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 !

 

[PiccoloPirate]

Gotta love the old Craftsman die grinder, in Pig's post.
Mine gets used with Kutzall burrs etc etc, as I do mostly woodwork.
Works great with a speed control.
Foredom tools are handy as well.
Doing turning, like a vertical lathe, with a mill, can be accomplished, if you know what to make, and use it safely.

 

[mark_addy]

I’ve got a 18 x 40 shed. Present from my incredible wife. Filled with bikes, many guitars, my horn, and the normal overstock of tools. One 10mm socket I’ve attached a gps locator though I’ll still lose it. What I don’t have is any kind of lathe and you guys are making me feel very inferior.

I'll swap you your wife for a Boxford (like a South Bend 9", but stiffer) Model A. That's the one with the gearbox! OK, I'll throw in some tooling. And a few chucks? How about some steel stock? Oh, and the brass too?

(Actually, in 18x40 you could fit in an actual *lathe*. I've seen some US folks talking about something called a Monarch EE. That looks like a heck of a thing! In fact in that much space I'd want to put something so big in, that I'd never move house again 🙂 ).

 

[PigSquealer]

Gotta love the old Craftsman die grinder, in Pig's post.
Mine gets used with Kutzall burrs etc etc, as I do mostly woodwork.
Works great with a speed control.
Foredom tools are handy as well.
Doing turning, like a vertical lathe, with a mill, can be accomplished, if you know what to make, and use it safely.

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View attachment 36352

Thanks for posting. Your comments are very true. Especially the last about safety. Often the DIY person lacks understanding of power tools. All said. Anyone can achieve reasonable success from studying tools and the task at hand. At minimum ask for help. Here or locally. Tradesman are usually friendly and willing to teach safe ways to use dangerous tools. Fingers are hard to replace. In this regard there’s no stupid questions . Personal safety takes priority.

 

[Targa]

I'll swap you your wife for a Boxford (like a South Bend 9", but stiffer) Model A. That's the one with the gearbox! OK, I'll throw in some tooling. And a few chucks? How about some steel stock? Oh, and the brass too?

Reminds of the old fella meets his neighbour in the street.
Hello Fred, where’ve you been?
Down to market, got a tin of condensed milk for the wife.
That’s not bad, wonder what I’d get for mine.

 

[mark_addy]

Thanks for posting. Your comments are very true. Especially the last about safety. Often the DIY person lacks understanding of power tools. All said. Anyone can achieve reasonable success from studying tools and the task at hand. At minimum ask for help. Here or locally. Tradesman are usually friendly and willing to teach safe ways to use dangerous tools. Fingers are hard to replace. In this regard there’s no stupid questions . Personal safety takes priority.

I lost 1/8 of a left thumb (not such a problem for sax) and at one point all the extensor tendons in my right hand. I started to think about learning trumpet left-handed, but on the 2nd attempt, it was more-or-less fixed - thank you (and RIP, to the now-closed) Withington Hospital. 'Let's be careful out there'!

 

[PigSquealer]

I lost 1/8 of a left thumb (not such a problem for sax) and at one point all the extensor tendons in my right hand. I started to think about learning trumpet left-handed, but on the 2nd attempt, it was more-or-less fixed - thank you (and RIP, to the now-closed) Withington Hospital. 'Let's be careful out there'!

Growing up in my father’s printing shop cira 1960’s. Lots of the old craftsmen had missing finders. Our paper salesman vendor had one hand missing. Think he left it in a paper cutter.

 

[PigSquealer]

New arrivals these last few weeks have been long in coming. I’m very happy with both. For a change they’re not Martins but Holtons.
I picked up this 1918 C Melody that needs nothing. That was a big surprise. Like the first one that I don’t need to touch anything. It plays just fine.

Saxophones - C Melody Saxophones

I feel like such a loser. I need more horns.

cafesaxophone.com

This was listed for 3-1/2 years on multiple sites. One offer 😁

 

[PigSquealer]

The second new arrival was an equally big surprise. This was listed discounted as “project horn needs serious work”.
$200 including shipping. This 1928 SN# 327xx Rudy Weidoeft tenor needs nothing ! It been recently serviced, but yeah it has mixed regulation materials and pads. So what ? It plays perfectly. Doesn’t need oiling. Nothing is loose. From the looks of strap ring it’s see some use. Honestly the only place overall showing usage.
Has big fat sound on a Meyer 5. A bit more fat & bit stuffy on an original ’20s Holton MPC.

 

[PigSquealer]

Time to get back to work….
@Tonehole has sent me an interesting unit to service. First I’ve had my hands on.
This is an Aquilasax C melody from 2010-2015 ?
I’m thinking of doing a separate thread for this one. Maybe a side by side comparison to a no name Fleabay import ?
@Tonehole is sending one of those too for service. Neither have I had my hands on before.

 

[Tuppertn]

Time to get back to work….
@Tonehole has sent me an interesting unit to service. First I’ve had my hands on.
This is an Aquilasax C melody from 2010-2015 ?
I’m thinking of doing a separate thread for this one. Maybe a side by side comparison to a no name Fleabay import ?
@Tonehole is sending one of those too for service. Neither have I had my hands on before.

I've heard these are nice horns. They're rare birds now.

 

[PigSquealer]

I often forget many people are not mechanically inclined. I try not to be the spanner man or technician that calls when the work is done. States the repair tab when you show up. Pat you on the head and send you on the way. I’ve been that customer. It’s stressful. Often with some uncertainty of the work performed. This is how I came to documenting repairs.

The review starts when the customer calls or emails. What’s needed ? Many people will try to answer in mechanical form. If I ask how does it play or what’s it doing ? The players talent shows. Performance or lack of is explained in perfect detail.
The “what’s needed” replies are interesting though. Amazing how many “thingy” or “the other one” parts are contained on any sax.

There’s more tools, supplies and options in your kitchen to build from. You’ve just learned little by little over the years to a refined process level. Learning sax repair is no different. You’re going to burn a few things. Looks great, tastes awful…order takeout.
If you’re not laughing you’ve never cooked.

The analogy is how I group the service needs. Plan the needs into the process steps.
1) Overall first look. Dents, damage, broken or missing parts
2) Pop test, listen & feel the action under my fingers. Springs set ok ? Look at regulation. Key heights good ? All missing cork and dry loose parts will be revealed.
3) pad condition review. Will they last a year ? Leak light test.
4) note faults / adjustments needed. A pad not sealing, cork(s) missing, hinge rods that lack oil service can cause parts to unscrew themselves. Excessive spring setting can cause this too.

105 grams is too high ! Excessive spring tension can cause rods to unscrew themselves ⬆️

 

[Grumps]

It's great that you always post pictures of your work, before and after. Folks get to see that you're a true craftsman and not just an online pad-shellacker.

 

[Tonehole]

Ashamed to say I usually just hand my sax over to the tech and say it no longer works, please fix it.

Repair tech's response is usually how the heck did you even play this?

I tend to play my horns until they stop, I do oil and clean them but not on a set schedule.
Ridden hard and put away wet.

Not responsible for the above horn! Though I would have played it for awhile before taking it to my tech if I had had it sent to me instead of Squealer and I will take Squealers personal admonishments and guidance to heart.
I am a mechanically deficient musician. I don't fix the horn, I figure out how to adjust and continue playing it.

 

[PigSquealer]

It's great that you always post pictures of your work, before and after. Folks get to see that you're a true craftsman and not just an online pad-shellacker.

Thanks for the acknowledgment. Sometimes I even surprise myself. I look at two pictures and see everything in between.
lol, “online pad shellacker”.

 

[PigSquealer]

Ashamed to say I usually just hand my sax over to the tech and say it no longer works, please fix it.
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Repair tech's response is usually how the heck did you even play this?

I tend to play my horns until they stop, I do oil and clean them but not on a set schedule.
Ridden hard and put away wet.

Not responsible for the above horn! Though I would have played it for awhile before taking it to my tech if I had had it sent to me instead of Squealer and I will take Squealers personal admonishments and guidance to heart.
I am a mechanically deficient musician. I don't fix the horn, I figure out how to adjust and continue playing it.

You’re not defective, more the norm. I forgot about about the guys dead car out front with a note on windshield. “It quit”.
I recently serviced a MK VI tenor. Was trade job from another tech. He didn’t have the time. My first thoughts upon reviewing were exactly “how the heck did this even play”. Second, I made a phone call and asked “ is this a prank or sick joke you’re playing on me, or real. It was real and took almost 80 hours. I kept a daily journal on the work.

To the readers. @Tonehole asked me to review the auction pictures before bidding. Bid with being informed and had a plan in place. The Aquila was regionally close and shipped directly to the barn. Seller did their best in fairly representing the sax. An auction house that knows nothing about a sax. You can’t always see loose or stuck parts in pictures. C# & G# were both stuck closed. D has leak. It didn’t play.

 

[PigSquealer]

Repair tech's response is usually how the heck did you even play this?

I actually envy pro players like you. I’ve seen a few…. You guys make horns play that I cannot. On the flip side there’s players that are very sensitive to minor faults. Micro adjustments. Faults i can’t duplicate. I love the full spectrum of challenges.

I tend to play my horns until they stop, I do oil and clean them but not on a set schedule.
Ridden hard and put away wet.

I fully understand the world is not perfect. For the working professionals it a tool. Use it at full throttle. If it quits most have plan B on hand, a backup.

Ashamed to say I usually just hand my sax over to the tech and say it no longer works, please fix it.

That’s what we’re here for 😉

 

[PigSquealer]

In my years of car & motorcycle racing involvement. Some of the very best talented drivers & riders couldn’t fix anything. Completely clueless of what tools were. Even more clueless of parts that made things work. But man could those operators tell you in great detail what the machines were doing. Feel and confidence is critical. It’s up to the mechanics-technicians-engineers to interpret the information. Sort it out from experience. Often a team effort. This is why I follow motor sports. F-1, NASCAR, Moto GP. The team efforts of making machines work at extreme demand levels. Problem solving. The power of observation. Improving. Just like Selmer did.
Nothing more rewarding to me than seeing an operator of any machine use its full potential / capabilities. Full spectrum, soft touch or rocket ship. Limitations respected.

 

[Grumps]

lol, “online pad shellacker”.

Oh, I have to credit Jeffry Powell with that one. He was one of the lunatics that ruined use.net back in the day, always going on about his work with Guardala no matter what the topic was. He was occasionally funny though, and derided the online techs who'd post on use.net as "pad shellackers" and then he'd go on about his own brilliance. @Stephen Howard should remember.

 

[PigSquealer]

Aquila is sloooowly coming apart. Normal disassembly time is usually under :45. I’m into third hour.

Every single threaded part has thread locker applied. Like permanent grade. Has odd odor like cosmoline. The remaining lubricant is gooey sticky like dried out grease.
Heat & acetone do nothing to loosen.

On top of being glued in. All have a sledged dovetail end. They’re literally wedged in. Not a bad thing. Just challenging to service.

The hinge rods are a very robust 3mm / .118

 

[PigSquealer]

Another unwanted child arrived today. A mid 1920 Holton Bb tenor in gold plate finish. This is a first year Elkhorn build. SN 58xx and 123 numbers higher than my SN 57xx alto.

Needs some TLC.

A bit of pulldown and the tenon is completely off. Just placed for pictures

Only has a couple hundred issues. Frozen stuck parts. Excessively loose parts. Broken or missing pieces. Squashed neck for starters. But At least it doesn’t reek 🙄