This replay is to everyone and @Customer
Customer Thanks for the promotion. I had no idea that I was posting ‘engineering porn’. Since 1961 I have been associated with, involved in, and practiced civil engineering with Caltrans, Structure Construction Division, for 42 years. And a consultant to the same division for 18+ years. I am still a consultant. So, I guess you hit the nail on the head, engineering can be highly addictive.
In my original post, I should have mentioned that I wanted to remove and reset a compound-angled Square Tube V3 camera holder as shown in the picture below. The outer glare skirt of the holder is 1.76mm thick. Being so thin could make it subject to chemical or mechanical damage during removal. Prying with a knife and chemicals was out, as was using commercially available saws whose hardened steel blades could damage the glass and the glare skirt. Using a thin fishing line for a knotted string saw results in knots no thicker than the foam tape to be removed, and the knots are hard enough to abrade the foam core of the tape while being too soft to damage the glass or the glare skirt. After the Square Tube holder has been separated from the glass, the remaining adhesive residue is easily removed with solvent of your choice (if you pick the right one). The Goop Off is no messier than WD40. Because of my advanced age, I have to be careful and avoid breathing in solvents. My response to ”Who measures space between knots for a home-grown single-use string saw?” is I do. I also measured the space between the fully tensioned knots. From these two values, one can calculate that 10” of knotted string will require more than two times as much plane string, say 30”. Most of the stuff I build is meant for more than one use.
The spacing for the knotting pins was solely based on the corrugation spacing of the cardboard I used, Even the cardboard template will not be discarded but kept in an odds-and-ends box for future use or cannibalization. Certainly, the cardboard is a neat solution to spacing and holding the knotting pins.
Soon I will post yet another kind of foam tape saw made from readily available materials that will work even better.
Stay tuned, Victor.
PS: Thanks for the promotion, It has a nice ring to it.