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Pads drying out

Gibostrat123

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Sa48lt
Hi I'm a newby... Been playing Tenor sax for 2 years. I have a question. We live in a property that has a log burner, and whilst it's toasty in the winter, it can tend to dry things out..... Here's the thing, I'm a little concerned about my pads drying out...
Is there a preventative measure or any advice on conditioning pads. Thanks a million guys and gals...
 
Hi there, it is s custom to introduce yourself in the doorbell section of the forum.

As for your pads, do you use a Padsaver like this? It keeps some moisture in.

And avoid leaving your horn to close to a heat source.
 
Welcome to the café! I'm sure there will be many answers to your question. One is to keep it in a room with a humidifier. Dry air isn't great to breathe, either.
 
Welcome to the café ! I'll leave it to more qualified members to answer your question!

Mike
 
Welcome to the Cafe! Dry pads are a legitimate concern and it's great that you recognize that. I second the idea of a humidifier. I use one in the winter in my bedroom. Have lots fun! Great group of people here.
 
Hello and Welcome. Is the log burner in a single room ? Or do you have an open sort of floor plan where it is the primary source of heat for the entire house/living area ?
 
I live in Canada , the humidity drops substantially in the winter and I burn about 3-4 cords of wood which is our main heating, I keep the sax in my bedroom and have never noticed a problem.
 
Welcome to the cafe.
We heat with wood stoves, living room is spacious with wood flooring.
We use decorative old cast iron cooking pots filled with rain water on the stoves to help maintain humidity.
And . . . lots've plants with big leaves . . .
 
Howdy Partner.
I have a similar problem. I have scorching hot blood, so pad care is always a concern. I treat all of my saxophone pads with Bick-4.
 
Play it often and you shouldn’t have a problem. Pad savers are a must, though.
 
I've never heard a positive for leaving a pad saver inside a sax. I believe they should be used only for drying the inside after using the sax and then removed and allowed to dry.

Perhaps one of the techs here could post their opinions as to whether, in this case, it's a good idea? I still think not, as spit probably isn't the ideal moisture to impregnate your pads with over time.
 
I leave my Pad Saver inside the sax. I've been doing so for 25 years. Not replaced any pads on my sax. The Pad Sawer dries out chimneys as well, Which it's not the case with an ordinary swab.

padswab.JPGpadsawer.JPG
 
When I finish playing, I swab out my horn, then use the pad saver to take out excess moisture. After that, I put the horn on a stand without the pad saver and let the pads dry for a couple of hours. This also gives the pad saver time to dry. Then I put the pad saver back in the bore and the horn in its case. I'm no tech, but this has worked for me and my pads stay in good shape.
 
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