First of all, I don’t intend to go into direct competition with Alba, so throw it out’cha mind! I built a one-of-a-kind whistle for a Renaissance Festival lady, who wanted a very light, silvery-looking one with some special symbols engraved. I’m having a problem with proper adhesives for making the fipple remain in place without the brass pin. I’ve tried a couple of different epoxies, but though they do hold fairly well, I would like something quite strong. Any ideas??
Thanks!
Bill “Serpent” Whedon
Serpent Music
http://www.serpentmusic.com
Bill, make sure you clean the aluminum VERY well, using acetone or some other solvent to remove any oil etc on the aluminum. Also, to get epoxy to adhere, it helps to rough up the surface of the metal a bit-- I use medium sandpaper. The slower the epoxy, the stronger it is, so avoid the 30 second stuff.
One advantage of epoxy over cyanoacrylates is that if you heat it ( small butane torch) it loses it’s stick and you can separate the parts.
An alternative to epoxy is JB Weld. It is a gray colored 2 part mix and is available in hardware and auto parts stores. It can be filed, sanded and drilled.
As with all glues, investigate toxicity before using.
Gary
PS - I do not work for, or have any personal interest in the company.
Thanks, Paul! My fitting procedure always includes a wash-out with acetone, so that’s no problem. I got some 4-hour set epoxy paste from a model shop about a year ago, and your post reminded me of it. Doubly good because it’s black and matches the ebony fipple nicely! I’ll also go one step further, and use a little engraving burr to cut slots on the inside of the mouthpiece, and into the lower and outside sides of the fipple, to “lock” things together.
I may do that with all of the whistles from now on, if it works well. That brass pin is pretty, but a real pain in the arse to fit, and if something goes wrong with the fipple, requiring replacement, then it’s an even bigger pain to remove!
Cheers,
Bill “Serpent” Whedon
Serpent Music
http://www.serpentmusic.com
On 2002-09-16 09:58, Gary wrote:
An alternative to epoxy is JB Weld. It is a gray colored 2 part mix and is available in hardware and auto parts stores. It can be filed, sanded and drilled.As with all glues, investigate toxicity before using.
Gary
PS - I do not work for, or have any personal interest in the company.
Ya-ho! I’ve seen the stuff you mean - it’s kind of like body filler compound. Actually, I had considered molding the fipples in place using just such a filled polyester resin. The toxicity, though, was one issue that prevented it. Also, the stuff I tried (not JB Weld) takes a LONG time to lose it’s residual odor. I tried several woods, instead (as evidenced still on my website, which I must fix!) and settled on the ebony because it doesn’t soak up, and can be polished very smooth without any coating or filler. However, that very feature makes it hard to adhere. Good thing I thunk up the slots, huh?! 
Cheers,
Bill “Serpent” Whedon
Serpent Music
http://www.serpentmusic.com