agar-agar update.

[Guest guest]

Hi everyone,

 

A couple weeks ago I posted a query about what experience people had with

agar-agar as an adhesive. The hope was to eliminate the use of hot animal glue

in making the square and wedge pneumatics used in pipe organ building.

 

I'm sorry to report that I was not successful. The normal recipe for making

agar-agar based gelatin desert produced a glue that was far too thin. Another

of my mentors suggested melting the agar powder from its dry state, but that

required a temperature too high to be practical. Thus, I am currently

developing a design that doesn't use these components.

 

On the bright side, I can tell you that my colleagues and I can report stunning

success in replacing the traditional thick felt leather-faced valves with a

vegan alternative: closed-cell neoprene foam rubber. Not only does it have the

right texture and sealing abilities, it glues strongly using regular (vegan)

carpenter's PVA glue.

 

If anyone of you does succeed in producing a strong glue from agar-agar, PLEASE

let us all know.

 

Thanks, DG