A. C. Fairbanks Posted June 22, 2013 Report Share Posted June 22, 2013 Howdy, A high quality brass Irish whistle of mine has come apart at a well fitted sleeve joint in the tubing... What would be an appropriate (that is, easily reversible) glue to reassemble the thing, that will remain secure in the, shall we say, very moist environment of the interior? Sincere thanks, A.C. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robertdo Posted June 22, 2013 Report Share Posted June 22, 2013 some kind of very thin double face tape? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
La Folia Posted June 22, 2013 Report Share Posted June 22, 2013 Super glue? Reversible if you can get acetone in there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Yacey Posted June 22, 2013 Report Share Posted June 22, 2013 Depending what you call reversible, perhaps silver solder would be appropriate. If it needs to come apart during normal usage, you might try a mixture of bee wax and shellac. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carl Stross Posted June 22, 2013 Report Share Posted June 22, 2013 Normal tin solder will work nicely and it's 100% reversible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarloBartolini Posted June 22, 2013 Report Share Posted June 22, 2013 Even epoxy can be reversible, they all differ, but some will gel at about 120ºC and melt at higher temperatures, once cooled it returns to it's normal structure, without any loss of it's strength. (as I have been told by a chemist from a large epoxy manufacturing plant) The trick with brass and adhesion is getting all the surface well prepared, I water sand it with 80 grit and clean with phosphoric acid, then try to glue it as fast as possible, 20 minutes is almost too much. I have never tried the old methods of applying vernice a bronzo in heat, but it may be an answer. A glue similar to a vernice a bronzo, applied and dried in the oven. Shellac adheres nicely to bronze. But maybe Bill / Carl's answer is the best, bronze solders nicely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Richwine Posted June 22, 2013 Report Share Posted June 22, 2013 What's the head made of? Do you need it to be tunable? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conor Russell Posted June 22, 2013 Report Share Posted June 22, 2013 Garlic was used to glue brass inlay into wood, or so I was told. It certainly sticks tight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torbjörn Zethelius Posted June 22, 2013 Report Share Posted June 22, 2013 Could beeswax work? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A. C. Fairbanks Posted June 22, 2013 Author Report Share Posted June 22, 2013 Hello to all, Thanks for your comments... To respond to some of the questions folks have asked: The joint that opened is not intended to move. It is not the tunable joint, which remains in fine shape. Though the joint is "permanently" closed, it was held in position with a material that I could very easily remove from the brass with my thumbnail. It just chipped away, with very little tendency to stick to the brass. The material was dark blue in color, and having looked at it again, I think that it may be a hard wax that was melted into the joint. I don't know of the reason, but it was clearly set up so that it could be very easily disassembled. I have written to the maker, but think it may be a while until I have a response. Things like double sided tape could not work because the slip fit is excellent. There is just not much space between the two parts. A few folks commented on soldering. Had it not come apart, I would have assumed that it was soldered, but I hesitate to do it that way until I learn more about the reasons for this method of construction. Thanks for any further thoughts, A.C. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnmasters Posted June 22, 2013 Report Share Posted June 22, 2013 Hello to all, Thanks for your comments... To respond to some of the questions folks have asked: The joint that opened is not intended to move. It is not the tunable joint, which remains in fine shape. Though the joint is "permanently" closed, it was held in position with a material that I could very easily remove from the brass with my thumbnail. It just chipped away, with very little tendency to stick to the brass. The material was dark blue in color, and having looked at it again, I think that it may be a hard wax that was melted into the joint. I don't know of the reason, but it was clearly set up so that it could be very easily disassembled. I have written to the maker, but think it may be a while until I have a response. Things like double sided tape could not work because the slip fit is excellent. There is just not much space between the two parts. A few folks commented on soldering. Had it not come apart, I would have assumed that it was soldered, but I hesitate to do it that way until I learn more about the reasons for this method of construction. Thanks for any further thoughts, A.C. Maybe it was :Loctite. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad Dorsey Posted June 23, 2013 Report Share Posted June 23, 2013 If the sleeve that has come loose does not need to move to tune the whistle, why do you want the glue that holds it together to be reversible or removable? Regardless of the answer to this question, I think that just about any glue would work -- hide glue, white glue, yellow glue, epoxy, superglue, etc. They are all water-resistent enough so that I don't think your breath would make the thing come apart while your are playing it, but I think that you could undo any of them with the heat from a hair dryer if you wanted to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A. C. Fairbanks Posted June 23, 2013 Author Report Share Posted June 23, 2013 If the sleeve that has come loose does not need to move to tune the whistle, why do you want the glue that holds it together to be reversible or removable? Regardless of the answer to this question, I think that just about any glue would work -- hide glue, white glue, yellow glue, epoxy, superglue, etc. They are all water-resistent enough so that I don't think your breath would make the thing come apart while your are playing it, but I think that you could undo any of them with the heat from a hair dryer if you wanted to. Hi Brad, I assume that the maker made 'em that way for a reason. My guess is that if the lower tube were to be damaged, for example, he could pop the upper part onto a new lower part for less than half the price of the original instrument. But beyond that, I suspect that you are right about the water resistance of these glues being sufficient... Many thanks, A.C. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Addie Posted June 23, 2013 Report Share Posted June 23, 2013 If it’s blue, then I agree, probably Loctite. Ask the maker? I use Gorilla Glue for loose ferrules. About all it’s good for. Traditionally, it would be a thread joint (hemp), or maybe cutler’s rosin? That’s rosin and chalk or brick dust, put on hot. It is used for joints that are a bit looser fit than soldered joints. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A. C. Fairbanks Posted June 23, 2013 Author Report Share Posted June 23, 2013 If it’s blue, then I agree, probably Loctite. Ask the maker? I use Gorilla Glue for loose ferrules. About all it’s good for. Traditionally, it would be a thread joint (hemp), or maybe cutler’s rosin? That’s rosin and chalk or brick dust, put on hot. It is used for joints that are a bit looser fit than soldered joints. Howdy, I just got a tube of blue Loctite... But I should have mentioned earlier that the very first thing I did was to send a note to the maker. But I've not heard from his as yet, and I am eager to take the instrument with me on a vacation trip that's about to begin. All the best, A.C. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Burgess Posted June 23, 2013 Report Share Posted June 23, 2013 If the joint is tight enough that it doesn't wobble, a little melted rosin might work. It would come apart with very low heat, and any residue could be easily cleaned off with alcohol if you eventually decide to fasten it with something else. Edit: I just read Addies post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Addie Posted June 23, 2013 Report Share Posted June 23, 2013 Edit: I just read Addies post. Me too. It should read: cutler’s cement, which is rosin and chalk or brick dust. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A. C. Fairbanks Posted June 23, 2013 Author Report Share Posted June 23, 2013 Me too. It should read: cutler’s cement, which is rosin and chalk or brick dust. Howdy, (Actually, it's also called "cutler's rosin" and it probably would have worked well...) With thanks to all, the whistle is back in fine shape (I used the Loctite Blue for a modern high-tech touch.) All the best, A.C. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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