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 !

 

[Ghr9204]

Yes the brass arsenal includes dent rods with 12 assorted balls / barrels and magnetic wand that will pinch your fingers if not careful. The final & stress relief was done with magnet / balls. A few high spots were smoothed with chasing hammers.

I follow you, @PigSquealer . For me doing one on's, I've improvised using my 1/2 inch, 3/8 inch and 1/4 inch sockets and even the socket extensions. I have a decent autobody hammer that I acquired some years back.

I had bought a dent work dolly block set with hammer from J.C. Whitney back in high school. The body hammer that came with it was made of inexpensive cast iron. The end broke, sheared right off with a sharp whack on fender sheet metal.

That prompted me to drop by the local NAPA Parts dealer. There, I bought a decent quality body hammer, still have it.

Took 2 years of high school auto shop. Got to learn how to do sheet metal work. One uses the dolly on the other side to support the low spot, tap on the high spot with the hammer. This raises the low spot and lowers the high spot. One definitely doesn't hammer direct over the dolly, thins the metal, then you have a stretched portion that requires shrinking with heat and a blow torch.

To remove the smash dent bottom of the bell on my early 1950's Beaugnier Vito Bari, starting, I took a broom handle and carefully banged it out by turning the sax upside down, with broom handle end (without the head) against the kitchen floor, carefully slammed it against the broom end bumping it out.

Finished it with an interesting gyration of holding the sax and bumping it out further using my largest double box end wrench, a stronger hammer and a block of wood.

End result indeed looked decent compared with what I started with. Top of photo is end result, bottom is how I received it.

Found by improvising and practising one can get by.

These supplies came from Mars😛

Is that Mars from Ethel M. Chocolates, or a J.C. Whitney, Pep Boys or Harbor Freight brand?

 

[PigSquealer]

The often under appreciated work of cleaning the hardware. 75 years of acquired gunk. Shellac all over the cups faces. Multiple flavors shellac inside of cups needs to go. Then the fun begins.

 

[Ghr9204]

Because you do this day in and day out, imagine that in very short order you had it all cleaned and laid out for the next step.

Because I don't do this, it takes me an excruciatingly longer time to accomplish. For me, at least 2 or 3 evenings. My speed is akin to a senior replacing a light bulb.

Q: How many seniors does it take to change a light bulb?
A: Only 1, but it might take him all day!

I remember ➠

the first time I replaced the electric fuel pump inside my 1992 Dodge Caravan Minivan took me 4 hours to drop the tank. Then McMasters was not a aftermarket good brand, replaced the pump 3 times because it failed a few weeks after installing, but had lifetime warranty through Autozone. The 4th time, I was able to drop the tank in less than 45 minutes.

Now, I simply go to the dealer and purchase the OEM pump at 4 times the cost, because I found in my various aftermarket purchases, seems no one makes a decent aftermarket fuel pump these days.

And as the old adage goes, I get tired of redoing the same work again the same way expecting different results.

This separates the pro from the hobbyist or amateur. This why at the right times, I don't mind turning stuff over to a skilled pro to get it done right the first time.

 

[Targa]

Because you do this day in and day out, imagine that in very short order you had it all cleaned and laid out for the next step.

Because I don't do this, it takes me an excruciatingly longer time to accomplish. For me, at least 2 or 3 evenings. My speed is akin to a senior replacing a light bulb.

Q: How many seniors does it take to change a light bulb?
A: Only 1, but it might take him all day!

I remember ➠

the first time I replaced the electric fuel pump inside my 1992 Dodge Caravan Minivan took me 4 hours to drop the tank. Then McMasters was not a aftermarket good brand, replaced the pump 3 times because it failed a few weeks after installing, but had lifetime warranty through Autozone. The 4th time, I was able to drop the tank in less than 45 minutes.

Now, I simply go to the dealer and purchase the OEM pump at 4 times the cost, because I found in my various aftermarket purchases, seems no one makes a decent aftermarket fuel pump these days.

And as the old adage goes, I get tired of redoing the same work again the same way expecting different results.

This separates the pro from the hobbyist or amateur. This why at the right times, I don't mind turning stuff over to a skilled pro to get it done right the first time.

That reminds me, one of the kitchen lights needs changing, a bit difficult in the dark.
So if you could remind me again in the morning.

 

[Ghr9204]

That reminds me, one of the kitchen lights needs changing, a bit difficult in the dark. So if you could remind me again in the morning.

If you don't mind being reminded around noon. Sometimes I sleep in.

 

[Vlad]

In my experience cats are always up at some silly AM anyway, demanding food..

 

[Colin the Bear]

Nothing like not being able to find a specific tool, giving up and ordering a new one, only to discover the old one when you put the new one away. I've ordered some marbles on line to see if that helps.

 

[Ghr9204]

Nothing like not being able to find a specific tool, giving up and ordering a new one, only to discover the old one when you put the new one away. I've ordered some marbles on line to see if that helps.

Perhaps this is why some musicians are still Ramen eaters? 😉 (But BTDT - lost, replaced then found tools and still like Ramen.)

 

[PigSquealer]

Because you do this day in and day out, imagine that in very short order you had it all cleaned and laid out for the next step.

Because I don't do this, it takes me an excruciatingly longer time to accomplish. For me, at least 2 or 3 evenings. My speed is akin to a senior replacing a light bulb.

Q: How many seniors does it take to change a light bulb?
A: Only 1, but it might take him all day!

I remember ➠

the first time I replaced the electric fuel pump inside my 1992 Dodge Caravan Minivan took me 4 hours to drop the tank. Then McMasters was not a aftermarket good brand, replaced the pump 3 times because it failed a few weeks after installing, but had lifetime warranty through Autozone. The 4th time, I was able to drop the tank in less than 45 minutes.

Now, I simply go to the dealer and purchase the OEM pump at 4 times the cost, because I found in my various aftermarket purchases, seems no one makes a decent aftermarket fuel pump these days.

And as the old adage goes, I get tired of redoing the same work again the same way expecting different results.

This separates the pro from the hobbyist or amateur. This why at the right times, I don't mind turning stuff over to a skilled pro to get it done right the first time.

Sax stuff is only half of my weekly fun. I work on cars too. Old and new.

Washing parts is relaxing in the evening.

Before on left. Small details count. It’s a small stuff.

 

[PigSquealer]

Just another day. Doing these by hand. I need to machine a different anvil for my press.

 

[PigSquealer]

When you dream of 3D printing one of these for your C melody.

 

[PigSquealer]

When you wake up from those dreams. Reality sets in

 

[hedgehog]

Oops! Knowing next to nothing about 3D printing I'm curious: what went wrong?

 

[Ghr9204]

I don't have a C Melody ➠

but for my Bb Tenor, but I gifted myself a Christmas present last December a mouthpiece in similar grey:

Photo from D'Addario MKM-7 Metalite Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece - M7

Is it a fair comparison? No, but I think I will have better luck with it than the 3D printed one.

BTW @PigSquealer , love your hop-up of something that actually has a real engine, versus the plastic covered nonsense to hide under the hood what we have today:

Sax stuff is only half of my weekly fun. I work on cars too. Old and new.

That has some ponies under the bonnet (hood).

 

[PigSquealer]

Oops! Knowing next to nothing about 3D printing I'm curious: what went wrong?

The part detached from the printing bed (surface) after a few hours. That’s where the blob and spaghetti design comes from .
“Note to self, check printer more often”.

I reworked the settings for an more stable base. Essentially a larger starting circle (raft) on the bottom with a support partway up. The added support is internally and externally both.

The supports are easily removed.

 

[PigSquealer]

That has some ponies under the bonnet (hood).

Basically a solid build of a stock 1966 Buick Wildcat with a 401cu in / 6.6L v-8. Probably 340-360 HP.
Most of the eye candy is factory parts that were available. Dual Quads were OE option.
The standard carb that came off was ugly.

It was donkey slow at the track.

 

[PigSquealer]

I like my fingers. I needed 12 screws @ .110 long. Currently @ .375.

Still need to dress the starting point

 

[PigSquealer]

The mouthpiece project was time consuming.
Had to ream the shank to make it smooth.

It was already to large to begin with @ .666 A normal range is closer to .613.

The inside edge was sharp, so I used a deburring tool to knock the edge off.

 

[PigSquealer]

The table wasn’t flat and the tip rail had a nasty bump. Opening was over .120

I managed to make the tip about .080. Facing rails @ 20mm.

 

[PigSquealer]

That’s close to a Meyer 5 tenor I have.