To: atm{at}shore.net
From: "Matthew L. Brown" 
Reply-To: "Matthew L. Brown" 



>
>
>A couple questions:
>
>A.  Can you raise the air temp of the place where you are working your
>optics and pressing your lap?
> >>> Pregnant wife says no way.  Its already simultaneously too hot AND
> too cold.



>B.  If not, have you tried dunking your lap in warm water, and then
>pressing?  ('Warm' may only have to be 5 or 10 deg. F warmer than your
>shop's air temp.  Some experimenting may be needed here.)
> >>> Yup, in fact I think I did too much hot pressing and lost all the
> volatiles.  Even a hot press (water at about 110 deg F) takes an hour to
> get into contact.  It used to take maybe 20 seconds.  The channels would
> close if I left it for 2 minutes.  Now they never close.



>C.  Based on the pitch hardness test, as described in Texereau, appendix
>J...what results did you get?
>
> >>> You know, I think I'm hooked enough into this hobby that I need to
> make a hardness tester.  But right now I can't make a dent in it with my
> fingernail, even waiting 2 minutes.



>Pitch is cheap.  The lap is small and quick to make.  The wife likes the
>smell of the burgundy pitch (but not turpentine).



>Tom Krajci
>Tashkent, Uzbekistan
>
>
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