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Saxophone catastrophes

Yesterday I started to repad an Alto that's been waiting naked for several months. Originally, I had planned to use some natural shellac that I bought in flakes and transformed into sticks. Unfortunately those sticks don't want to melt! :(

So I took my good old shellac gun (the MM Z-gun) and got it started, ie heating. I pressed the trigger and got some shellac out as expected. :D Nice and easy. Then tried again for the next pad and nothing... :confused: So I insisted and it went straight to my left leg... Just wait for it... Yes it does burn! Through the jeans... :w00t:. The cartrige of shellac was nearly empty, so I spend the following hour trying to replace it.

The gun is nice when loaded, but then it gets messy, with shellac clogging the mechanism. So you have to heat the schellac to get it out of the gun and empty cartridge.

The joys of repading a saxophone...
 
@saxyjt I now leave it to techies.If I am forced to DIY I use a high met glue gun but please don't tell anyone.;)
 
Yesterday I started to repad an Alto that's been waiting naked for several months. Originally, I had planned to use some natural shellac that I bought in flakes and transformed into sticks. Unfortunately those sticks don't want to melt! :(

I'm not sure where you got the shellac flakes. I made some shellac sticks a few years back using Ferree's shellac flakes and it melts just fine. This picture shows the sticks made by melting flakes next to the original Ferree's stick of shellac.

1585683475059.jpeg
 
You were bought a Selmer saxophone which you kept stored in a cupboard ?
Wow! Surely this is a huge exaggeration.
I only played the Selmer Alto probably half a dozen times between 1975 and when I sold it a month ago (2020). It was stored in its original sax case in a cupboard when not in use. For some unknown reason, Altos don't interest me. The Selmer did have a nice warm sound in the low register but the keywork felt in the wrong place for my fingers.

I much prefer my Yamahas. And now I finally have the time to learn and play. And the Selmer sale has funded my Yamahas.
 
This is a famous game among college football fans. The clock hit zero and the Stanford band came onto the field but the play was still going on. A Cal player scored to win the game and leveled a member of the band. It wasn’t a saxophone but it was a catastrophe, @SaxyNikki ‘s story made me think of this.
Oh yes. I watched it over again. Buddy did trample over a bunch of musicians but as long as “The Bears have won, nothing else seems to matter .”
Poor trampled musician. Silly humans.
Ok I see your point now. Musicians and football players really aren’t a good match. LOL! No respect. ;)
 
I only played the Selmer Alto probably half a dozen times between 1975 and when I sold it a month ago (2020). It was stored in its original sax case in a cupboard when not in use. For some unknown reason, Altos don't interest me. The Selmer did have a nice warm sound in the low register but the keywork felt in the wrong place for my fingers.

I much prefer my Yamahas. And now I finally have the time to learn and play. And the Selmer sale has funded my Yamahas.
I understand now. While I DID enjoy playing my SML alto quite a bit, my Yamaha soprano is so much nicer. It is much easier to play and get a beautiful sound from so I totally get that. I’d considered getting another alto but the soprano really interested me and I’m so glad I purchased it.

The moment I started playing it and heard the sound coming from the instrument , I knew I wasn’t leaving without it. I’ve gotten more enjoyment from playing my Yamaha in a little over a year than I have in my 43 years of owning my alto so I get what you’re saying.

Did you purchase a tenor Yamaha then?
Did you purchase brand new?
I got my soprano used and it still wasn’t cheap.
 
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