It's a big step to strip all the lacquer off and i would guess that it needs to be done well or it will look dreadful.
Thanks dave
I think i will leave it then
mamos
If you look at the P-muriat section on BIRDMAN's studiosaxophones site you will find a sax with an UL body+neck but if you look carefully you will see the key-work is actually still lacquered but in a matt finish. I think this looks much better than the shiney keywork with a UL body, and still provides a good degree of protection.
I have just experimented with Ronseal's 'Diamond Hard' matt clear varnish (water based acrylic so won't react with the existing lacquer) on my gash/recently serviced Bently sop keywork and it works well.
I have put a very thin and even coat on just the main large surface areas of the key-work ie the pad cups, main stack rods etc.
I am still waiting for my UL BW Tenor which will also still have bright keywork, I think I will do the same with this rather than stripping the whole thing down to de-lacquer the key-work completely and risk not getting it back together properly.
Additionally, I intend to de-lacquer the larger, easy to remove parts like the stack-guard and large cup-guards.
Using the matt on just the 'obvious' bits is just enough to take it down a notch and looks much less in-yer-face.;}
Rob
Hi, Would caustic soda work to strip lacquer? Just a thought.
Steve
I did a lacquer strip on an old hohner tenor a while back, using automotive paint stripper. It looked great when finished.Hi All
I love the look of an un-lacquered sax.
I have a very shiny sax and would like it to be a lot less shiny
Is there a way of speeding up the ageing process without a complete dis-assemble and chemical strip.
mamos
Yeah, I wish I had read that heads up 7 years back when I took my TT alto totally apart to clean all the tarnish off the satin silver body. First off I didn't know about putting pieces of elecrtic wire insulation over the needle springs to protect your fingers and I suffered more pokes in my fingertips and under my nails then I care to remember. I read about it on SOTW after I was almost all done. The other thing I failed to do was to take photos of the keys and rods as I took them off and label them as to their order. I put the screws etc in an egg carton to separate them but didn't label them so when it came time for reassembly naturally it was by trail and error. I also had yet to buy Stephen's book on Sax Repair, which would have helped me greatly. Live and learn. I got it 2/3 of the way reassemble and had to take it to my tech to finish the job for me because I had things out of order and couldn't finish it. Doing DIY is fine when you know more than next to zilch about the thing you are working on. Woodwork is one thing but sax repair is a horse of a different material and I bit off more than I could chew.No there's not.You could strip the bell,neck but would look odd.I have stripped about 6 sax's but just the body,neck.Never done the keywork.i use NITROMORS,green tin.My stripping days are over now:shocked:If you dismantle ya sax you got to no how to put it back againgood luck but watch what ya doing.