Re: ATM Return of the Newbie.... Pitch question

["Michael J. Coslo" <mjc5@psu.edu>]

new batch of pitch.  Channeled it with my trusty old  soldering iron, then
went to work with my 11 year old son on grinding his first  mirror (6 "
just started on fines today!).  My new lap set upstairs  for about 4 days
and when I was getting up the nerve to sit down finish the  polishing job I
started a year ago I noticed that my channels where starting to  fill in
for no reason except Mr. Gravity and 75 degree weather.      Is my pitch to
soft or is this normal?

        As likely as not, your temps upstairs got a good bit higher than 75
degrees. I also wasn't entirely clear if you used new pitch or reheated the
old stuff. If you reheated the old stuff, your temps were almost certainley
higher than 75, as the pitch gets harder with age, losing its's volatiles.
Test the stuff now at your room temp.

        If the pitch is still too soft, make a new lap, and heat the pitch
for a while to drive off some of the volatiles.

        - Mike -