How to...

[aldevis]

Make washers out of a rubber sheet...

I am sure I need some round blades, but I have no idea how they are called and where to buy them.
Kind of 17mm ext diameter with a 14mm hole in the middle.


Eventually I will have the famous "tuning rings" for saxophone.

 

[Chris]

Make your own punches from copper pipe..

Chris...

 

[oldblower]

if you find the size pipe you need its best to file the outer edge carefully to make a cutting bevel, makes it easier to get though the rubber. you may be able to buy leather punches that size and they should work fine.

 

[aldevis]

Stupid question: how can I make sure they are concentric?

 

[Chris]

Stupid question: how can I make sure they are concentric?

Not stupid at all, trial and error plus a little practice. You will find it's not that hard to get near enough.
Serious answer, cut out a square the same size as the OD of your biggest punch. punch out so you have a 17mm circle. Mark two points the correct distance in from the edge at 6 and 9 o'clock, place the edge of the smaller punch on the marks and punch it out.
So long as you measured right the hole will be in the middle..

Chris...

 

[llamedos]

For ready-made punches (and many other tools and materials) a good source is www.axminster.co.uk. Their printed catalogue has punches of many kinds on page 492 in the 2012 edition.

Dave

 

[MellowD]

Go to somewhere such at B&Q - and get some of their circular/hole cutting drill bits for wood to the size you want. They aren't expensive, couple of quid at most. They should be fine for cutting your rubber and will be consistent shape/size

 

[kevgermany]

Stupid question: how can I make sure they are concentric?

Use a compass to mark the circles, then punch on the marked circles.

 

[kevgermany]

Go to somewhere such at B&Q - and get some of their circular/hole cutting drill bits for wood to the size you want. They aren't expensive, couple of quid at most. They should be fine for cutting your rubber and will be consistent shape/size

I'm not sure this will work well - unclean cut, rubber moving, rubber distorting would be about what I'd expect.

 

[MellowD]

I'm not sure this will work well - unclean cut, rubber moving, rubber distorting would be about what I'd expect.

I do use these for cutting rubber for aspects non-sax related. Yes you do need to secure the rubber before cutting, however I rarely get distortion if the piece is secure. A very light rub with a fine emery resolves any potential fragmenting on the outline cut. However, I have clearly never had to do this for sax related items, and will readily stand back for someone who's been there and done that.

 

[oldblower]

make a jig either wood with cut holes the size you require, the centre hole is obviously the problem or you might be lucky and find the right size metal washer.

 

[aldevis]

This forum is amazing. Thank you everybody! I will let you know if the tuning rings work...

 

[jbtsax]

Eventually I will have the famous "tuning rings" for saxophone.

I'm not sure I quite understand what you mean by "tuning rings". Do you mean something that will go inside the edge of a tonehole in order to lower the pitch? Curt Alterac's Tuning a Saxophone With Crescents uses cork which is easy to cut, comes in various thicknesses, and can be sanded to make fine adjustments. The crescent is placed on just the mouthpiece side of the tonehole, and does not go completely around its circumference.

From Acoustical Aspects of Woodwind Instruments by C.J. Neverdeen p. 50

"We assume 10 cents (0.006) to be the threshold of perceptibility . . . From the two equations we than find that this corresponds with a 1% change in distance to the (acoustical) top of the instrument, a 10% hole diameter change or a 20% hole-length change."

"Hole-length change", of course, translates to tonehole chimney height as it applies to saxophones. By reducing the tonehole diameter in order to lower the pitch, you are also taking away from the venting of that opening. By placing a "crescent" on the "upstream" side of the tonehole you are increasing the distance of the tonehole from the top of the instrument without significantly changing the note's ability to speak clearly.

The one tuning variable not mentioned is the key height above the tonehole (including the protrusion of the resonator). Again, there is a point at which lowering the key height to bring down the pitch has a negative effect upon the venting of the note.

 

[Fraser Jarvis]

You've completely lost me, tuning rings? what's that then init? The only sax related tuning ring i can think of is the ring i draw on the cork to mark were my mouthpiece is in tune....

 

[aldevis]

I still have to experiment properly. I am looking for an elegant alternative to plasticine/blue-tac in narrowing octaves in the upper register.

 

[rhysonsax]

I still have to experiment properly. I am looking for an elegant alternative to plasticine/blue-tac in narrowing octaves in the upper register.

And where do they go ?

Rhys

 

[aldevis]

And where do they go ?

Rhys

Closer

 

[rhysonsax]

Closer

I honestly have no idea what you mean. Is this supposed to be obscure, amusing, what ???

Rhys

 

[aldevis]

I honestly have no idea what you mean. Is this supposed to be obscure, amusing, what ???

Rhys

I assumed you were familiar with a different thread about sharp upper register, where Mr Fry gave some precious advice about using plasticine or blue tac.
It worked for me, but now I an trying to find a more elegant way. I still have to try to reduce only the bore of the mouthpiece, without affecting the chamber. The idea is to make "tuning rings" like the ones they use on clarinets.

 

[rhysonsax]

I assumed you were familiar with a different thread about sharp upper register, where Mr Fry gave some precious advice about using plasticine or blue tac.
It worked for me, but now I an trying to find a more elegant way. I still have to try to reduce only the bore of the mouthpiece, without affecting the chamber. The idea is to make "tuning rings" like the ones they use on clarinets.

Thanks for that. Now I see that it is for the mouthpiece. But why rubber sheet ? I would have thought that a hard plastic might be better.

Earlier in the thread someone had mentioned tonehole crescents which made me think it was for that or somehow for the sax bore.

I look forward to hearing how you get on.

Rhys