Re: Hot glue Removal
By Jack Hardman
Brett Mohr:
> "As I start to remove the old pneumatic cloth from a set of Simplex
> unit pneumatics, I wondered what methods other rebuilders use for this
> task..."
I have begun the lengthy task of rebuilding a Wurlitzer theater organ. There are many pneumatics to be releathered. In the case of the small pneumatics, we dump them into a pail of water and wait for the water to soften the hot glue. The water penetrates the leather fairly quickly and it's relatively easy to peel off the old leather and remove the remaining glue with a sort of scrub brush. If you are in a hurry, use hot water if it is convenient. I don't know if this technique would work with rubber cloth since I've never tried it. Maybe it would only take longer for the water to get into the wood. At any rate, the water doesn't seem to bother the wood which dries out quickly and is ready to go again. From what I am told, this is standard practice for organ rebuilders.
The harder problem of removing packing leather (gasket material) that seals the top and bottom boards of large wind chests has traditionally been accomplished using hot water and rags draped on the packing leather. It is slow and messy at best. We also tried a steam iron which worked fairly well, but made a real mess of the steam iron sole plate. Good old Mildred went out and bought herself a new iron.
The final solution, however, was Mildred's dress steamer machine is far superior in every way. It's very fast, and doesn't make a big mess to clean up. The old packing leather sort of shrivels up and is quickly and easily peeled off. Another pass of the steam wand hits the glue that remains which we collect first with a putty knife, then old rags. When things cool down and harden up, we give it a light sanding with a flat sand block and the wood surface is ready for new packing. Use distilled water (rain, a/c condensate) to minimize mineral buildup in the steam generator.
Jack
Great Falls, Virginia |
(Message sent Sun 13 Oct 1996, 23:32:32 GMT, from time zone GMT.) |
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