Lockdown Vintage Audio Activities...

[CitroJim]

"He's seriously odd ...". Fearing tales of misbehavior I said in what way. "He's got massive framed pictures of servers on his living room walls...."

Magic I bet he was a character too!

I just have framed pictures of an Activa and an XM on my living room wall Along, naturally, with portraits of my girls...

[CitroJim]

On the bench today... My old faithful AVO...

I accidentally caused an AAA battery to fall from a high shelf onto the dial glass : Nothing broken but the old glazing cement gave out and detached the glass from the Bakelite case.

Happily, the delicate meter movement has survived intact...

AVO Model 8 MK III

I'm now consulting a specialist forum to determine the correct glazing cement to use... The old stuff is black and has the appearance of matt-black paint...

Given the value of an AVO these days, I'm not going to use any old glue without a recommendation from those who live and breath old AVOs

[Hell Razor5543]

I wonder if standard windscreen mastic would suit? It bonds well, and normally is a black colour.

[CitroJim]

I wonder if standard windscreen mastic would suit? It bonds well, and normally is a black colour.

You never know James, it may well be the perfect stuff although the old stuff bears no relation to aged mastic... Think of very dry thickly applied black emulsion paint!

I'll wait and see what those in the know have to say

[mickthemaverick]

I asked my mate who is rebuilding my screen PCB on your behalf Jim and he uses a product called Loctite 349 to fix the glass to the ally surround. Apparently suited for all instrumentation purposes.

[white exec]

An AVO 8 Mark III A real treasure!

[Peter.N.]

Can you still get black Bostic Jim, that would stick anything to anything.

Peter

[white exec]

Polyurethane adhesive (black) would do a good job.

[CitroJim]

Can you still get black Bostic Jim, that would stick anything to anything.

Black Bostick was, according to the gurus up on the vintage radio forum, the stuff originally used but sadly it's no longer available

Polyurethane adhesive (black) would do a good job.

That's the stuff most of the gurus on the VR forum recommend Chris... Some even suggest instant gasket - just as long as it is not the sort that liberates acetic acid as it cures...

I asked my mate who is rebuilding my screen PCB on your behalf Jim and he uses a product called Loctite 349 to fix the glass to the ally surround. Apparently suited for all instrumentation purposes.

Given the nature of the materials to be bonded, that would seem the perfect stuff Mick. I take it that's the kind of adhesive used to bond rear-view mirrors to windscreens. Surprisingly, caution was expressed on the VR forum that such adhesives are considered too permanent and would make glass replacement very difficult should it get broken in the future... I'd suggest that risk is so minor as to be inconsequential as in 45 years of using AVOs I have yet to break a glass... And I've used AVOs in some pretty challenging situations too...

[bobins]

One of the Aquaseal, Aquasure or Stormsure products should fit the bill. They're available in black in piddling little amounts.

[white exec]

It's silicone sealant that contains acetic acid, Jim.
Polyurethane adhesive/sealant cures by absorbing atmospheric moisture. A thin film of it will 'turn to rubber' quite quickly, but a thick mass of it (eg used to refurb a silentbloc-type mount/bush) might take days or even a couple of weeks to fully cure.

[Peter.N.]

'Gorilla' do a polyurethane glue, but don't use to much, it expands like the sealant, very good though.

Peter

[CitroJim]

It's silicone sealant that contains acetic acid, Jim.
Polyurethane adhesive/sealant cures by absorbing atmospheric moisture. A thin film of it will 'turn to rubber' quite quickly, but a thick mass of it (eg used to refurb a silentbloc-type mount/bush) might take days or even a couple of weeks to fully cure.

Thanks Chris, excellent I shall get some on order I reckon that will do the job a treat...

[CitroJim]

The adhesive arrived and the meter glass is now glued back in...

The Stormsure adhesive did the job a treat and looks just like the old black Bostick...

Glued back in...

As usual, glue and I don't get on well and I made a mess of it initially but I managed to resolve the situation fairly well... It's never a good idea to let me loose with a tube of glue!

I'm now waiting for it to cure overnight and then the AVO can be reassembled... Job done

The remaining adhesive in its tube is now residing in the freezer for storage as recommended...

Looking at it, I reckon it'll be ideal for filling small areas of damage on my bike tyres. Previously I've used superglue for this but the Stormsure looks very much more suitable, it being flexible...

I'm sure I'll soon find out...

[myglaren]

As usual, glue and I don't get on well and I made a mess of it initially but I managed to resolve the situation fairly well... It's never a good idea to let me loose with a tube of glue!

You should have seen the results of me using Gorilla glue on my specs

Took many hours to get it off the lenses.

I used it to glue the glass back in my oven door. That went better but there is evidence on the lower oven and the floor still. That was six months ago.