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Message: <blockquote data-quote="mark_addy" data-source="post: 565097" data-attributes="member: 10006">Hi folks.  I accidentally posted these musings in [USER=8047]@PigSquealer[/USER] 's blog - sorry about that - and it was suggested that maybe there might be room here for an advice thread on DIY repair.  I get it that 'a little knowledge is a dangerous thing', and that plenty of folks make a fair living fixing instruments that people like me break.  It may even be that they will make an even fairer living sorting out the mistakes that a 'dabbler' can get themselves into.  Nevertheless, with the proviso that (I would like to think) anyone trying out anyone else's well-meant advice takes full responsibility for their own instrument (and fingers, and lungs) and their own more-or-less ham-fisted execution of any such advice - I have always learnt by doing, and am OK with the idea that 'the man who never made a mistake never made anything'.  So with all that said, this is what I dumped into that blog:  I'm new here, and have read this thread (blog) with interest. I have other mechanical interests (motorbikes, museum work on vintage steam / gas / diesel engines etc), and I have a reasonably-equipped workshop (little lathe and miller, oxy-propane gear etc) - but I've never got very far working on instruments. Would you (OP) be open to making the odd contribution to a newbie DIY thread? I know a lot of people would shy off that with a 'don't do that, you'll wreck it' feeling, which I understand - but, for instance, how do you get enough heat into a body tube to solder a pillar back on (and using...electrical solder (v.soft), plumber's solder (less soft), lead-free modern stuff (less-soft again) or ...? ) without neighbouring pillars falling off, solder running everywhere, etc etc? Perhaps that's a big question, but it's my first one.  And (because I'm greedy) here's another different one for fun: has anyone used a 2-part epoxy putty like 'Milliput' to repair a chewed-up beak on a mouthpiece?  I have messed up front teeth (for reasons other than music <img src="data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%2064%2064%22%3E%3Ctext%20x%3D%2250%25%22%20y%3D%2250%25%22%20text-anchor%3D%22middle%22%20dominant-baseline%3D%22central%22%20font-size%3D%2254%22%3E%F0%9F%99%82%3C%2Ftext%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="22" height="22" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /> ) and I don't like the feel of those chewy protector patches - I seem to eat mouthpieces over time.  I don't have a means to take photos at the moment, as both my kids (the smart phone owners) are now away at university.  So this will be a bit text-heavy from my end until I work out how to use an  old digi camera someone gave me a while back, and find which cheapo usb-to-something-or-other-card-adaptor it requires to upload pictures.  Folks who find willful Luddites frustrating might want to give all this a wide berth.</blockquote>