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 !

 

[Woodpad]

To become a full cowboy or cowgirl one needs to loose all their marbles. Each applicant starts with a mouth full of marbles. Each time the prospect rides a bucking bronco or bull and falls off. They spit one marble out. When they’ve lost all their marbles the certificate is awarded. Honestly the toughest people on the planet.

now I can see the bats.

 

[PigSquealer]

What’s the best felt color for a Martin Imperial tenor ?

 

[etc-etc]

Black will be a bear if the felt falls off.
White will look dirty in no time.
Red is too aggressive.
Green it is!

 

[Woodpad]

Purple.

According to an empower yourself with colors site:

Purple is associated with imagination, spirituality, and royalty. It symbolizes luxury, ambition, and self-assurance, while also promoting mental balance and emotional stability.

I think it combines well with dark brass. Not flashy and adding some silent dignity.

 

[etc-etc]

Purple.

According to an empower yourself with colors site:

Purple is associated with imagination, spirituality, and royalty. It symbolizes luxury, ambition, and self-assurance, while also promoting mental balance and emotional stability.

I think it combines well with dark brass. Not flashy and adding some silent dignity.

Can it be purple with a hint of green?

 

[Tuppertn]

I do like purple.

It's like blue but with a college education.

 

[Targa]

I do like purple.

It's like blue but with a college education.

Though traditionally spelt pruple.

 

[mark_addy]

Purchased at supply company. Fit/ shape / arc as needed and not much of that.
@1mm are you planning on springing a 747 jumbo jet 🤯

They are leftover bits from some reed valves someone asked me to make for an ancient 'Bollinder' 2-stroke hot-bulb diesel engine - it has crank-case air induction just like a 2-stroke bike (but air only - fuel is injected at about BDC and then kind-of fizzles on the bulb until compression arrives and it really starts to burn). Maybe I'll use the offcuts. Maybe I'll use something of the 'right' thickness culled from a rusty set of unreadable feeler gauges - this comes to mind as this source served to fix a governor in a wind-up gramophone, not so long ago!

 

[PigSquealer]

Purple.

According to an empower yourself with colors site:

Purple is associated with imagination, spirituality, and royalty. It symbolizes luxury, ambition, and self-assurance, while also promoting mental balance and emotional stability.

I think it combines well with dark brass. Not flashy and adding some silent dignity.

The white ones can be dyed any color. 😉

 

[PigSquealer]

Zen Master Dug has chosen green as the color. “Green & brown are colors of great happiness” were his words.

 

[teen37]

Help !! I’ve fallen and can’t reach my marble rolling pin 🤣
View attachment 38231
Got it ironed out already though.
View attachment 38232
View attachment 38233View attachment 38234

Hilarious 🤣🙄😜 see!..... You never know when you need a marble rolling pin 🤔😳😉

 

[PigSquealer]

So the Martin Imperial tenor is done. I need to get caught up on posting the highlights.

The very tip of the brace still needed finishing.

The area was shaped to clear the octave lever. A Dremel tool cut the bulk off. By hand a jewelers file finished the shape.

This is the starting point to time / regulate the system.

Small improvements add up.

 

[PigSquealer]

Here’s the skinny on the crook / neck LH-octave key system.
#1, Keep in mind that the neck / crook/ body octave, is co- mingled as part of an system.
Keys C, B, Bb A as played in use the crook/ neck “key”
Pressing / pressing G, the neck / crook key closes and the body octave key opens.
The full range of this octave lever is 3mm. At rest some distance between the lever and halo is necessary.

Four contact points to regulate here below showing the system at rest / off. The materials are 1/64 / 0,33 thick. One bit at 1/32.

How close is close ?
Paper and hearing the parts hit each other until they don’t.

This below with neck octave on / open. Notice the distance between the receiver and lever.

It doesn’t look like anything moved below.

 

[PigSquealer]

With the G touch depressed the neck key closes and the body key opens. The adjustment also affects the key height of G pad / cup. Notice the octave lever is now against the receiver.

Below it’s now visible to see parts that moved. Notice the body octave key is open.

The material under the octave touch also affects regulation.

 

[PigSquealer]

A quick photo dump of before and after pics.
What do you see ? There’s more than just new springs. All the small stuff adds up.

⬆️ cork & Teflon worked fine until I played it. The area buzzed / vibrated along with a bunch of other locations.

⬇️ Other buzzing areas like side Bb. I often install a bit of cork fore & aft of pivot underside. This usually dampens the bad vibes. It was worse on than off.

Keep things tidy without leaving witness marks.

Marks like below on the B & C touches. This from a brass brush. I was trying to clean the goo out of roller recess and forgot to cover with tape. The table was bent enough that none of the rollers turned freely. I could go either way with the felt on G# under B & C. No clanking with it.

 

[PigSquealer]

A little vinyl hose for noise reduction. Some cork for regulation. Note I circled the front F touch.

⬇️ The front F was adjusted for inline comfort to B touch.

 

[PigSquealer]

All the small things add up to improve condition and performance. A dent removed. A spot of solder. A few springs and a bath.

Below most of you see the new brace. A dent removed. The challenge of adding a patina.

⬇️ This is what was worked on.

How about a simple neck cork ? No big deal. Done many. I had to do it twice 🤦‍♂️. The ring on tip is uneven. Trying to suck up the gap during installation I ripped the cork in half 😤

 

[PigSquealer]

Overall this one turned out well. Cosmetically, mechanically and playing. I’m happy and can do no more.
The regulation and tuning were unlike any other Martin. IMHO insanely sensitive. Not MPC friendly either. Martins usually are. Testing MPCs, Meyer 5 & 6, Brillhart Ebloin 5, Brillhart Personaline 6, Vandorn JJ T55 was worst. Was durable on 2.5 Rico Blue & Orange. It hated the Hartman carbon fiber reed. The Personaline was stable with good control. It lacked edge. Slightly dead sounding. The Meyer 6 was best overall for me, but made for a brighter sounding Martin than I’m used to. All in a good way.

The regulation materials are the thinnest I’ve ever used. That presented some action noise issues as part of the equation. Popping LHP Lo C closed I could feel palm E buzzing in my left hand. This thing vibrates like crazy.

Time to pack for shipping.

See you soon !

 

[PigSquealer]

Next up ! A Nice 1967 in need of Moor Mud.

 

[PigSquealer]

The regulation and tuning were unlike any other Martin. IMHO insanely sensitive.

How sensitive ? 1mm off the bell key bumpers made the difference of playing in tune.