On 24 Aug 2005 08:13:19 -0700, "
wrote:

Thanks to all in the group for all the great advice and generous offers
to help. It's incredible how helpful the metalworking community has
been.

I have placed my order for conductive epoxy as I see this as the least
risky and least destructive means of getting a repair. I will also try
to use some silver/tin solder and see if this works better than the
lead based solder I've been using.

I can't tell what the posts are made of. Looks like a silver metal with
a gold plate.

Most commercial binding posts are made of brass. It would be
nickle-plated under the few microinches of gold. However, Wilson
says they use stainless steel hdwe, so it might be gold-plated
stainless steel. Gold can be plated directly onto stainless.

In the long term I will also continue to slowly dremel away epoxy to
get to the post. When I get the replacement I'll upload a pic. I'm sure
that there is more post to work with since it broke off within the wall
of the speaker. Maybe if I'm careful and lucky with the dremel I'll be
able to expose enough threads to work with. Exposing enough post to cut
and then join ends together with a threaded sleeve sounds like a great
long term solution.

Any tips on what type of dremel head will cut epoxy but not damage the
post? Should I try to use any solvents when I get really close to the
post?

About any dremel bit will cut metal about as readily as epoxy or
plastic.

I might make a little trepanning tool, like an end mill with a hole
in the middle. The hole would go over the stub, which would serve as
a guide. That would leave epoxy or plastic in the threads but remove
the material around the stub. I'd then try gritblasting the plastic
out of the threads with a airbrush-like blaster or "air eraser" as
http://www.paascheairbrush.com/sprayers_and_guns.html
and maybe glass beads. That would aggressively attack the plastic
without doing much to the metal other than clean it.

Chemicals that will attack epoxy are rather nasty and can leave a
gummy mess.

I wonder what would happen if one poked at the epoxy with a red-hot
wire or pick while shooting a jet of oxygen into the hole with a
jeweller's torch. I'd try that on a practice piece first, with CO2
or baking soda at hand to smother things if they got too vigorous.
I'd also do it in a very well-ventilated space.