Another (irrelevant?) question - How to level rolled toneholes?

[Kumimajava]

... not that i'm planning on actually doing this myself, but after watching the 'how it's made' video (posted on another BR thread , I started wondering how one would adjust an un-level rolled tonehole?

... on the straight ones shown on that vid, they were sanded/ground level - but this would obvioulsly 'flatten' the lip on a rolled tonehole.

so what works for rolled toneholes? (other than a hammer...)

thanks in advance to anyone who'd be willing to enlighten me a bit :welldone

 

[jonf]

Rolly tony holey

With great skill. It's a serious problem. Have a look at Stephen Howard's comments about Keilwerths which he shows are often badly made, with tone holes not level. Lots of pics on his web site. A real problem.

 

[thomsax]

Just curious! Why is the tone hole unleveled or not even? What sax (brand) is it? It should be no problem for a shop that sells new saxes with rolled tone holes to fix it. Nothing that I would try to do myself if it's a good sax. Rods with a ball in the end is otherwise a method to use if the tone hole has become uneven caused by a damage on the tube or the bow near a tonehole. I have seen that they shim up (gentle) the damage area before they start. But I guess there are other methods as well.

Thomas

 

[Steve M]

You shouldn't need to level rolled toneholes. As suggested previously it's better to level the tonehole using dent repair tools.
I've seen quite a few rolled tonehoels that have been files. It make a mess of them. Dont' do it! For one thing it will remove plating or lacquer. Then it changes the profile of the tonehole edge which was the reason for rolling it in the first place.

IMHO there's a bit too much emphasis on filing toneholes. It should only be done when necessary. They should be dead level, but some people seem to file anything they get their hands on. That's part of the problem - badly filed toneholes causing leaks. I've come across old horns where the tonehole is barely above the body because it's been filed so much.