glue in England? (This would be for tightening pins on 
my 1908 8'4" Schiedmayer. This is a piano I had never even heard of 
before moving to the UK, but a Dutch tech I know advised me to view 
it -- I liked it and bought it for very little at auction). The older 
pianos are well-thought-of by techs here; they are compared to 
Steinways of similar vintage. This one has stronger bass than any of 
at least a hundred Steinway D's I have played, but the other sections 
are not up to that standard, pending of course the work my tech is 
gradually doing -- we are still on original hammers and strings which 
are in remarkably good shape for their 100 years.)

Glue suppliers all seem to have at least 3 viscosities, thin, medium 
and thick. Can I get any 'thin' from anyone who seems to have it 
fresh? And is there any known downside to using the odorless kind?

2. Similarly, if, or when, we get to the point that we want to try 
epoxy plugging, can anyone recommend a supplier in the UK, or advise 
me what to ask for? Also, has anyone ever published a step-by-step 
guide for this?

3. Some of you advise using CA in a 3ml hypo with a 21 or 22 gauge 
needle. Does anyone happen to know if gauges are the same in the UK? 
My unconfirmed impression is that they are the same.

4. Is there a way to access the older PTG archives? They seem to be 
off-line, resulting in a lot of Google misses.

5. Finally, just a bit more info about the worst, extreme bass pins. 
My tech says they seem greasy - - as if someone had used WD-40 on 
them. My understanding is that the CA treatment seems to work despite 
whatever gunk may be present. If CA doesn't work, obviously we'll 
have to try something else.

Needless to say, I don't have a tech who can answer any of these 
questions. I'm in the Nowich, Norfolk area of England, in case anyone 
knows of someone who uses these kinds of techniques there, but the 
impression I get is that British techs are largely unaware of them.

Many thanks for allowing me to trespass here, and for the wonderful 
body of information collected in the archives. - - Bill Troop