Saxophones Pork Tales: Saxophone Repair DIY Adventures.

Life around the barn.

Tales from a pig that likes to stick his nose into everything.

Paint that S. How difficult could it be ?

1) Search the net.
2) Find the color.
3) Order color.
4) Study task on University of YouTube, aka; For destruction by DYI presented by pro tech.

Do the cleaning & prep.

Paint and cleanup / detail the edges with hard cotton swabs. Sounds easy……

Yeah tha guy Matt makes it look easy.
Anyone remember your first experience cooking bacon crispy while still in the frying pan !

 

[PigSquealer]

I can see why it would 'suck' itself shut, but 'blow' itself open. Hard not to reach for the bottle of dilute soapy water a-la gas leak 🙂

Nature of any is a few will blow open on this junkyard type test.
When this sax was made cigars were used for leak detection. “Are you blowing smoke ?”

 

[mark_addy]

White - head gasket, black - too rich, blue - oil! 🙂 When you said something about heat and leaving it a few days, would you care to expand? Thanks, M

 

[PigSquealer]

White - head gasket, black - too rich, blue - oil! 🙂 When you said something about heat and leaving it a few days, would you care to expand? Thanks, M

Head gasket water leak, white steam.

Tried something completely experimental. Wet towels in clothes dryer. Well cleaned 55mm hose from shop vac to exhaust vent. Output @ 48°C, Humidity 85% @ reciever. Duration :30 minutes. Sax body temperature overall maxed @ 30°C. Key cups about 22°C. Ambient temperature 19°C / 38%H.
Let cool one hour. Second heat treatment about :30 with electric hairdryer on low heat to remove excess moisture. This was done with cone tip on hairdryer at / from receiver and bell ends in rotation. I didn’t bake it completely dry as a biscuit. Although I did wave a rubber chicken over the unit for good measure. Your results may vary 😜

It’s still sitting 😉. R&D takes time..

 

[peedeeblues]

Don't try this at home. Leave this to professionals!

 

[PigSquealer]

Don't try this at home. Leave this to professionals!

I don’t consider myself a professional. Just an average person who tries my very best with a little creativity.
“A professional is a person who’s made enough mistakes to know the difference “
I’m still making mistakes 😉.
FWIW some instruments are fully closed then steamed. IE flutes are done this way.

 

[peedeeblues]

I meant you are the professional. I would be the amateur trying it at home.

 

[PigSquealer]

I meant you are the professional. I would be the amateur trying it at home.

Thanks for the compliment. There’s technicians that have forgotten more than I’ll ever know. Still I hope what I post will benefit someone with the options of creative processes.

 

[mark_addy]

Head gasket water leak, white steam.
View attachment 30994

Tried something completely experimental. Wet towels in clothes dryer. Well cleaned 55mm hose from shop vac to exhaust vent. Output @ 48°C, Humidity 85% @ reciever. Duration :30 minutes. Sax body temperature overall maxed @ 30°C. Key cups about 22°C. Ambient temperature 19°C / 38%H.
Let cool one hour. Second heat treatment about :30 with electric hairdryer on low heat to remove excess moisture. This was done with cone tip on hairdryer at / from receiver and bell ends in rotation. I didn’t bake it completely dry as a biscuit. Although I did wave a rubber chicken over the unit for good measure. Your results may vary 😜
View attachment 30995
View attachment 30996

It’s still sitting 😉. R&D takes time..

I can smell that gasket from here 🙂 30 years ago I had a van which used to go between pot 2 and 3, so running on two got a bit lumpy. I had no money (so skimming was out of the question) and quite a bit of time (and gaskets for English cars were cheap then) so I ended up whizzing the head off every 1500 miles or so. I'd say 'happy days' but I'm still in therapy for the PTSD.

I like the idea of heat and RH for getting the pads to seat. At work we have a climate oven but I'm pretty sure my baritone wouldn't go in it...in one piece...

 

[PigSquealer]

Key clamps are available for setting pad seats. I do have a dozen and rarely use them. It’s also my understanding that some mass produced units are clamped and oven treated. This I cannot confirm.

Your key fitting needs to be almost perfect to use wedges. Closing a key by touching is mechanically different than closing by the foot.

Here’s a good article on the subject from 2015. It’s long.

How To Install And Seat Saxophone Pads – Stohrer Music

This article is designed to give you some background on how installing saxophone pads can work. If you are learning repair, this can help teach you how to do it. If you are an interested consumer, this can teach you a bit about why replacing a pad isn't cheap when its done well and how…

www.stohrermusic.com

I completely agree with the authors statement below.

“Saxophone padwork is a huge subject, and I am constantly amazed by a few things I notice in my job:

1. My padwork continues to evolve- sometimes week over week, even after over a decade as a full-time+ saxophone repairman.
2. There are almost as many ways to do it right as there are to do it wrong.
3. I’ve seen excellent padwork done in ways that I cannot replicate.

So, this is a guide written about how I do padwork in December of 2015. It will be slightly different next month, and likely quite different in 10 years. It may work well for you, it might not. In the end, you’ll discover your own particular way of doing things that works best for you. “

 

[PigSquealer]

Nothing worse than new tools or accessories that don’t work.
One of my car friends was gifted a box of flashlights. He passed them out for people to have emergency lighting in our old cars.
The one I received didn’t work after first charge. Yeah, I’ll try to fix anything. Information could come in handy fixing or making a leak light someday 🙄

Bad solder connection from new.

The positive (+) lead obviously didn’t bond on switch.

Not much inside a torch these days. Nice little 4v battery was fully charged. Other than electrocution or having a component explode in your face. I don’t think it’s high risk repair. Spot of solder rework done off the cloth.

 

[PigSquealer]

Tenor time. 1990’s King 662. USA made.
No pad leaks. Plays inconsistent.
Cause, leak at body to bow. Previous tech did poor job.

The clamp provides NO seal. Its job is to secure the parts only.

Over tightening the clamp screw does nothing. Well actually it does. It stresses the screw. This makes for easy removal.

The joint was slightly distorted and extremely lacking adequate sealer.

I could see the techs finger prints in the black goo. Wasn’t enough material to fill the joint. There should be material contact evidence on the proposing side. Nope, none !

The broken screw half was removed by tweezers . Wasn’t stuck at all.

 

[PigSquealer]

Parts prepped and back together. The screw is a shouldered 10-32NC. I sized a titanium cap screw from inventory. To fill the joint I use bathtub caulking. This has about :10 minutes working time. Cleanup with water. Stays flexible and is mold resistant.
Big oozing cleanup is no problem on inside. Let the part cure 24 hours.

 

[mark_addy]

That's an unusual thing to me - not seen one which comes to bits like that. And your torch (flashlight?) is a coincidence, as this week someone gave me a not-working 12v 'steak and kidney pie dish with an LED cluster in the middle' - what I think US people might call a trouble-light? It is powered by one of those automotive plugs which goes in the cigarette lighter, and which contains a small buck converter like yours, with probably the same little surface mount chip on it. Mine is meant to step down to 8.4v, but the chip is in two halves as it is not up to current delivery (supply says 500mA rating, pie dish claims 20W!). So I'll have a go with a somewhat marginal buck converter from ebay - I might be able to squeeze it in at the rated 15W by dropping the voltage a little, following experiments with a power supply on the bench. Talking of experiments, how is the heat treatment going?

 

[Woodpad]

Tenor time. 1990’s King 662. USA made.
No pad leaks. Plays inconsistent.
Cause, leak at body to bow. Previous tech did poor job.
View attachment 31053
The clamp provides NO seal. Its job is to secure the parts only.
View attachment 31054

Over tightening the clamp screw does nothing. Well actually it does. It stresses the screw. This makes for easy removal.
View attachment 31055

The joint was slightly distorted and extremely lacking adequate sealer.
View attachment 31056

I could see the techs finger prints in the black goo. Wasn’t enough material to fill the joint. There should be material contact evidence on the proposing side. Nope, none

Good job, we can now trace this tech by his finger prints.

 

[PigSquealer]

Talking of experiments, how is the heat treatment going?

The seats came around just fine. Oddly enough other issues showed up. I had to slightly increase the spring tension on side F#, Eb & low C#. Playing Lo C the low C# key was bouncing on the chimney. Found that by feeling vibration in right hand. Confirmed by playing in front of mirror.
Also changed regulation material at LH table between B & Bb. B wasn’t holding closed firmly enough.
Felt removed and natural cork installed.

 

[PigSquealer]

Today @lukehuang77 came by to see me start on his 1938 Buescher Aristocrat alto. Luke is a refined classical trained player. His teacher Dennis now 94 years young has trained him well.
While here he played the Martin Typewriter. Honestly I’ve been challenged with this one feeling like it’s playing well. Renewed hope is all I can say. This old typewriter got a thorough workout. I was honestly impressed and surprised how well he made it sing. Even with several issues identified.
1) LH palm key touch heights / angles and spring tension feel.
The LH palms had taken a good knocking. I’m in the zone with the touches. I can adjust or change the springs.

2) The LH thumb rest to octave touch.
A slight angle adjustment will do.

3) RH palms & side F#.
Not much I can do with F#. It’s one of those key touches that move from maker to maker. Height can be increased some. An adjustment to pad opening will be needed to.
The issue with palms. Part me part build flaw. I smashed my right hand a few weeks back. I’m just beginning to get some feeling back. My index & middle fingers don’t look like a polish sausage this week.
The high E has practically zero tension feel. C is fine. Bb takes standing on it, an easy fix adjustment.

The problem with E is lack of spring. There’s none on the action. Just one on the actual key and it’s grossly underrated.

 

[thomsax]

Martin Typewriter are strong players. My friend in Boston made big eays when a 10 years old saxplayer walked into the teaching room with his grandfather's Matin Typewriter alto. He learned to play on a Typewriter. Another Boston musician had a Martin Typewriter as his live/tour baritone Beside Martin Typewiiter bari his recording bari was a "The Martin Baritone" (silver) and "The Martin Magna Baritone" to low A. Meyer baritone mouthpices on all baritones.

View: https://youtu.be/t76y8ZeKsH0?si=u-R--QJyC7IqW3an

 

[PigSquealer]

Martin Typewriter are strong players.

The true Martin sound is definitely there. The ten additional pearls and no rollers take some time getting used to. One thing I just realized on my test playing. I didn’t try different mouthpieces. Luke played on a Meyer copy (5?). I used the Selmer Soloist it came with. I should try my Steve Brodaus. That’s my go-to. Doh 🙄.
Fun video !

 

[lukehuang77]

Today @lukehuang77 came by to see me start on his 1938 Buescher Aristocrat alto. Luke is a refined classical trained player. His teacher Dennis now 94 years young has trained him well.
While here he played the Martin Typewriter. Honestly I’ve been challenged with this one feeling like it’s playing well. Renewed hope is all I can say. This old typewriter got a thorough workout. I was honestly impressed and surprised how well he made it sing. Even with several issues identified.
1) LH palm key touch heights / angles and spring tension feel.
The LH palms had taken a good knocking. I’m in the zone with the touches. I can adjust or change the springs.



2) The LH thumb rest to octave touch.
A slight angle adjustment will do.


3) RH palms & side F#.
Not much I can do with F#. It’s one of those key touches that move from maker to maker. Height can be increased some. An adjustment to pad opening will be needed to.
The issue with palms. Part me part build flaw. I smashed my right hand a few weeks back. I’m just beginning to get some feeling back. My index & middle fingers don’t look like a polish sausage this week.
The high E has practically zero tension feel. C is fine. Bb takes standing on it, an easy fix adjustment.


The problem with E is lack of spring. There’s none on the action. Just one on the actual key and it’s grossly underrated.

Hi Pig Squealer,

Thanks again for letting me stop by today and for diving into the Aristocrat project. Listening to you inspect and analyze my horn felt like sitting in on a masterclass—your depth of knowledge and experience shows in every detail.


Playing the 94-year-young Martin Typewriter was a blast. I still remember what it looked like the first day from the seller—keys out of alignment, several cups not close, even a mouthpiece was stuck in the neck receiver. Now it looks like an instrument entering a beauty contest!


Even with the palm key heights and spring tensions still needing some final touches, this Typewriter SINGS. The tone is focused, dark, and rich—able to project beautifully in any space. Tommy calls you “Dr. Sax,” and I absolutely agree. You've earned that title.


Thanks again for your craftsmanship and for letting me be part of the process. I can’t wait to see my Aristocrat come alive under your magical hands.


—Luke

 

[lig]

Those Typewriters just look so cool!

I have no idea how they play but honestly would not care. All those pearls. Yum.

Probably wouldn’t suit me since I’m the opposite of refined, trained and classical. 😀