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 !

 

[Tuppertn]

What this doesn’t show is how long the note was played. That’s on another chart. So what appears in orange or red could be 1/2 second where green could be 10 seconds.

That's a good point to make. Brain needs more than a quaver at 60bpm to react and adjust.

I tuned to C2 since that's more or less the center of the song. I could try centering the tuning on a different note. Maybe tuning G1 would make a difference.

What's the app called? Is it TonalEnergy? The screenshots look right.

 

[PigSquealer]

Yes, Tonal Energy tuner app.
I set a mouthpiece by playing Bb / everything closed. Then C# everything open. Adjust for best on each end. Check C, E & both RH2 & side F# should match.
Working from my vintage office today.

 

[Tuppertn]

Tulsa, OK set the world record for classic cars in a parade last week for the 100th anniversary of Route 66.

MSN

 

[Colin the Bear]

"Faith" sounds a touch flat at the beginning on this phone. Not unpleasantly though and the phone misses all the lower partials.

I can't recommend highly enough getting the horn tuned to itself to centre it. Overblow Bell notes to match natural fingerings. Long tube notes matching short tube notes is the key, imo, to many intonation and tuning problems.

 

[skeller047]

+1 to Colin’s post. Tuning is easier to adjust if the horn is vibrating properly. (Sorry, I mean the air inside the horn…)

PS I liked your track a lot @Tuppertn

 

[PigSquealer]

I can't recommend highly enough getting the horn tuned to itself to centre it

+1 to Colin’s post. Tuning is easier to adjust if the horn is vibrating properly.

Yes, what I was trying to say in my above post on mouthpiece placement. Get it to tune within itself.

@Tuppertn also noted the huge bottom end on this one. Yeah it vibrates. I think my comment was “ the low notes make my ears wiggle”.

 

[PigSquealer]

Tulsa, OK set the world record for classic cars in a parade last week for the 100th anniversary of Route 66.

MSN

That was one heck of a car event !
One car I was drooling over today was this Buick Wildcat 2dr convertible.

 

[PigSquealer]

Today’s show was just that. A show.
Tomorrow I take this to a real show. Full judging.
This picture below was taken April 17, 2024.
The reason this applies to sax related service is diversity in ability. Mechanical skills carried over from other experiences. Metal shaping, hardware, plumbing (stuff that leaks), working temperatures of different materials ( 100°-1700°), machining, welding, soldering, adhesive's, finishes and on and on. I’ve been working on cars and motorcycles for over 56 years and still I’m always learning.

A few thousand hours later on June 6, 2026…

Keep in mind this is entered in the “Preservation class”. A classification for the hobbyist, not a fat wallet. Those who try to keep vehicles running and use them on a regular basis. Not necessarily a daily driver, not a garage Queen, but well used enough for the general public to see and enjoy. Think of this being a survivor not often seen anymore. Best viewed at four meters or 12’ they look best. Parts…lucky if you can find or afford them. Even luckier if you have the resources to make it just work. Creative repairing / fabrication is heavily scrutinized !!! This is not the junkyard dog competition.
In the last six years I’ve seen three in person…counting this one.

 

[kamak]

Today’s show was just that. A show.
Tomorrow I take this to a real show. Full judging.
This picture below was taken April 17, 2024.
The reason this applies to sax related service is diversity in ability. Mechanical skills carried over from other experiences. Metal shaping, hardware, plumbing (stuff that leaks), working temperatures of different materials ( 100°-1700°), machining, welding, soldering, adhesive's, finishes and on and on. I’ve been working on cars and motorcycles for over 56 years and still I’m always learning.
View attachment 35319
A few thousand hours later on June 6, 2026…
View attachment 35320

Keep in mind this is entered in the “Preservation class”. A classification for the hobbyist, not a fat wallet. Those who try to keep vehicles running and use them on a regular basis. Not necessarily a daily driver, not a garage Queen, but well used enough for the general public to see and enjoy. Think of this being a survivor not often seen anymore. Best viewed at four meters or 12’ they look best. Parts…lucky if you can find or afford them. Even luckier if you have the resources to make it just work. Creative repairing / fabrication is heavily scrutinized !!! This is not the junkyard dog competition.
In the last six years I’ve seen three in person…counting this one.

This is great to see to be honest. A car like that being used and not just stored away in a garage or climate controlled building just sitting there. In my book, a real car enthusiast will use the car, not do that above, regardless of 'value'. The above type isnt really a car enthusiast at that point, they are using it as an investment, which is entirely their prerogative.

That'd be like someone hanging a sax on a wall, never playing it, and calling themselves a saxophonist.

Cars are meant to be driven, saxes are meant to be played.

I know I'm quite a bit younger than many here, but I have been around classic cars most of my life, those who enjoy/have them, been to countless car shows, etc. I always had respect for those who drove their car to the show rather than trailer it in. I could see the care and love they put into it.

Your car looks great, and the work you've put into it really shines through, just as it does on your sax work!

 

[cappers]

That Edelbrock twin-carb looks nice, bet it sounds cool too
I gave my 3.5Efi V8 Land Rover to my son. It needed a lot of work and I'm too old to be bothered anymore. He loves it and is thinking of ditching the Efi and going back to carbs, mostly for that burble-burble-growl sound!

 

[PigSquealer]

Thanks for the comments 😊
Had everything ready to go last night. I was up at 1:45 AM with an awful migraine and didn’t go.

 

[PigSquealer]

That Edelbrock twin-carb looks nice, bet it sounds cool too
I gave my 3.5Efi V8 Land Rover to my son. It needed a lot of work and I'm too old to be bothered anymore. He loves it and is thinking of ditching the Efi and going back to carbs, mostly for that burble-burble-growl sound!

The dual quad set was available from the factory. Either by ordering on assembly line or the dealer parts counter.
This car had a single 350cfm quad that wasn’t worth restoring.

The top full top end came off for service.

The intake manifold is correct factory part. The carburetors are Edelbrocks copy of Hollies. Both second hand and for single setup.
Had to fabricate all the dual linkage. Remove one cold start choke circuit. Make fit under hood. Setup and plumb all vacuum & fuel lines….

Then set the tuning air / fuel mixture on two 625cfm units.

 

[PigSquealer]

I actually drove it around on one to establish a A/F mixture baseline.

A/F meter takes the guesswork out.

 

[skeller047]

Don’t let your cop friends see that last photo…

 

[Tuppertn]

Don’t let your cop friends see that last photo…

Tell 'em it's in kph.

 

[PigSquealer]

Don’t let your cop friends see that last photo…

Yeah, they would question me heavily and ask who’s car was running so poorly.

Tell 'em it's in kph.

It actually is😉

 

[PigSquealer]

It’s time to get back to sax TLC.
Anyone interested in doing a DIY Selmer or other brand oil change ?

Tools
3 to 5 different size screwdrivers. The cloth guards, pivot screws, stack rods, palm rods and roller pins all need proper fitting tips.
1 spring hook
Everything else is optional…. Much of that depends on past care & service.

Supplies
Pipe cleaners
Q- tips (ear buds)
Tissue, paper towels,
Naphtha solvent
Heavy oil
Contact cement is good to have on hand. It’s not uncommon to knock a cork or felt off.

As a primer to this task. Think of the disassembly in groups, areas or systems. Then visualize as steps or layers.
The RH palm keys, the octave system. Upper and lower stack, the side keys.
The LH pinky table bell key grouping.

 

[PigSquealer]

To start off in a good way. Have a good understanding of your sax make and models hardware. The pivot screws are of different designs over the years. Take a vintage Holton apart like a modern Yamaha and you’ll have a bunch of bent screws. Pay attention to your Selmer model or you’ll be on your hands and knees looking for the springs.

An Overview of Saxophone Pivot Screws

www.musicmedic.com

 

[PigSquealer]

I like to start a disassembly by detaching all the springs first. I have better luck pushing the springs off than pulling them off.
Tip; open keys push the spring away from the tone hole. Closed keys push towards the tone hole.
The spring cradle/cleat/saddle/slot/hole is something to observe before attacking the task. Excessive force is generally unnecessary. If you’re pressing or pulling hard something is wrong. Look again.

A simple stub/pin with a groove.

A flat cleat.

A hole in key arm. This type requires disassembly of the hinge rod first. Then slide the key off the spring.

A channel cut in key. Push this off well inline. On reinstalling make sure it’s all the way back in.

A groove on flat side of key arm.

 

[PigSquealer]

Before you start removing things take lots of pictures! Detail pictures will save your bacon if you get stuck.
Work over a towel. When you drop a screw it won’t bounce to some unknown realm. Support the body with a rolled up cloth at each end. Keep the weight off the pinky table!
For safety, Never have your hands on the far side or inline with a screwdriver. They make excellent skewers.

Starting with the bell keys. Loosen the lower B & Bb pivot screws.

Don’t worry about loosening the low C# screw. Do look at how the key is held in place by a big flat spring.

Next loosen and remove the G# touch rod & part. Place the rod back into the part. Now is a good time to make a hardware caddy. Or just take screws out, remove the part and replace in same location. Don’t get the screws mixed up or you’ll be sorry.
Proceed to Bb, fully remove the screw. Skew the barrel slightly above the pillar and extract the key. Caddy the screw or replace it.
Repeat for B. Hold off on C#.

Go to key C# and remove. Be attentive of the flat spring noted previously.

Proceed to removing C# touch & barrel.
The bell keys are off and you’ve likely used two screwdrivers. The other two needed ; lower stack cloth guard (largest) and the smallest for palm keys, side C & Bb hinge pivots.