Saxophones Pork Tales: Saxophone Repair DIY Adventures.

Description or thread info

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]

The pattern was made for a alto lig & reed.

It plays but not any good (yet).
Lol the print on side is upside down ! Truely “Perfection “.

Another made and left unfinished. Not worth investing more time until I learn the chamber part of craft.

 

[ghostler]

Having grown up with Arnold Brillhardt black plastic mouthpieces with white inserts (the ones where the plastic was soft enough that if you didn't put a tooth guard on top, would heavily erode the top in less than a year, some anthropologist a couple hundred years from now will come across my bones and notate Brillhardt ingested plastic embedded in them) and only one occasion got to handle a Berg Larson Metal mouthpiece in the mid 1970's (hand receipted and turned in when I left the band because of cost - the Brillhardts were considered expendable items), I'm a happy camper if the mouthpiece and reed combo plays. (It helps to have low expectations - when met then I'm elated.)

Looks like a good experiment, @PigSquealer , you're almost there. Ken Willard of Radio Control Modeler fame with his pleasing sport aircraft designs (probably a counterpart of Jack Headley on the UK side) said, "If the number of successes exceeds the number of trials by one, then you've succeeded."

You're almost there.

 

[ghostler]

Just curious, but if set aside, then later when you are inspired again, is there perhaps additional tweaking that can make the mouthpiece right? If a little too much was taken off, can it be built up with say, a plastic body filler?

It still may be salvageable into something functional.

 

[skeller047]

Two things will make the baffle unworkable. Solve these first, and then it’s just experimenting with shapes to get the tone and resistance right.

1) Baffle too high. if a wire or needle file or other straight small object cannot touch the edge of the tip rail even when touching the top end of the shank opening, the baffle is too high and the mouthpiece will not play well.

2) Baffle straight across or raised in the middle. If when sighting into the mouthpiece, the edge of the baffle profile appears straight across side-to-side, or worse, appears convex
——
…or…
/-\
It should be adjusted so the center is slightly lower.
\_/

Apologies for ASCII art…. The baffle should be slightly lower in the middle, and higher along the sides. Otherwise the sound will not focus well.

People focus a lot on the facing curve, but in my experience as long as it’s smooth and not extreme in any way, it will play fine. Yes it makes a difference but all the complicated talk by mouthpiece techs and interested amateurs (like moi) about curve types and facing lengths really doesn’t matter as much as the baffle. And the two things mentioned above are the most important.

Wedge, rollover, hybrid baffles - all can play great, as long it’s not too high and not convex but rather slightly concave side to side.

 

[PigSquealer]

Looks like this. Currently has zero resistance. Dead tone.

 

[LostCircuits]

Looks like this. Currently has zero resistance. Dead tone.
View attachment 29312View attachment 29309
View attachment 29310
View attachment 29311

No big surprise, the side rails aren't tapering correctly towards the tip, it looks like there is a kink in the facing curve, the shape of the tip is off (too round), the window has a wart and the baffle is "innovative" with its rounded shoulder and all those burs behind it in the chamber.

And you have all that printing texture in the ceiling with its wavy pattern. You can try and fix some of it to see if it makes a difference, the first step would be a clean-up and the shape of the tip.

 

[PigSquealer]

No big surprise, the side rails aren't tapering correctly towards the tip, it looks like there is a kink in the facing curve, the shape of the tip is off (too round), the window has a wart and the baffle is "innovative" with its rounded shoulder and all those burs behind it in the chamber.

And you have all that printing texture in the ceiling with its wavy pattern. You can try and fix some of it to see if it makes a difference, the first step would be a clean-up and the shape of the tip.

Some better pictures of where I left off.
I made some printer adjustments for a smoother print overall.

The bump in rails was reduced to something that resembled a curve.

Thanks for pointing out “the tip is too round”. I hadn’t noticed this. The wart in window was repaired.

The washboard floor and huge (1/8”-3-4mm) drop is not helping. The floor printed much smoother on #2

 

[PigSquealer]

Knock down / flatten this transition ?

Thin the rails ?

I can take some material off the outside edges still. Otherwise thinning from the inside needs to be done.

 

[LostCircuits]

The pattern was made for a alto lig & reed.
View attachment 29301

It plays but not any good (yet).
Lol the print on side is upside down ! Truely “Perfection “.
View attachment 29303

Another made and left unfinished. Not worth investing more time until I learn the chamber part of craft.
View attachment 29305

Your ligature also rides way too far back, typically the front edge should be close to the beginning of the cut. That would also imply that your window is too long, as well as the beak. And that would make the piece prone to leaking and squealing. What's in a name?

 

[ghostler]

Seems like you are getting much closer to a functioning mouthpiece. I've watched other videos and articles of someone fabricating their own mouthpieces. So soon, when you've achieved your "magic formula" for success, perhaps you may be able to branch out with a production run?

 

[PigSquealer]

What's in a name?

Perfection #7, like WD-40 this may take another 33 attempts

With a tenor reed.

 

[PigSquealer]

Keep in mind this is for a C melody.
With alto reed.

 

[LostCircuits]

Keep in mind this is for a C melody.
With alto reed.
View attachment 29326
View attachment 29327
View attachment 29328

Try to make an alto MPC that works with an alto reed.

Or a tenor MPC that works with a tenor reed. There is an aspect ratio between width and length that is part of the magic.

 

[ghostler]

I got a Rico Graftonite (Brillhardt) C5 tenor mouthpiece that works best with a soft bari sax reed. There is IMO an element with the embouchure as part of the equation.

Perhaps that is why there are SO MANY mouthpieces out there to choose from.

But I like the "dirty looking" reeds being used, I got a good number of those. 😉

 

[PigSquealer]

Try to make an alto MPC that works with an alto reed.
Or a tenor MPC that works with a tenor reed. There is an aspect ratio between width and length that is part of the magic.

The print STL furnished was for a C melody MPC

But I like the "dirty looking" reeds being used, I got a good number of those. 😉

That”ll clean off . I keep the residue for boot glue

 

[ghostler]

That”ll clean off . I keep the residue for boot glue

Oh, just joshing, I know its an old reed just used to check alignment. 😉

 

[PigSquealer]

Missing parts or hardware is time consuming to replace. I avoid buying project horns if bits are missing.
If shop rate was $35/hr this screw would cost $70+.
5-40 NC is not a common sax thread to my world.
I only need one, but a few spares wouldn’t hurt to have on hand.

Working with 8-18 stainless steel screws.

First task is reworking the head.

Slots in hinge rods are easy. There’s several tools available for that task.

Very dangerous but works.

 

[PigSquealer]

I drilled four holes inline for one pass use. Reusing the same location was not stable.

On my lathe I made a mandrel. Cutting in reverse on backside for taper point

Same mandrel was used to reduce the head height.

Installed. Yeah, size matters.

All the small details add up.

 

[ghostler]

5-40 NC is not a common sax thread to my world. I only need one, but a few spares wouldn’t hurt to have on hand.

This particular screw thread size is also common in model plane engines. The OK Cub .049's and Cox .049's use this thread for their propellor screws. I think I've seen it on-line with Fastenal and maybe McCarr. I prefer to get them in the socket head versus screw head, as they are easier to tighten and loosen with an Allen Wrench. (Don't want a prop flying off at 15,000 RPM.) Plus I get them in the longer length and do as you, trim to length. Even have an electrical fastener hand crimp tool with a 5-40 bolt cut slot.

If you do a search on say, Amazon (or E-Bay) for "5-40 screws" will get a number of hits. Find the length and quantity you need, and stock up. Or, one of the stores with micro-fasteners. (Been a while since I bought some in bulk, so can't give you a name off-hand.)

 

[LostCircuits]

This particular screw thread size is also common in model plane engines. The OK Cub .049's and Cox .049's use this thread for their propellor screws. I think I've seen it on-line with Fastenal and maybe McCarr. I prefer to get them in the socket head versus screw head, as they are easier to tighten and loosen with an Allen Wrench. (Don't want a prop flying off at 15,000 RPM.) Plus I get them in the longer length and do as you, trim to length. Even have an electrical fastener hand crimp tool with a 5-40 bolt cut slot.

If you do a search on say, Amazon (or E-Bay) for "5-40 screws" will get a number of hits. Find the length and quantity you need, and stock up. Or, one of the stores with micro-fasteners. (Been a while since I bought some in bulk, so can't give you a name off-hand.)

Fastenal is great for this kind of stuff. For the taper, I just stick them into a power drill chuck and use a file. Not as precise but it'll make it a 5 min job and if I mess one up ... next!