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Saxophones Should I save her? Grassi 2000 Professional Tenor - Restoration?

DavidUK said:
I have all those items so will give it a go once the sax is stripped. Hmmm... before or after it's been to the polishers?

As for Plus Gas, Google leads me to a product called "Shock & Unlock" at Halfords:

Still can't get the MP off. Tried freezing the crook... no good. Tried WD40... no good. :(
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I would say after - you're going for a bare brass finish so a few fingermarks aren't going to matter, and you won't run the risk of a polisher undoing all your hard work.

Shock & Unlock is great stuff - but if you're not tackling the screws immediately then you're wasting half of its potential (the freezing action).

It will take time for the WD40 to work on the cork...but you can also try hot olive/vegetable oil.
 
An electric toothbrush and autosol and then toothpaste will take the effort out of polishing tight spots and awkward corners.
 
Then use the self grip wrench and hammer.
The cork is the weak point, the slight jarring in each direction along the leverage of the wrench will gradually break it down the same as cracking rust.
 
MP has come off!! (An oft seen headline in the Sun too, no doubt?)

Squirted a shot load more WD40 down the MP last night and it twisted off no problem this morning.

I think I'll give it a tentative blow on a "good" tenor, then decide whether to keep or sell to fund the Grassi restoration. Is it best to sell in "original" dirty state or clean up as I did with the more modern Soloist (on the side) F Tenor which I'm liking?
The tooth groove makes me think I should leave it untouched if selling as I won't be able to restore it fully without the filler being noticeable and a buyer may have their own recipe for repairing the groove.
It's a Soloist "on the table" don't forget.
 
It might taste a bit funky with the wd40 and all. The rubber will absorb it. Didn't someone recommend warm olive oil?
 
Colin the Bear said:
It might taste a bit funky with the wd40 and all. The rubber will absorb it. Didn't someone recommend warm olive oil?
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Oddly, there's neither a whiff or a taste of it? Maybe the bacteria have eaten it all up?

C** Tenor seems rather rare? I understand the C* was standard on MkVI's but how early is an "on the table" Soloist?

:shocked:
 
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Grassi is now totally dismantled. Off to be strip-dipped and polished in the next few days. No idea how long this will take but Geoff Young in Shrewsbury is waiting to re-pad, re-cork, re-felt, and re-spring her.

Keep you posted....

;}
 
At some stage we should meet to share GAS! Hope all goes well with Geoff. He is a good guy and he has two of my horns turning up this month.
 
ProfJames said:
At some stage we should meet to share GAS! Hope all goes well with Geoff. He is a good guy and he has two of my horns turning up this month.
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As Paul Carrington is busy for a month, I'm taking the Buescher 400 to Geoff to sort the high F, and the Beaugnier to sort the lower stack leak. Should be with him next in the next few days as I have to go up that way.

Grassi Restoration cost/parts/services so far...
Sax cost, plus courier to me £59.78
"Plus Gas" dismantling fluid £5.48
Courier to Colin, polisher £9.59
RUNNING TOTAL: £74.85
(Plus my time so far: 3hrs@£25/hr=£75)
...and so it continues
 
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Dropped all the Grassi displaced pads and bits into Geoff yesterday, along with my Buescher (to fix front F), Beaugnier (to fix leak), and Carmichael (G# key not sitting flush with table). Will collect these in ten days or so when I deliver the polished Grassi to him.
 
Update on the Grassi:

It went in the stripping tank two weeks ago and came out with one layer of lacquer stripped but another under. Into the tank again last Tuesday but this mildly caustic solution wouldn't shift the remaining lacquer so an industrial stripper was used (takes your skin off!). Major parts now polished, small parts continue to be worked on.

Colin's view of Grassi lacquer: "Very well lacquered."

The restoration continues.....

:)
 
Think that's three hours @ £25 per hour....never looked at it like that before, maybe I should start charging me to do my own hobbies, be a millionaire in no time!
 
Fraser Jarvis said:
Think that's three hours @ £25 per hour....never looked at it like that before, maybe I should start charging me to do my own hobbies, be a millionaire in no time!
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Fortunately I earn enough to be able to pay me.

I thought it would be of interest to include parts and labour in the total restoration cost. Things I can do myself would otherwise have been chargeable by a sax tech or similar, albeit at a slightly higher hourly rate. Maybe I should amend the labour to £35/hr as charged by Geoff Young who will be re-padding it?
 
It's a fascinating story, especially to one like me with no such patience, or courage to take the risks!!
 
Update:

Colin's sending the newly stripped and polished sax back to me tomorrow. Should be here by Friday. Fingers crossed it's a good job. I'll post some photos of the "bits" once back, before it goes off for its re-pad.

Grassi Restoration cost/parts/services so far...
Sax cost, plus courier to me £59.78
"Plus Gas" dismantling fluid £5.48
Courier to Colin, polisher £9.59
Less sale of mouthpiece £35.00-
RUNNING TOTAL: £39.85
(Plus my time so far: 3hrs@£25 for each hour=£75)
...and so it continues
 
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